Touché, Roger! While all of us rod builders strive toward absolute perfection in performance and presentation as well, I think we all may be guilty of taking too far at times by shaving off every possible grain of weight, using overly expensive components and even adorning it all with extensively labor-intensive yet absolutely gorgeous thread art. The fish certainly knows no difference! Before starting to build rods, all the 20+ store-bought rods I had acquired through the years worked fine = they all caught fish. While the rods I build cast further, I am uncertain if they actually catch more fish; the fish are always 5ft further than we can cast.

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

So should my Tip Top match the size of the runners, say 4.5 runners are used, would the TT be 4.5 as well, thanks again

i like to tinker and make up my own guide systems, most ly playing with the reduction guides..the problem is they almost all cast well enough making me think that it,s because i,m using braided line not because i,m good at tinkering..braided line takes all the fun out of tinkering..lol.

Keith - I like to match the tip top size to the runner size. If I use a 4.5 runner, I use a 4.5 tip-top.
Norm

I strive for the lightest most efficient instrument that fits the budget.

Phil Ew.,
Fuji has the resources to spend more time, effort and money on R&D than any other rod component manufacturer. Such R&D has afforded the fishing world in general, rod builders in particular with the KR Concept and K series guides amongst others. I trust Fuji and rarely stray away from the comfort and confidence their products afford. I firmly believe the KR Concept will cast further and more accurately than any other design. While honorable mention may go to American Tackle’s MicroWave or PacBay’s Minima M guides, I trust and rely on Fuji!

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

roger wilson Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Jim,
> I expect that if a person were on a deserted
> island and need to catch a fish, he could build a
> rod with a dozen guide types and have a rod that
> would catch fish just fine.
>
> It would not be an optimum rod, or necessarily a
> great performing rod - but there would be no doubt
> that it would be able to catch a fish.
>
> Be safe
heck, no rod is needed, just a hand line..a string and a hook..lol.

Occasionally, when the mood hits me, I travel to a custom butcher shop up in Robertsdale, AL. The ribeyes there are Prime beef, a grade you seldom see anymore. They are carefully aged in old temperature-controlled dairy cases until they develop a slight iridescent sheen. Twenty-one days. They are perfectly marbled. They are expensive. They are delicious. I can get just as full on a frying pan ribeye from Publix. I can get equal nourishment. The meal is almost identical. The experience is very different. So is the enjoyment.

I've noticed some people shop there all the time while others come in when guests are in town or mama's birthday is coming up. Many have never been and have no idea what that steak is like, preferring instead to comment about how silly it is to spend that kind of money on a piece of meat and insisting that "a steak is a steak". Those of us who have shopped there, who have eaten that steak, perfectly cooked, even once, would never dream of making a comment like that.

my most favored fishing movie of all time stared Spencer Tracy 'the old man and the sea'..all he needed was a hook and some rope and a boat was his drag..lol.

Norman, do I use the micro or standard setting in the KL guide software. I am assuming micro but not sure.

Yes, use the micro setting. The conventional setting is if you want to use larger runners for heavier line. For your rod length and reel, the KR GPS will put your butt guide (stripper) about 19 to 20 inches in front of the reel spool and the first runners (choke guide) about 20 to 21” in front of the stripper. Basically, the GPS places the choke guide in front of the stripper at a distance approximately equal to 0.42 X the distance of the stripper from the tip top. I almost always use at least one or two more runner than the GPS recommends. So in your case I would use 9 guides total; 3 reduction guides and 6 runners (2 KBs and 4KTs) I progressively place the other two reduction guides between the stripper and the choke guide. The runners I will progressively place between the tip top and the choke with the runner closest to the tip top being about 9 to 11 cm from the tip top. If you need to, you can move the choke and/or stripper in or out a little to get a nice progressive spacing. With the guides taped in place I do a two line static test to fine tune the spacing. You want the line from the reel to nicely follow the bend in the blank when it’s fully loaded. When happy with the spacing take it out and cast it, and I guarantee that you will be extremely happy with it’s performance. Here is another article from Anglers Resource that may be of help. [anglersresource.net]
If you need any further help please let us know.
Norm

Norman, you are the man, thank you so much. I will let you know how she turns out.

Norman, I have 30 3/8 from my tip top to the choke guide, is there any way to calculate where to start placing the rest of the runners, nothing else should go in the reduction train correct. I have the 16H,8H,5.5M, and the 4.5 choke guide layed out per the KR GPS which was 19" 8.16" 6.04" 7.22" total reduction train length of 21.42. Just dont know how to start laying out the rest of the runners. Thanks

I think I found my answer in the Static Load Tutorial, if I follow their math it looks like about 6" apart to start with except for the one closest to the tip, that one is 4", this website has great info especially for a complete rookie such as myself. I am only 2 rods in but have learned a great deal here already. Thank all of you.

I like a more progressive spacing for my guide layout then what the GPS sometimes give you. If I were laying out your guide train this is what I would use.
I like using the metric system because it is a lot easier to use than fractions of an inch. The following measurements are from the tip top in centimeters.
10 cm. - KT4.5
21 cm. - KT4.5
33 cm. - KT4.5
46 cm. - KT4.5
60 cm - KB4.5
75 cm. - KB4.5 choke
91.5 cm - KL5.5M
109.5 cm. - KL8H
130.5 cm. KL16H stripper
This layout uses 9 guides total and will put the stripper just a little more than 19" from the reel spool with the choke guide being about 21.85" from the stripper. It is a nice progressive layout that ohshould give you a very good static test and cast great. If you don't have a metric tape measure then get one. Much easier to layout a guide train using one. Hope this helps.
Norm

Norman, your generosity and knowledge are beyond words, thank you again for all of this information. I will follow your wisdom, and definitely use the metric system and your layout.