I’m building a north fork st964 9’6” 6-12 casting rod for steelhead/silvers and trying to figure out what size guide to start with I will be using Fuji kw guides. I’m thinking starting with a 12 10 8 6 does this sound about right any suggestions would be great. It seems like there’s tons of info for spinning setups just not a lot for casting.if it helps I’ll be using a revo mgx low pro reel. Thanks in advance

I would start with a KW10, KW 6, Then whatever runners are sufficient in size to pass any leader knots you may use. No need to step down in sizes. I am not familiar with this particular type of rod, but it sounds pretty fundamental to me. Wait for more opinions.

What kind of casting reel are you planning on using? If a low profile reel a KW 10 (or RV6) is sufficiently high enough and will cast quite well. If you are going to use a casting reel sitting higher off the blanks, then a larger Stripper may be warranted. I have a 9’ Salmon/steelhead casting rod I use with a Curado 201 reel. It has a KW10, and a KW5.5 followed by KB/KT5 runners.
Norm

I will be using a abu Garcia revo mgx very similar in size to your curado. I guess a good question is how does one go about sizing guides for a casting rod..

I see no reason for all the sizes, I'd start with a 10 than 6s on that size rod. Been starting with a ten for near 30 years after fishing than owning the fantastic Berkeley Series One rods. Even the heavy power salmon rod was wrapped that way.

I see no reason why the length of the rod would affect guide sizing, although I have seen one article that did take into account the rod length. When I asked why, I didn't get a good answer. The KW sizes recommended for the first guide should work, as will the RV 6 mm, which I prefer. I doubt is there is any significant difference in performance- I just prefer it. The running guides may be all the same size, IMO, and would be sized depending on passing any knots you plan to use. I've settled on 5.5 KB's and KT's. For a rod like this I would consider taking the KB's right to the end to take advantage of its bigger/stronger foot.

Brandon, to answer your question in a broader sense, the guides on a casting rod are there to manage the line flow along the blank. Line coming from a casting reel (unlike the coils of a spinning reel) flow pretty smoothly from the spool other than the side-to-side action from the way the line is placed on the spool by the pawl guide going back and forth on the retrieve. The first guide needs to be tall enough and open enough to "choke" the initial burst of line coming from the reel when you cast. You should choose the smallest guide that will do that job and place it where the line does not slap the blank or pile up behind the guide when you cast. The key is the right size in the right place, which comes from trial and error and test casting with guides taped in place. After the crucial placement of the first guide, all other guides can be the same size because the line is now flowing smoothly toward the tip of the rod. It's best to position the remaining guides to provide power during a fight which is called "static loading", you can read about that at [www.anglersresourc.net]

Thanks for all the great answers I really appreciate it.

I have always understood that "stripper guide" refers precisely to the first guide on a fly rod, and the Rodbuilding.Org Glossary of Terms confirms this definition. Maybe it should be changed?

I believe the proper terminology for rods other than fly is "butt guide". Glad we got that rectified. It was bothering me also to some small extent.