I viewed a video a short while ago by Flex Coat demonstrating a locking technique for wrapping micro guides in order to help minimize the possibility of having the guide yanked free should one get the line wrapped around the guide for whatever reason, for example while fighting a fish. Is this...or should this be standard technique for these small guides, especially for saltwater application? It doesn't look like a bad idea to me, although it does result in a slightly different cosmetic appearance.

I'd do it, particularly for saltwater applications.

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

I do it for all single foot guides, takes only a few seconds, and I really don't think that it changes the appearance significantly. Never had one pull out since I started this. Pullouts were very rare before, but I had at least one.

I do this for all of the single foot guides that are slightly bent upwards (fuji model L). I don't do the locking wrap on the KB or KT style guides because I can't get the wrap tightly wrapped underneath the guide eye.

I am with the previous three poster's answers. I do it on all micro's and all KL-H.

I don't do it for two reasons , the first is I never had any issues with micros ever coming loose and the second is if a running guide that small is subjected to the force that causes it to break free I would prefer for it to break free instead of being twisted and stuck in place out toward the tip of the rod blank.

Ernie,
Although I have never had a guide pull-out in the 60 years I have been fishing, I always employ a locking wrap on single foot guides for the added insurance. Also, it is obvious evidence the rod is custom and that the builder took the extra time to do it. I developed my own method but most simply use the Fohan type which only requires an additional 30 seconds max.
Lee,
Thread the locking wrap tag end through / between the KB or KT legs in an “X” pattern.It is actually part of my method and I use it for the KL-Hs as well.

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

The odds of a micro as small as KT's getting twisted is pretty small since they are so compact. I had a rod twisted around the trolling motor shaft last year, with all kinds of force applied to a couple KT5.5's and all it did was bend them a little. I bent them back and all is well. The big story is that the Point Blank blank was undamaged. Looking down on the mess made me sure the rod was toast. But it survived, the guides didn't pull out, and all it took to fix the situation was to bend the guides a little.

Standard practice for all KB or KT guides. I don't build a rod without using the locking wrap on micro guides.

Locking wraps are not necessary with micro guides or any guide for that matter. Having said that, I have been using a locking wrap for about 6 years. Made a lot of micro guide rods prior to that without issue and if the guide got damaged it never fell out but still had to be replaced.

All micros are not equal. Just like all titanium guides are not the same. So not all guides will react the same to abuse.

For small single foot guides, there is little reason NOT to use a locking wrap.

It takes an extra three seconds to do the wrap and it gives considerable long term stability survivability of the guide train.

Lance Schreckenbach Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Locking wraps are not necessary with micro guides
> or any guide for that matter.

> Made a lot of micro guide rods prior to that
> without issue and if the guide got damaged it
> never fell out but still had to be replaced.


I agree, and I don't use them. No need to. Don't have a problem with guides falling out or being pulled out. And like the old saying goes, if it isn't broke, don't fix it.

Another issue is there is no such thing as a locking wrap. It is not the thread wrap preventing the guide from being pulled out so the extra thread wraps are not locking anything in. A guide could be pulled out right over top the so called locking wrap. It is the epoxy on the extra thread wraps doing the work, and one does not need extra thread wraps to accomplish the same results with well placed epoxy. And I think this is why I'm not having any problems so far.

I have been using micro guides with the shortest foot for years and have not had any problems (knock on wood)

And being a minimalist, I don't want the extra thread wraps on my rods. Just not necessary on my bass fishing rods. But to each their own.

I look at it another way... when I drive down the road in my car I could at any time run off the road and into a lake and sink to the bottom. But to prevent that I could install flotation devices on my car just in case. Same thing with so called 'locking' wraps. It is an added confidence measure of prevention for a situation that may not really need compensation or prevention for it.

I believe if the guides are installed well to begin with, then why bother with adding something that really does not need or have to be there? My perspective, but as said to each their own... this is what makes custom rods custom rods.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/02/2021 08:34AM by Kent Griffith.