Which fly guides should I use for 9' 5wt....what brand ceramic guides or what brand wire guides...Thanks...

Snake Brand's Universal Lite Wire Snake Guides. End of conversation. Yep, they're that good.

Use any guides you want. I'd use REC titanium guides, likely in single foot unless rough handling is expected. The light wire double foots work really well if you're hiking in a lot of brush or otherwise need more durability.

If cost is a factor, the Batson stainless are good and not expensive at all.

For stripper guides again, it's personal choice. I virtually always use Fuji KW type guides. For a 5 weight you could use one 12mm and call it good. It's all personal preference. All choices will make a "good" fly rod.

Drew

I only build fly rods - and have used both REC Recoils (s/f and snakes) and Snakebrand.
Snakebrand are good - but don't believe that you don't have to prep feet. - you will - especially if you use, as I do, "00" tread to wrap the runners.

I fish only salt water - so use REC Recoils 99% of the time. I have built fly rods for others with Snakebrand runners and if they don't wash off salt after using in the salt - the guides WILL stain and therefore stain the wraps.

I agree with Drew re the REC and and the Fuji Stripper.

I would not install ceramics as runners on any fly rod - especially one as light as a #5.

Herb
Distrib. CTS rod blanks

I too only build fly rods and my go-to guides are the Batson line up. I use single foot almost exclusively employing the Forhan locking loop to secure them.

This is a slightly controversial topic on here. I recommend the light duty RECs but if you want to do ceramics do it. I have done down to 3 wts with ceramics and they can cast 60' with little effort. On a 9' rod I will use 12 ceramic guides. An "L" frame guide for runners works well on fly rods and if you are using it mainly in fresh water then a stainless steel frame material will be fine. It looks like you can still get Fuji L frame Alconite guides through Mudhole. On a 8.5' 5 wt I would use 11 Fuji ceramic guides; a KW 12, KW 6 then the rest L 5s. On the tip section you could lighten it up with L 4s a little then use a Arowana 5 tip top. If you go with REC same two strippers then 7-4 mm double foot snakes to the tip top (9 guides total not including tip top). I will never recommend single foot snake guides because they are trash. Also if you go the ceramic rout, place the first stripper guide about an 1" from the ferrule (if it is a 4 pc rod). Seaguide and Batson also also make some nice L framed ceramic guides. There are some really great builders here but we all have our differences on how a fly rod should be built so you will most likely get a few more comments as to how it should be done and what components to use. Also I have trekked all over southern Patagonia with my ceramic guide fly rods in the brush and have not messed up any of them. They work as designed and in windy conditions. I have used Snake brand guides in the past but have had issues with corrosion because I mainly fish saltwater. REC guides have never corroded on me and they have a round design vs a tear drop shape of other guides.

Thanks to everyone who posted....

Do fly guides ever "wear out"? I have never observed this phenomenon.

Yes, wire guides did and some still can wear out. It used to be a big part of my rod repair business - replacing snake guides on fly rods.

...............

one of the first things you notice with ceramic guides is how loooong your fly line lasts and floats..

I don't think I have ever seen a fly guide "worn out" (grooved) from using fly line - but then fly line is so thick and soft it would make a very wide and shallow groove indeed, so it might be impossible to see with the naked eye?

your flyline tells you when you have guide issues, especially under fish fighting loads..

Phil,

Oh you'll see it and you'll even be able to tell if the guy is casting overhead or sidearm because the groove will be either in the top or the side of the guide. And no, they're not hard to see.

Modern guides have gotten so much better than this would not happen at the same rate of occorrence that it did 15 or 20 years ago.

.................

Only fly rod I have is a Dan Craft 9 ft. Sig V 10 wt. when your shaking out the line to get enough to cast, it just flies out of the guides. Casts beautifully, fishes the same, 10 guides plus tip was all I needed. Fuji Alconites.
Much more noticeable difference in tip weight and response as the powers get lighter, converted a 7 wt. back to single foot wire guides after a few seasons.

Spencer,
The DC Sig. V is a beast.
I can understand why the ceramics make the blank more pleasant.
Herb

Herb,
Dan gave you a choice with the Sig Vs, sanded, or unsanded, I chose the unsanded which caused quite a few looks back than, now it's getting more common. I believe it had an ERN of 13.36, AA of 67 degrees.

I have never seen a guide wear out because I have too many rods that I will use. If that happens to you then I would just get a new rod because it would be about time to. I would imagine that there would be something out there better by then.

Dry cotton balls have a higher coefficient of friction than a clean fly line dressed with Formula 303 Aerospace Protectant. People who misuse and abuse their fly rods and fly lines [never clean them or treat them] and fishing tackle will definitely need new lines, guides, and rods at regular intervals.

Phil,
Are there no negative consequences to using 303? I use it on my dry suit's latex neck gasket cuffs to prevent sun damage. I know sun can damage fly lines - but what about a chemical reaction between the fly line coating and the 303.
I ruined a Wulff fly line (made by SA) by using Loon dressing.

So now I only use SA dressing or Glide.
Herb

Herb: I have never heard of any such damage, but not all fly lines are coated with the same plastic materials. Formula 303 has been widely used on thousands of different make, model, and year automobile interiors for decades and apparently damage and lawsuits from such use has not discouraged the manufacturers of 303. I don't worry about it hurting my fly lines, and I believe Formula 303 adds significant distance to my fly casts.