Phil, it might work on a spinning rod to make a true sling shot rod..lol.

I have used various grades of guides and I have fished salt, brackish and fresh water and I have never had any issues with rust or distress of any kind. May be it is because I wipe and dry my rods after each session and store them in a safe dry place.. Also I regularly remove the reel and give the rod a good cleaning and waxing.

Rather than pushing ropes and stretching rubber bands, studying stress strain charts or measuring resonant frequency effects, I apply my time and effort to fishing and care of my equipment.

To answer your question guide choice is a primarily a matter of preference of the owner be it frivolous or technically correct. .

Regards

Titanium would be best but comes at a steep price. They are easier to break.

Most stainless guides are type 304. Type 316 is a better choice for seawater applications.

Do not dress your guide feet. Do not use a magic marker on them. Rinsing is always good but I like to go on long range trips.

As far as the rest, well I wouldn’t use roller guides on my fly rod and I wouldn’t use snake guides on my trolling rods. A surf rod is middle of the road on rather or not you want single or double foot guides. If jetty fishing is in the plans I’d go double foot.

Russ in Hollywood, FL.

Understanding titanium. It is not corrosion proof, but its unique characteristics make it especially[www.corrosionpedia.com] good at resisting corrosion in seawater. Here is a great article on titanium's properties.

Tight Lies and frisky fish

RJF

Titanium guides featuring the strong and thin silicon nitride rings, such as Fuji and SeaGuide, are a wonderful option for rods where weight and sensitivity are priority. A 316 SS guide with an aluminum oxide ceramic is my choice for durability and performance on rods that focus more on reliability and cost savings. In the middle are the zirconia and SIC options that I usually avoid. There is usually no weight savings with these “in-betweeners”, and there are no wear or durability issues with aluminum oxide. There are quite a few reports of cracked SIC guides, though my two rods with them have had no failures. “Zirconia” isn’t a very specific term for describing a ceramic material. It’s harder to judge quality from this description. It comes down to paying more for a product that may or may not be harder or stronger.