Looking for a recommendation on a “budget” casting guide set that can take some abuse. These will be paired with a fiberglass blank for inland striped bass fishing. The angler is looking for options as he’s tired of eyes popping out and epoxy breaking on production rods. Figured I’d use all double foot guides - maybe or maybe not with underwraps



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/03/2020 01:21PM by Michael Ward.

Pac Bay Minima

Sounds like you're needing some pretty solid guides, not so much interested in minimal weight, right? In that case look at the Fuji LKW corrosion control frames with Fazlite rings..

Pac Bay Minima

No underwrap

I have also had good luck with the Pac Bay Minimas for guides.

Thanks - correct weight is not a concern



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/03/2020 01:21PM by Michael Ward.

Michael, tell him to use a landing net..he does not need to club the fish with the rod..lol..

Ben - lol


I understand his concerns - live bait inland striper fishing is often done with 6-10 rods so they add up fast, and many guys use the $35-$40 Ugly Stil striper rods. The old style had guides that were terrible for cracking on the frame. The newer ones are all stainless but have other issues. As would be expected on a low cost production rod. They also tend to get banded around a lot in the boat - lol

Shakespeare used to sell ugly stick blanks..i built a spinnerbait rod on the light blank cut back to 41/2 or 5 feet..then sand the tip to get an even softer tip making it easier for the lm bass to suck the spinner bait off the bottom..this was in cold water(low 40s to low 50s) when bass would just sip at the lure..you could feel them pecking at the spinner but you could not hook them until you go to the soft tip ugly stick..all nice bass..graphite was just too fast but the glass was just slow enough and gave them more time to suck in the spinner even deeper..now to make a rod like that you have to purchase a finished rod from walmart and strip it down and rebuild..pretty much what your doing..some people turn their nose up at ugly sticks..i,m for sure not one of them..lol.

Fuji BHNOG aluminum oxide heavy duty frames. A real work horse of a guide.

Dennis J. Danku
(Sayreville,NJ)

If you need to worry about thrashing fish, keep a base ball bat in the boat to quickly dispatch the fish that you are going to keep.

Michael,
While I also use Minimas when weight is paramount over toughness, I have to agree with Dennis and his suggestion of the Fuji HNs; a quite stout guide and very reasonably priced with Concept O and also available in SiN (for about twice the cost). The only possible draw-back is they are not offered in less than a size 8. Considering your customer, the Concept O would seem to be the better choice for lower cost and probably less brittle, and therefore probably less failures from abuse, than SiN. To be honest, and even though I am a Fuji proponent, I have never tried their economical Concept O in favor the tried and true Alconite rings but in other frames.

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

Look into the CRB SSR guides - many frame styles, colors and matching tops - all SST ring and frames.

[www.mudhole.com]

Combining affordability and value with the utmost strength and durability, the SSR Guides by CRB are engineered with stainless steel frames and a double swaged stainless steel insert rings for virtually impact proof performance. The minimal design of the SSR Guides creates a lighter overall guide train with thinner rings that produce a larger opening to easily pass leader knots and swivels without damaging fishing line, braid, or the SSR ring itself. Plus, four sleek frame finish options: Black, Black and Polished, Gunsmoke or Polished.

The stainless steel ring of the SSR Guide creates a thinner insert ring with a larger opening that eliminates friction while casting and retrieving fishing line or braid. Featuring a double swaged design, the SSR ring is sealed into the frame with impenetrable strength and security for the ultimate ring retention and durability.

Regards.
Team Mud Hole Custom Tackle
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