Probably a stupid question but on the NFC guide spacing by blank lists spinning rods as 7 guides (normally) and casting as 9-11 guides (normally) if I’m building spinning rods with 10 guide trains. P703 hm, p704 hm and sj762 IM. Can I use the casting guide placement for a spinning setup. I know I should do my own placement based on the blank I receive but I think what they list and a 10 guide train should work fine. Appreciate the feedback!

It is my opinion that the first three guides of a spinning rod should be placed based on the ability of the rod to cast well (I use Fuji KLH guides and the KR software on their site, and it always works just fine) and the rest of the guides placed based on a two line deflection test.

The number of guides on both casting and spin should depend on the stress test.

I locate the first guide on a casting build at about 19 inches from the reel and adjust if necessary, but it seldom is. The rest of the guides are placed based on the two line stress test.

The sooner a builder stops consulting general "recipes" for their builds the sooner they will understand how to build a great rod.

NFC has spacing and guide placement by blank, figuring that’s more accurate than most companies and should be pretty close to a stress text, I know each blank is different. Just wondering if spinning vs casting can be intermixed since they list spinning guide placement with minimal guides but casting with more. I’ve used 9-10 guides on sub 7’ spinning blanks and they cast great, still light, have a good bend. Always just used the mudhole spacing which is just based on length. The NFC spacing guide seems more specific for the blanks I’m using.

I might try the NFC guide spacing suggestions on a mock-up. Test cast.

Same for Michael's suggestions (which I follow).

See which you like best. It's some extra work, but then you'll learn a bunch. Experimentation is fun and might lead you to that ground-breaking, light-bulb moment!

"Intermixing" the spacing for spin vs cast: The way I see it, the difference between the number of spinning guides versus casting guides is due to the orientation of the guides on the blank. The Simple Spiral is a hybrid-type. I have Simple Spiral casting rods and like the way they perform.

As a rule for myself, I like one or two more guides than what is typically "Specified" on both casting and spinning rods. This is what I find after I static test the blank and guide train.

* I have some old G-Loomis spinning rods (store bought). One I am looking at right NOW: SJR782 (GLX), 6'6" Medium, Fast, 6-12# line, 1/8-3/8 oz. lure.
This rod has (6) total running guides plus a tip top: #25 ring Y-frame, 12 Y-frame, 8 Y-frame, 7 single foot, 6 single foot, 6 single foot, 6 tip top.

Needless to say, a very good spinning rod, but I would build it differently today. Tom Kirkman wrote in a blog post on Feb. 6, 2022, that he experimented with several modern guide layout systems, and found 1% difference between them (except for his own "Oddball" layout). This is just to say I am not minimizing the layout on my old G-Loomis rod because it can cast and perform vey well. Nor am I saying "nothing matters." Play with it and enjoy the process is what I am saying.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/04/2022 01:07PM by Leslie Cline.

That’s all good information, thank you. Would a stress test of the same blank on the spline/spine result in the same guide placement for a spinning and casting blank.

In my humble opinion, and based off of just a couple years of building, casting tends to require more guides than spinning. Since casting guides are placed on top of the blank in a traditional train, more guides are required to avoid the line touching the blank when under load. With spinning guide trains, the guides are spaced out based on the properties of the rod during a two line static test but results in one or two guides less as compared to casting rods. Placement will be close, but not exact to each other. But it also depends on the blank. Lighter rods tend to need more guides, but this can also be offset by using slightly higher guide frames similar to St Croixs legend panfish and trout rods.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/04/2022 06:50PM by Evan Cobb.

Patric,
Guide spacing charts will produce a generic rod. Utilizing the 2-line deflection test for guide placement will produce a custom rod.

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

Patrick,
To simply answer your last question, no. The tip and for a few running guides will be the same. Once you hit your choker on the spinning the spacing will be dependent on what system you use. In the span of what would be the first two guides from the reel on a casting rod you will likely have two to three guides in something like KR layouts for a spinning rod. My suggestion is to do a KR setup using the calculator at anglers resource. Then two line deflection will place your runners.

I have built quite a few rods. Even when I am building four or five identical builds on the same model blank I use the two line static test for placement. No two rods are perfectly identical which is why I quit writing down "spacing recipes" and such. Each rod deserves to be treated individually. It is what I believe puts us a step above OEM mass productions.

On spinning rods the placement of the first 3 guides closest to the reel should be based on the reel and angle of the spool toward the choke point of the blank. The rest will be for the static load. You need less guides on a spinning rod because the line is below the rod and more guides on a casting rod because the line is above the rod. Casting rod running trains are based on the guide ring size and frame height of the guide along with static considerations.

That all makes sense, thanks everyone for their input.