A few years back I build a 7 wt fly rod with single foot guides as a back up rod for steelhead. I took it out last week and noticed that some of the guides click. If I grab them and wiggle them you can hear them click. The problem is in where the foot meets the blank. What to do to tighten them short of rewrapping?
Or is this something that I could leave alone and not worry too much about. It's not like I've got a ton of money in the rod. In fact I think the grip and guides cost more that the blank.

Great time to practice wrapping techniques. I would rewrap and practice the locking wrap, plus a great rod to "try" new things on. Colors, inlays, wraps etc.... If not much invested, then have fun with it. Try new stuff, create, this is how "custom" became a word. If you are against rewrapping, then try takeing finish and "dropping" in the tunnel that the foot sets in. Let it fill the gaps so to speak. I have heard superglue works, but never tried it and would worry about the inflexibility of it would cause cracking of the glue in the future.
Elrod

I think that clicking is just the finish that has popped loose from the blank clicking when you apply pressure. It's no big deal and I wouldn't bother to rewrap anything unless the guides actually became loose.

It sounds like the finish has cristalized and breaking away from the blank. Who is to say when the guides well break lose. I my self take pride in my work so I would rewrap. Whats one or two days with out your favorite rod. You may have a record fish on when you lose that guide. A lost guide can cause a rod to fail

Gary. sounds to me like rewrapping is in order. And when you do it, wwrap a short 4or5 thread trim band separately in front of the guide. This can be any color (I like to use a contrasting color or my trim color)Also make sure you have finish on the sides of the guides in the tunnels. Another method I have found that works is the Gianinni method of guide wrapping. Put a basewrap down of 000 silk or A thread. Color preserve it or not, then finsh. Then come back and wrap your guide on the underwrap. I suggest you use a very low build finish(example Crystal Coat) and wick off all the excess. So you still see the threads. This helps lock guides in, Make this underwrap a little longer, it gives you a good base to wrap the guide on. I have built a one weight flyrod from East Branch, and these rods are very delicate. Just seems to be a more substantial base to wrap a guide on. Given the stresses of the blank in Steelheadding this would be a very viable option. A couple years ago Loomis reccommended underwrapping the top 30" of their GLX's. Problem was the guide feet were penetrating the blank under heavy stress( like in steelheaddin). The blanks are so thin that when a blank comes into full load, the foot pierces the blank. Big problem. The Gianinni method of finishing will help alleviate this problem. Extra weight if that is an issue is very little, and overall, will aid the blanks overall mechanics. The Roundman

On the Loomis thing - it wasn't that guides were simply causing damage to the blank, it was because Loomis could not control those who were building the rods and how they might prepare their guides (notice the factory Loomis GLX rods did not have the underwrap). Thus in effort to stave off many broken rods due to burrs or non-flat feet, they suggested/required underwraps. Good rod builders who properly prep their guide feet will have no trouble on the GLX going without underwraps under any and all circumstances.

Everyone has their own method and I am not out to change anyone's way of doing things. I personally have not used underwraps in many years (other than on offshore trolling rods) and have found my rods to be lighter, more responsive and quicker to react. Underwraps undermine rod efficiency more than you might suspect. Obviously, if you need them - use them. But if you guides are properly prepped, you can get by without them and not worry about blank damage.

The clicking you hear is likely the movement between guide/finish and blank. Rarely do guides that make this noise suddenly come loose or fall out. If your twisting does not reveal any real movement, you are okay. If your piece of mind requires a rewrap, then do it.

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I have to agree with Tom. Lomis did advise underwraps on fly rods as I built a couple of 4 piece and the warranty card specifically stated the end section had to be underwrapped.