I've always been a fly guy but have started building some conventional gear. My question is how does braid play into rod specs? If a rod is rated for 10-17 lb does it matter what braid I put on it? Thanks.

Gary,
If you think about it - line wt guides are made-up. There is nothing objective about how manufactures arrive at them.
Herb

As stated, disregard line specs ratings and use whatever line you want. You can control the loading on the rod by your drag and the attitude of the rod relative to the load.

For spinning, A significant issue is how the pound test of the line you choose affects casting performance. Fuji factors in line pound test in their software that gives recommendations for guide reduction train size and spacing. Go to the AnglersResource link in the left margin and select the appropriate software for the type of guides you plan to use. I only use the KW guides and software on spin, and they always come out right. My preference is 20KLH-10KLH-5.5KL-M, then a couple KB's then KT's to the end. I usually use size 4 or 4.5 runners on spin, but use what you want. Keep in mind that with very small guides and fairly heavy leaders/line you may have to use the FG knot which can be troublesome to some to tie. With braids 15 or under with leaders under 15 I can use the double uni with size 4 runners.

For cast I use the Fuji RV-6 followed by KB and KT 5.5's to the end.

A good place to start with both is to have the first guide 19-21 inches from the reel spool.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/11/2020 03:17PM by Michael Danek.

Line weight specifications are there for two reasons in general. The first is simply to give you an idea of the line size/weight that the manufacturer feels is appropriate for that type rod and the fishing it is most likely to be used for. The second is to provide some margin of safety for the rod. The line is expected to be the weak link in the chain. For instance, if a rod will deadlift 18 lbs before failing, the manufacturer might rate the rod for 8 to 14 lb test, hoping that the line will fail before the rod. This is where braid sort of threw things out of whack with fine diameter lines featuring breaking strengths of several times over that of mono of the same diameter.

Just use common sense, but be advised that most braided lines will withstand greater loads than the rod will.

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

Thanks for the replies. I just finished wrapping a 6'6 getting rod. I wanted to use the fuji KWs but couldn't find them. I subbed in the LZR guides. I've never had so much trouble getting the thread to climb guides.

Thanks Tom. I always use a FC leader for that very reason.

Tom Kirkman Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Line weight specifications are there for two
> reasons in general. The first is simply to give
> you an idea of the line size/weight that the
> manufacturer feels is appropriate for that type
> rod and the fishing it is most likely to be used
> for. The second is to provide some margin of
> safety for the rod.

Very true and they are also there for warranty purposes. Both rods and reels have limits. And the trend today is to use lighter rods and lighter reels with heavier line. I use to work for a warranty repair shop for many brands and we saw this situation all the time. People would put 65 pound braid on a reel that was never made for it, and then go out and over use it to the point damaging the reel and then want it repaired under warranty. One the first things a brand would ask is what line is on it.

I can not tell you how many main shafts in spinning reels have come through the shop bent or broken from this type of thing. Older reels tend to break because the steel is harder, while newer reels tend to bend from a softer steel in use.

Point is, if the manufacture puts written specified limits on a rod and reel, they are also used to judge warranty coverage. Brands warranty against materials and defects, not what they consider abuse of their products. And I can tell you from dealing with them on the phone for years exceeding their specified limits is a good reason for them to deny warranty claims.

In my opinion brands probably see more claims for abuse than they do for legitimate equipment failures.

Duplicate post... ooops



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/14/2020 06:19PM by Kent Griffith.

Gary,
If you have issues to get the thread to climb the end of the guide foot - essentially remove the cliff at the end of the guide foot, by grinding it away.
I generally always thin the extreme end of the guide foot to eliminate the issue with climbing the guide foot issue.

I use a belt sander with about 220 grit paper on it to thin the end of the guide foot.

Picture as follows:

[www.rodbuilding.org]

The guide holder that I use is just a machine screw of a size that will fit inside the guide eye - but not slip through the guidee. I will grind the head of the machine screw flat to have no screw head in the way when sanding on the belt sander.

The sander is a 1 inch b 30 inch belt sander.

For a handle on the guide holder, I just use a piece of an appropriate size rod blank. I cut the length of the rod blank to be a nice fit on the machine screw and leave about 3 -5 threads above the end of the rod blank, so that I can screw a wing nut on the end of the machine screw and have the nut tight in about 3 turns.

Normally, I will just use a permanent marker to color the guide after sanding the tip of the guide foot.

Good luck

Thanks Roger. I actually filed them down. This is the first rod I've had issues with. Not sure why.

Whether using a fly rod, a spin rod, or a conventional rod I always try to make my leader the "fuse" - the weakest link in my reel-to-fish connection. It's a lot easier [AND cheaper!] to replace a leader than a line.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/12/2020 09:55AM by Phil Ewanicki.

Gary, braid is a graphite rod killer especially high modulus..i love braided line because it is what i grew up with..then came super lines which to me meant super thin which m ade spinning more attractive to me..so i mostly spin fish and converted to fibeglass..i had to soften things somewhere and i like the fish fighting characteristics of glass..i get all the sensetivity from braid that i need..by using the foregrip on my casting reels, the line passes through my fingers picking up vibrations from the line even when cranking baits..i don,t have to wait for rod vibrations but i run the crankers mostly with spinning gear..also by using the foregrip the rod is automatically in a tip-up position for worming or jigging and makes for a better snap type hook set..

Thanks Ben. I may try out a fiberglass rod here in the future.

And don,t look down on E-glass and think it,s a lesser glass than S-glass..to me S-glass is just a little higher modulus E-glass and E-glass is just a little lower modulus S-glass..lol..but they price Sglass like it,s a carbon rod..i can take a six foot e-glass blank and cut off a half foot and it weighs close to a six foot s-glass blank and the cut back e-glass blank gains some frequency ..most of my glass rods are just fifty to sixty inch e-glaass..they are fun to build and fish..they make great bow and arrow rods also..i have lots of respect for E-Glass..

Thanks for the info. I don't know anything about glass rods but I may take a look.