Hello, I’m building a my first rod for inshore use. Currently I have several rods, a Loomis, Kissler , and Waterloo. They all have small guides, I’m not sure if they qualify as microguides, but they are very small. At first I did not care for the small size, but over time I have actually gotten used to them and prefer them.
I have a medium heavy, fast action, 7’6” blank from NFC for the build, and would like to go with the smaller guides.

I’ve been trying to learn as much as I can, but haven’t found a good resource to explain to the basics. Having a little trouble with the nomenclature, like stripping guide, belly guide, running guide, etc. I started looking at Fuji guides, but there are so many different types of different K letters, I gave up.
Is there a website that explains all the nomenclature to someone just starting out? Once I get educated I can come back and ask some intelligent questions, thanks

www.anglersresource.net

There are videos on the studies done by Fuji on their website and on YouTube describing their extensive research including slow motion photography. You need not guess, or remember every guide type.
Anglers Rsrc-Fuji in the left sponsor list.

In a nutshell; Stripping guide - the large guide closest to the reel, be it for a spin casting, or bait casting rod.
Spine - the top side fof the blank when the tip is bent, while the thicker part is rolled on a smooth, hard surface, i.e. the natural flex point of the blank.
Belly - the underside of the blank, opposite the spine
Belly guides - the same as running guides, ut aligned with the belly of the blank.
Running guides - can be guides on any blank axis, spine, belly, straightest.
Transition, or choke guide - second guide toward the tip, after the stripping guide

The stripping guide carries the line from the reel, and starts controlling line oscillations. The choke guide further reduces oscillations to create smooth line flow to the next guide. The choke guide is smaller in diameter than the stripping guide, and shorter in height. Depending on the guide train,, there is often one more transition guide that is still closer to the blank, and smaller in diameter. Then come the running guides. These are placed to provide equal stress along thbe blank, all the way to the tiptop guide located at thetop of the blank.

See above post for a site that gives a good explanation. Also, search the library on this site for how to stress test the blank for finding the best places to place the guides.

Tight lines and frisky fish.

RJF

With all due respect to Robert, I personally wouldn't worry about the spine of the blank. It's something that can be very confusing to new and newer builders, and its' importance to rod performance is contentious, at the very least.

You're right, all the different nomenclatures can be very confusing. As far as Fuji guides go, their K series of guides are tangle free guides. They're designed to sluff off tangles that may occur when line wraps around a guide. Some of the other letter designations have to do with the shape of the guide frame, others have to do with the height and strength of the guide frame. KL-H is taller than a KL guide. LN is lighter duty than an MN guide ..... you get the point. One manufacturers L guide may look like a different manufacturers F guide. I'm afraid it's pretty much a learn as you go kind of thing as far as differentiating nomenclature goes.

Stripper guide = butt guide. Closest guide to the reel. Personally if it's a casting rod I call it the butt guide. If it's a spinning rod I call it the stripper guide. And it is definitely called a stripper guide on a fly rod.

Belly guides are in the midsection of the rod. They usually have a little more substantial frame or foot size to help with the heavier loads in that section of the rod blank.

Running guides are the guides on the blank from anywhere near the middle of the blank, and continuing out to the tip. They're guides that control the line after it is already running straight along the rod blank. They're usually smaller in size than other guides on the rod, and are positioned using static load guide placement. Plenty of articles on the benefits of static load placement and how to do it.

Reduction train guides are the guides on a rod that tame the line as it comes off the spool. Both casting and spinning rods have reductions train guides, but they're much less to not important at all on a casting rod, whereas on a spinning rod they are very important.

The choke guide is, to my understanding, is a spinning rod related guide only. It is the point where a straight line from the reel, intersects the rod blank. It is also the point where the line starts running parallel to the blank.

Tip top is just as its' name implies. It is the guide and tube assembly that goes on the tip of the blank. It is not considered a guide when counting the number of guides a rod has. Example ..... 9 guides + tip top.

You will encounter an endless discussion of the spine of blanks, the spacing/size of guides, the design/materials of guides, etc. - but you will find no measurements of the actual PERFORMANCE of any of these rod parts or applications - only hearsay. This pretty much leaves you building for looks. If you space your guides like their spacing on a store-bought blank you can't go too far wrong, at least in measurable (versus theoretical) performance.

Some of the definitions here simply aren't correct. Refer to the Glossary on this site for these and most other rod building terms and nomenclature: [www.rodbuilding.org]

This site features a ton of resources, you just have to take a moment and look them over. In the meantime-

Butt guide - guide closest to the reel on a bait casting or spinning rod

Stripping guide - guide closest to the reel on a fly rod

Transition guides - guides in-between a butt and choke guide.

Choke guide - smallest guide on a spinning rod (the first running guide)

Running guide - smallest guides on a spinning rod, used from and including the choke guide on to the tiptop

Spine - An effect created by various manufacturing anomalies. Outside curve of the blank's softest axis

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/13/2021 08:10AM by Tom Kirkman.

Thanks for all the advice. I found angler's resource, but most of the info seems to be for spinning rods. Nevertheless, I found it helpful. I did not realize that guide nomenclature was different for spinning rods, fly rods, and casting rods, but some terms carry over between rods, this was part of my confusion. I will need to study more, as I thought the stripping guide was always the butt guide on a casting and spinning rods( but is a term used for fly rods), didn't realize the choke guide did not apply to casting rods, belly guides are only on a spinning rod, and running guides apply to spinning rods and ? not casting rods. :)

what defines a micro guide, one that is smaller than size 5?

The term, running guides, is from my book. It is a term I coined in order to explain the guides that are beyond the butt, transition and beginning with the choke guide on spinning rods utilizing the New Guide Concept. The reason that a butt guide on a fly rod is called a stripping guide, is because you strip line from the real in order to cast, you do not cast directly off the reel. I have no idea what a belly guide would be. Never heard of such a thing. There is no definition of what constitutes a micro guide Other than guides that were typically smaller than that found on most spinning rods up through the early 2000s. Anything smaller than a size 6 is typically considered a micro guide.

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Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/13/2021 05:15PM by Tom Kirkman.

A belly guide is a term coined by Fuji for their KB guides. These are running guides and have a longer and wider foot, then the KT running guides. KB guides are used in the mid section (belly) of the rod immediately after the transition / reduction guides on both casting and spinning rod. The longer wider foot supposedly resists the midsection torsional forces generated when the rod is under heavy load. These KB belly guides are followed by KT tip guides in the tip section of the rod where the forces generated by the loaded rod are much less. I’m surprised Tom has never heard the term belly guide, it is used here quite a lot.
Here is a video from Anglers Resource that helps to explain some of the terms used. It covers both spinning and casting KR concepts.
[m.youtube.com]
Norm
PS - Here is a write up of the Kr running guides
[anglersresource.net]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/13/2021 12:43PM by Norman Miller.

Fuji started the 'Belly guide' talk when the KB's were introduced if I remember correctly and while their explanation sounds reasonable I have a whole bunch of builds that work flawlessly without having implemented any KB's . It used to be transition guides and running guides which seemed to work just fine.

I have no problem with the KB guides I appreciate the more robust and substantial foot but are they necessary, I don't think so but I also don't see how they could hurt either even if using them instead of KT's for the entire running guide train.

I personally like the KBs on casting rods when I would traditionally have a second double-foot guide. An example would be a heavy flipping rod or something throwing 2oz plus baits. I know I don't need a second double foot guide but I like the ease of mind of the slightly more robust foot of the KB.