Good Morning, Hope all is well...

I am building a few rods on NFC IM 2pc fly blanks. I called and asked NFC about the types of guides to use and they were very kind to give me the types of guides they use on their x-ray blanks. They used Snake Brand guides...standard guides near the base and light wire up to the tip.

I have been a fly fishing guide for a long time and I've learned that every time the greatest is introduced into the market it turns out to be a by gone when the next latest and greatest is introduced. I've been through every major brand. I want to build personal rods that I can use for the rest of my life.

I'm building:
8' 3wt
8.5' 4wt
9' 5wt
9'6wt

1. Has anyone built on these blanks and what guides did you use to get the best performance?
2. What styles and length grip did you used?
3. I would like to try recoil guides but I have a few questions.
If I use a Cerecoil stripper, do I use recoil snake style for the rest of the rod?
Are the sizes of Recoil the same as snake guides so I can choose the right ones for my blanks?

Any input will be greatly appreciated. I've built a few rods before but never on these blanks. If it gets to complicated I am going with traditional snake guides and Fuji stripper guides.

Thank you!

Phillip,

I purchased two LMX fly blanks from NFC, along with their carbon fiber handles. I used the Snake Brand guides, along with a Microwave Stripper guide from American Tackle. I also used Snake Brand reel seats and inserts. They were a 4-piece 9' 5-wt and a 4-piece 9' 6-wt. The 5-wt has a reverse half-wells handle and the 6-wt has a full-wells with a fixed fighting butt.

There are a couple things you need to know about these blanks and handles:

First, the LMX fly blanks are not sanded smooth so there is a little more effort required when wrapping and packing. It is not difficult, but you need to be a bit more careful.

Secondly, the inlets on the handles are a little but larger than some others I have seen, so I had to go a size larger than expected on the reel seats to fit the inlet. The Snake Brand seat in the 705 works with the half-wells and the Snake Brand Spey seat (740) works with the full-wells.

These rods came out very well and I used them last week on the Stehekin River, and the guide was very impressed with the rods and how they handled. They were extremely light in the hand, cast extremely well, and handled the Cutt's and "Bows with ease.

Rich

The short answer on whether Snake Brand and REC Recoils are the same size, yes, with one difference. The Snake Brand guides have a “rounder” profile than a Recoil. Both are high quality guides and it just comes down to personal preference as to which to go with.

My advise, use the smallest size that will pass your line connections and the least amount of size changes. It’s all about keeping unnecessary weight off the blank and creating the straightest line path to the tip top. It’s not going to hurt anything if you add a size in, 4 changes, you’ll just not gain anything by doing it.

I’ll give you 2 examples using Snake Brand:

The 8’ 3wt: 9 guides total, size 8 or 10 stripper (size to me would depend on frame height) followed by 2 #1’s then rest #2/0 for the Snake Brand Originals.

The 9’ 6wt: 10 guides total, 12 stripper, 2 #2’s then 1/0’s for the rest using Snake Brand Universals.

Reason for the Originals, they come in 2/0 where as the Universals only go down to 1/0.

I like to use Snake Brand Eco coated size 5 running snake guides. They will pass any knot I throw through the, and due to the larger size, are less prone to ice buildup when temps get frosty. I hear good things about Recoils, but also hear that they can be noisy. That noise, IMHO, would transmit through the line, and to the fish when stripping line back.

Tight Lies and frisky fish

RJF

Any reason you gentlemen prefer wire guides to ceramics? Is it a matter of weight?

For freshwater I always used snakes. For salt I like recoils. The black recoils squeak way less. I think a cerecoil 16 is very slightly smaller than a Fuji 16. Someone here probably knows the exact ID off the top of their head. Mix and match to your heart’s content.

I like full wells on everything, but I will put a mini or bull nose version on lighter or short builds. Some of that will be determined by the size of your paws.

Thank you so much for the reply...It helped!

I've been split on that question for a long time. Do ceramics really cast better?

Herb might disown me but I think I'm a ceramic convert now in the bigger rods but I don't know if I would on the lighter weights you are building. I have gone back and forth on 7-10 wts and could definitely feel a difference in the rod response after switching to ceramics with the extra weight but it seems to cast every bit as far as with the recs. Fighting fish on the ceramics is also super smooth. I managed to groove a rec tip after just a few months of fishing and I hate the idea of changing out guides down the road so that's another reason I'm sticking with ceramics on the higher weights. I think I would go wire on 5 wt and down.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/27/2022 11:38AM by Al Jones.

Thanks, When using ceramics are the sizes the same as snakes? Also what brand ceramics do you use? Fuji?

I'm not sure on the sizing but I'm using the Fuji KT Ti Sic since the TLSG was discontinued. I think the TLSG used the be the go to. I think a lot of people like the Seaguides that are similar to the TLSG. On the 7 wt I used a size 6 KT and it easily passes a nail knot to my butt section.

Phillip I do not know if this will help or not. I have not built a fly rod yet. I had 2 NFC fly rods (8' 3 wt and 9' 5 wt) arrive. I am out on a job and will not be home to build the rods until the end on Oct. I build my own guides for my bass rods. I use 1/16 titanium tig wire for be larger spinning guides and 16 ga to 22 ga titanium surgical wire for the smaller guides. The wire is polished with Scotch brite pads prior to bending and being installed. Once installed a Q-tip is cut in half and jewelers rouge is spun on the Q-tip using a dremel. The guides are polished to a mirror finish. If the guides become dull they are polished again. I built a block and drilled holes for the different size guides. Behind the drill bit holes a 1/4" X 20 hole/tap was drilled to hold the wire when bending. For the spinning (large guides) a wooden dowel is used with a hole drilled through to fit one of the smaller guide drill bits. I also build the tip tops using aluminum tubing with the titanium guides. Sorry I am not home to take photos. All of the material (less the block and maybe the block) can be purchased on Amazon. If you build your own guides you can build anything you want and have only yourself to blame if it does not work. You can always change things up to suit yourself.

Wow! Thank you! I would love to see pictures....