I’m look at building a 7’ to 7’3” walleye jigging spinning rod in M-F. Will only be throwing jigs from 3/8-5/8oz. I’m looking for recommendations on a guide train for this type of rod. Line will be 15lb braid with a 6-8lb flouro leader with an FG knot. For my drop shot rods I’m using the Fuji K concept guides, 16H, 8H, 5.5L or M, 4.5KB, four 4.5KT runners and a 4.5LG micro tip top. Should I use this same set up or is something better for light jig rods? Thanks much!

Casting is not a big priority with either of these rods, and if you like one you will like the other built with the same guide train. However, since the weight difference between the set starting with the 16 and the set starting with the 20 is so small I usually use the 20-10-5.5M so if I decide to use a heavier line, it will handle heavier line better. I like the choice of 4.5 runners. I build all my spinning rods with them now. The 20-10-5.5M set makes great rods with a little more versatility than the 16-8-5.5M.

I agree with Micheal, the size 20H based reduction train does give you a little more versatility, especially on longer rods with reels larger than a1000 size. However, if you are using a 1000 size reel, I prefer the 16H based reduction train. Both will work exceptionally well.
Norm

Almost a decade ago there was an extended discussion about micro guide systems when we were just trying to find our and the guides limitations. I believe there wer 6 or seven volumes, Volume 3 I believe was exclusively spinning rods. Bob McKamey's son Hunter built a rod with a first guide sized with a high frame 10 that easily out cast an identical standard build using a Shimano 2500 reel.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/19/2019 10:14AM by Spencer Phipps.

Spencer Phipps Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Almost a decade ago there was an extended
> discussion about micro guide systems when we were
> just trying to find our and the guides
> limitations. I believe there wer 6 or seven
> volumes, Volume 3 I believe was exclusively
> spinning rods. Bob McKamey's son Hunter built a
> rod with a first guide sized with a high frame 10
> that easily out cast an identical standard build
> using a Shimano 2500 reel.


I was going to say the same thing, I have used the older Alps guides that were a higher frame 10's and 12's and found they cast better than a 20 or 25 for the stripper guide.

Original work was done by Pat Vinzant, you don't see him much online. He specializes on spinning rods I'm told. My rods with similar layout using 10 lb braid and long 8 lb fluoro top shot shoots right through my 3 mm running guides.

Keep in mind it's all about the line. These small guide solutions will work fine with light braid , but not with something like 10 # mono or FC. I've said for years that given the right light test braid one could use a casting rod guide train and it would do pretty well. It was a long time coming for many in the building community to recognize how tolerant light test braid was and how dependent the right guide solution was on what line was to be used.

Actually Michael, Hunter's rod and my own lost no performance over the standard setup with 8 lb mono. Actual specs are all in the M & M mentioned above.

Eight pound mono isn't going to cause noticeable issues with small ringed guides , when you get up to around 15 pound mono or flouro as your main running line then you will see issues develop especially if using spinners with larger spool diameters but with reels in the 1000-2000 sizes it's not a problem . When one chooses to use a larger ring size than necessary for the stripper energy is lost , nothing on a major scale and most won't even notice but some energy is lost nonetheless .

A high frame 10 or 12 ring contains the line and and allows it to continue moving forward without having the line open up as it would if the ring diameter was considerably larger . When a guide ring is larger than necessary you lose efficiency, (Energy) and this apply's to the stripper right down to the choke and runners , they should all be no larger than absolutely necessary for best possible performance.

Now if you plan on using a wide variety of reels and line types most go with a larger stripper and somewhat larger choke/running guides which is the right thing to do but if someone wants the best possible performance and they know a single reel and line type will be used then following the above philosophy will give you the ultimate performance you're looking for .


Spencers comments about a 10 ring outcasting larger strippers shows whats possible when you contain the lines energy as opposed to losing energy by choosing strippers that are larger than needed , there's less room for the line to move inside the ring diameter which conserves the lines energy allowing it
to shoot the line forward instead of allowing it to billow inside a larger ring .

Choosing a high frame 16 instead of the more popular high frame 20 ring is an example of conserving energy IF the reel & line choice allows it .

A fact that one has to remember is when you use smaller ringed strippers the frame height also decreases. Thus, the chances of line slap increases, because the stripper guide is now closer to the blank. This is especially true when using larger reels, and/or heavier line. One of the main reasons for using high frame guides is to help prevent line slap by controlling line coils coming off the reel. One can go smaller and lower but only within a certain limit dependent on reel and line sizes.
Norm

We're talking walleye jigging rods, no one puts 15 lb. non-braid anything on those small reels. You certainly wouldn't need the line because of the fight, the original old posts were for a medium power 6ft. smallmouth rod a much more aggresive critter when hooked.