I know this is going to be a can of worms but, I have been reading a lot about spiral wraps here and I am getting ready to wrap an 8ft Fenwick blank. What is the best spiral layout to use?

James,
There is No best layout to use.

You can use the simple - with one guide.

You can use the one with 2 guides to get around the blank.

You can use the one with 3 guides to get around the blank.

It is really your choice.

For myself, I prefer using the one with 3 guides. One guide at 45, one guide at 90, one guide at 120 and the last guide on the bottom at 180.

For myself, due to line stacking, I also offset the first or stripper guide at about 5 degrees in the direction of the spiral. When I place the stripper at 0 degrees, I tend to get line stacking on one side of my reel - no matter the choice of reel.

So, just tape up some different configurations, and thread the line. Pull out about 100 feet of line and then - with light tension on the line, reel the line back into the reel and see how the line path flows with respect to the rod blank.

Note:
For the guides that are moving the line around the blank, especially the one that is at 90 degrees, you want that guide to be very short. Basically you want the line to be brushing the blank, except for the fact that you have the guide ring tucked tight to the blank to keep line wear off of the blank.

Good wrapping.

Search this site for the simple spiral, easiest to build, works as well as any others, I've never had line stacking with it. Why get complex when the simplest works as well as the complex.

I have read lot about the simple spiral here, just wanted some input on the other methods talked about in other posts. Trying to make the leaning curve as short as possible!

I have read lot about the simple spiral here, just wanted some input on the other methods talked about in other posts. Trying to make the leaning curve as short as possible!

The Simple Spiral has zero transition guides.

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Thank you Tom. There has been a lot more posted about the simple spiral than any of the other spiral wraps. Shooting from memory here the 180 guide is approx 12 inches from the first guide and if a bumper is used you want it as close to the blank as possible. I was looking for some comparisons between the simple and some of the others. I know anything other than simple will be a little more difficult to set up, but was hoping for some subjective data on cast ability from it to the other set ups.

James,
As has been said here and other spiral posts, the best spiral wrap method is the one you like and employ. Personally, I do not like the line rubbing the blank as is the case with a simple-spiral with guides at 0*and 180*. Some simple-spiral advocates have been known to proclaim keeping the line from rubbing the blank while static load testing a conventional guides-on-top layout. I do not see the difference. With a simple-spiral, the line will not just touch the blank at one tiny point but rather 45*-90* around the surface of the blank while traveling between the 0* and 180* guides. I cannot imagine that much friction would not hinder casting distance. Additionally, with the extreme tension of braided line caused by a 100lb tuna rubbing the blank, sooner than later the line will rub through the finish and into the blank itself = not good for the blank or line. Admittedly, I do not know because I have never tried a simple-spiral.
The spiral-wrap method I prefer is a modified 0-60-120-180* where the guides are actually closer to 20-140-160-180*. The 20 and 140* guides are positioned so that the line barely misses the blank by approximately .060in. I believe this method produces the straightest line path when considering both the X and Y axis of the blank. Yes, the simple-spiral will produce a straighter line path in the Y axis by .060in but, again, I prefer to keep the line off the blank. The 7’6”spiral-wrapped calico rod I built outcasts all of my buddy’s store-bought rods, whether I am fishing it or them; and that is with a 50 year old FG Conolon blank! To me, it really does not matter if you are casting for calico or trying to tame tuna, I use this method because I like it and it works! Others like different methods because they like it and it works for them. You will employ the method you like as well.

Mark Talmo
FISHING IS NOT AN ESCAPE FROM LIFE BUT RATHER A DEEPER IMMERSION INTO IT!!! BUILDING YOUR OWN SIMPLY ENHANCES THE EXPERIENCE.

Mark, I'm not sure why you're getting the major blank contact you report with the simple spiral, but I've never seen it. But I don't build heavy tuna rods, either. My builds have all been fresh water/light salt rods. I see no difference in casting distance between the simple spiral and the traditional all on top configuration.

I developed the Simple Spiral in an attempt to have something that I could explain to people over the phone in a minute or less. In essence, you just set up the rod as you would a regular guides-on-top casting rod, perform the static stress distribution test, and once satisfied, just flip all but the butt guide to the bottom of the rod. That's all there is to it. Go back and add a bumper guide if you like, but do not adjust any of the other guides. Put the bumper guide between the normal 1st (butt) and 2nd guide locations.

The Simple Spiral casts as well as anything else out there.

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I have a 7ft. heavy bass rod set up as Tom says, I used a size 4 wide ft. Pac Bay micro guide as a bumper guide, (a Fuji belly guide would be even better) and it casts 50lb. braid with a 17lb. floro leader (Alberto knot) like a dream.