I'm new to this forum. First post. Hello, everyone!

Building my first rod. Learning about the guide train. That's the reason I got into this.

I am trying to determine if I should design a rods to fit a given reel, or if I should make general rods. See below. I'm trying to determine how much the performance would be impacted.

SINGLE REEL STRATEGY
How important is the guide train? I'm reading about the Fuji system. This is based on knowing which reel you will use. If this is a huge important thing, then I should design rods for a specific reel.

MULTI-REEL STRATEGY
I'm trying to determine if I should plan to design rods that for a given reel, or that will work with a handful of reels. If the change in performance isn't that different (10% or less in casting/sensitivity), then it doesn't make sense to design a single reel for a rod - for lots of people anyways.)

If I go with the multi reel strategy, any advice on how to design the train? Any gotchas?






Thanks!

Cory Lowe
Man of 10,000 Lakes

I vote for the multi-reel strategy...

What type of rods are you planning on building; spinning, casting, freshwater, saltwater? What sizes and types of line are going to be used? In my opinion, It is preferable to build a rod for a particular person based on the type of fishing he/she does, rather than building a one size fits all rod. I much prefer using the KR concept, especially when using braid.
Norm

I personally think the reel is not that important, but if one wants to design for a reel then design for the largest reel planned.

More important than the reel is the line. If one uses braid 15 pound test or less it really won't matter what the guide system is. Almost anything will work pretty well. if planning to use mono or FC above about 8 pound test then the guides become more important.

Like Norman, I prefer KR system (KLH 20-10-5.5M then KB's/KT's to the end) for spin, RV6 then KB/KT's to the end for baitcast. Consult the Anglersresource.net site in the left margin. I mix my reels for spin and cannot say I've ever really noticed a difference. They all cast very well with 15 -20 pound braid.

Can you elaborate on why line size makes so much difference? It has to do with the coils?

Sounds like line size is more important than the angle of the rod, if I understand correctly.

Can you give an example of how you would change the guides, based on line size?

Yes, it has to do with the "coils." Braid is soft and will go through just about any guide fine.Mono and fluoro are not very soft, especially with high pound test. Basically if you are going to fish mono or fluoro that is heavier, you want larger guides to start with to tame the line. Reel is much less important. A little different angle or a few mm in spool size won't make much difference. Yes, there would be a difference between a 1000 size reel and a 5000 size reel, but reel size and line size tend to go together. Also, make sure you are looking at the KR GPS on the fuji (anglers resource) site. I just tried it and if you use light braid it has the same guides whether you use a 1000 size reel or a 500 0 size reel.

Like Peter says.

If I remember right the KR video specified, that they used stiff 8 lb. FC line to test with, so there you go problem solved.
I have found if I set up a rod for a 2000 reel, it also works just as good on a 2500, or 3000. Once I get into 12 lb. line on a 4000 I am stepping up one size on guides as I'm also in 12 lb. or greater class mono, and frankly I'm thinking about a spiral wrapped casting rod in most of my personal situations.

Se the rod up for the largest reel and heaviest line you plan to use. Anything less than that will still work OK.

......

Cory,
The above replies are good and I agree.
When pursuing the pinnacle of performance, is it best to build the guide train to accommodate the actual reel to be used ? Probably. Is it splitting hairs? Probably. Have I noticed a difference when using different reels on the same rod? Probably not. I am referring to being realistic and reasonable here; not comparing line flow of a 1000 versus a 5000 spin reel on the same rod. Although both types of guide trains (spin / cast) are affected by the type of line used (mono, fluoro, braid), I think it is safe to say that spinning setups are more sensitive to line type (the “coils'' you mentioned).
We still don’t know for certain that you are building a spinning rod but it sounds like it.
Good luck and enjoy the addiction.

Mark Talmo
FISHING IS NOT AN ESCAPE FROM LIFE BUT RATHER A DEEPER IMMERSION INTO IT!!! BUILDING YOUR OWN SIMPLY ENHANCES THE EXPERIENCE.

Look into the KR Gps on the Anglers Resource page. It allows you to input various reel and line types/sizes and you can see how it changes layouts accordingly.