Greetings.

I am not a fly fisherman, well at least not since I was a young lad. I was talking to my college buddy and he has been doing some fly fishing trips and having fun and talking about the fly rods he was using..
(This was for Freshwater, trout mostly)

I thought with the NFC sale going on I would be a few fly rod blanks and build myself some rods so that I could maybe go with him next time..

I got the Gamma Alpha Fly Rod Blanks.. in 4,5,6 wt.

I looked at the Rod Maker Article about only using 3 Guide Sizes.

Looking at the Flex Coat Guide Spacing/Sizing.. it looks like for 4-6 wt rods you use the same size Guides for the runners

Could I use Fuji KW12, KW8, and a Fuji Arowana 6, Seaguide TiXmg size 6 Runners for all the various wt rods? Other option would be snakes in Size 1.

Thanks

Stan

Yes, you could do that and it'll work fine. But why the two style #6's? Just go right on to the 6's all the same type.


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Sorry. I wasn't very clear. I will use the Fuji Titanium #6 Arowana tip top. And Seaguide Tixmg #6 running guides since Fuji doesn't seem to make titanium fly style ceramic running guide's

Unless something has changed, Fuji has offered small, low frame, single foot titanium SIC guides for many years.

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Both the KB and KT guides come in Ti, if you prefer the L frame style you may still find some TLSG guides at some of the smaller dealers. Try Angler's Workshop.

Fuji stopped making L guides with a titanium frame. L guides are still available with stainless steel frames. So with the lack of titanium L guides, the SeaGuide titanium TiXMG guides are a suitable substitute.
Norm

Are Fuji KT running guides appropriate for fly rods? I was assuming they weren't, maybe I was wrong in that assumption.

Thanks Norm.

The Fuji KT guides will work fine on a fly rod.

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Thanks Tom.

I guess it proves one shouldn't just make assumptions.

Remember that a rod is a rod is a rod. The line has no idea how the guide is shaped. A guide ring is a guide ring. So just think about what the item has to do and decide if it'll do that. Some guides will work better for some things than others but these are generally specialty guides made for particular applications.

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Why put ceramic guides on a fly rod? Fly lines don't groove guides.

Because they're quieter and play out line more smoothly under load. Your fly line will also last longer.

And yes, fly lines do groove guides, to an extreme.


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There is a considerable difference in flexibility between different types of fly line, say, between a full floating line and a fast sinking line. It would be no surprise to learn that different size guides work better for different types of fly lines. Also, the best fly lines and guides for the Salmon River in December are not the best fly lines and guides for the Mosquito Lagoon in July - and these differences will influence the best choice of guides.

Phil, there is an algae in all lakes, rivers and oceans called diatoms..they are coated in silica or glass..they coat our fishing lines, not just on the surface but into the line and are very abrasive..they cut all metals but not ceramics..they turn our lines into files,.Google it..

Ben, those diatoms are the reason I never put any goo, grease, wax, or line dressing on my lines. Years ago (when I put line dressing/goo/grease on my fly lines) guide grooving was a problem for me. Not any more. Both my guides and my fly lines last much longer - and my casts are longer too.

Thanks Phil..

I did just notice on my 10 wt I've only fished a few months the rec tip ring is already grooved noticeably. Yeah I've fished a few spots where the line got a little dirty but if that's the type of fishing I do I might need to consider ceramics.
[ibb.co]



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/15/2022 09:28PM by Al Jones.