Hello all! A friend has asked me to build a rod for him. He will be buying all the components. Both will be 7ft heavy duty offshore rods, one spinning one conventional, and will be used for deepwater groundfishing (cod, sea bass, etc.). I have never made anything this heavy and I'm at a loss on what kind of guides and how many to use on each rod. I would appreciate any guidance that you can give me, because like I said, I'm out of my element on this type of rod.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/04/2021 10:26AM by Tom Gardiner.

Hard to say without knowing the blank and reel used. On the conventional rod, the amount of guidest and sizes needed will depend on the reel used and the action of the blank. For instance, fast action blanks tend to need more guides towards upper portion of the rod, while blanks with a parabolic bend might need a taller stripper guide to keep the line off the fore grip while under load. Only way to find out what you need is static load the blank with the reel you plan to use.

Lots of variables to consider, but take a look at Fuji mn or Fuji hn guides, alps xn guides, and American tackle Virtus guides for the conventional set up. Generally starting with a size 20 stripper guide, and work your way down from there.

A spinning rod is a bit easier to set up. Take a look at Fuji kw and Fuji mn guides. Static test for guide placement, then do a few test casts. You will have to play with it a bit to find the optimum location for the specific reel used.

When in doubt, make sure to order a few extra guides, because you will probably need them.

Proponents of spiral wrapped guides report that spiral guide wraps offer great advantages to freshwater anglers. Saltwater anglers battle fish ten to fifty times larger than "big" freshwater fish. Maybe anglers pursuing big saltwater fish would profit hugely from using spiral-wrapped guides on their big-game rods?

Many saltwater anglers do just that. And the advantage of spiral wrapped rods in terms of eliminating torque isn't a theory - it's a physical fact.

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Take Tom and Phil advise I use spiral wrap rod for deep water tile ,cod ,sea bass wreck fishing and at the end of the day my left arm is not fatigued where years ago my left arm would cramp up on the boat ride back to shore.

I believe spiral wraps were first used for offshore rods due to the advantage of not having to use a device to keep the reel in an upright position above the rod. The force being exerted from fighting the fish and the reel (and whole rod) wanting to twist down, makes it even more difficult to land large fish. The first spiral wrapped rod that I saw was a boat rod (offshore) from the 50s. At the time (I was a child) I really didn't understand the concept and thought of it as "quirky". To me now, it is the normal way to build a rod. X 4 on the spiral wrap.

A quick online search for a spiral-wrapped saltwater big game rod didn't produce a single example, so it looks like individual rod-builders have a lock on that market. I have yet to see a spiral wrapped roller-guide big game rod, although it seems such a rod would combine the best of both worlds. Is such a rod feasible?

Hello Phil.

Yes, use All American roller guides (MudHole has them), I've done some builds.


Tight Wraps & Tighter Lines.

Bob,

New Bern, NC.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/05/2021 03:30PM by Robert A. Guist.

Thank you for all of your advice! I have ordered all components, and I will make my first attempt at a single acid wrap.