Question is about as simple as the title- I'm building a muskie rod with a Penn Fathom 15 as the reel and size 8 KW runners. I will do a decent amount of trolling with this setup but I have had good experiences casting with this reel and I want good casting characteristics out of this rod. I had decent results with some very old school guide trains on older factory rods but that's about all the experimentation I've been able to do. I have KW's on hand all the way up through size 16. What, if anything, is different about laying out a guide train for a non levelwind reel? Thanks in advance!

Kevin,

I might suggest that you set up your expected guide train with the setup you have in mine. Put them on the rod and wrap them, but do not do the final coating.

Then, go do a bunch of test casting and perhaps even do some trolling.

If you find that you are having issues with the line lay, and insuring that it lays nicely, Try putting a larger stripper guide in place and repeat. If still not happy, try a larger stripper guide and repeat.

Let us know what you find.

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Or, you could do the reverse, start with a size 30 stripper guide and try out the rod and see if you are happy. If not, try a smaller guide size.

I am only making these suggestions, since I have 0 experience with a non-levelwind reel. However, I do know that when I see folks fishing with non - level wind reels, the rods always seem to have a stripper guide of about a size 30.

Best Wishes

I have yet to see or handle that reel. Most in that size range found in Denver stores are typically level-winds. The main concern,first and foremost is height from the blank to the bottom of the guide ring. Does it provide adequate clearance of the line over the foregrip? Especially when flexed while trolling in a line holder in an elevated position. Does said stripper guide allow clearance over the hand position when fighting a fish? If you need to,you can use a smaller ringed guide with a taller frame. Those are the real meat and potato questions to be asking. On the west coast,building live bait rods,I typically started with a 20 and then went to a 25,or a 24 if using wire framed guides. Rarely did I need a 30. Sometimes,it the grip had a smaller OD to it,sized for a ladies,or younger anglers hands,a 16 ceramic,or 18 wire framed guide was adequate.

Every casting distance record is held by revolving-spool reels (casting reels), not fixed spool spinning reels. - casting reel - 915 feet - spinning reel 840 feet. Although these distance casters use special lines, rods, and casting techniques the physics of the cast are identical to those of fishing casts. You might visit a distance-casting website and see how they go about finding the ideal guide sizes and spacing for building their rods. Whatever it is it can't interfere much with your rod's use for trolling. BTW: On a bet Steve Rajeff used a revolving-spool reel to cast a golf ball 1,011 feet.

I should have added in the original post that some of the rods I have been able to cast with using this reel were using as small as size 12 strippers, some larger but not a 20 ring. Would't find that on a muskie rod, more so on a boat rod, hence the original question. I prefer to keep my hand back at the reel or barely in front when fighting a fish, as opposed to using the fore grip. This lends me to a longer rear grip and shorter smaller fore grip and less risk of the line interfering. My initial concern was actually whether or not I could take line coming straight off the spool (as opposed to through a levelwind mechanism) and run it through the smaller guides typically found on heavy baitcasting rods. The line does not come off a trolling reel as neatly as it does a casting reel, especially without any kind of casting brake.

Interesting angle on the distance casting. I hadn't thought of that particular discipline but I know some guys use reels like this for surf fishing so maybe that's a good route to go. Sure aren't many guys using these reels in the middle of the country...