Mike,
Thanks and congratulations on a very good article “Single Foots for HD Use” in RM magazine. I found it both enjoyable and enlightening, if not surprising. There are a few questions I would like to discuss with you but your email is hidden on this forum. If you would be so kind as to email me, it would be appreciated.

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

No problem to ask me here on this message board. Might be helpful to someone else as well.

Actually...how can we all access the article?

It was in Rodmaker magazine a few issues back.

Hello All.

Here you go folks.

Vol/Issue..........Name..................................Author...................Page.
25/5 Feature: Single Foots for HD Use? By Mike Ballard. 16



Tight Wraps & Tighter Lines.

Ernie,
RodMaker magazine Volume 25 / Issue 5 / Page 16.
Mike,
Fair enough. First, a clarification of terms (guides) used; you mentioned Fuji “KT belly guides” a number of times and “KB belly guide” only once and am wondering if the KT and KB nomenclature was unintentionally intermingled. It is my understanding that the “belly” guide is the KB while the KT is considered a runner. Apparently, your test involved a double foot (KT? MN?), a KT and a KB. Or did you use something different in place of the KT, like a L or MK? All were subjected to the same increasing amount of weight up to 22lb where the “single foot belly guide tore from the wrap”. I think you were referring to the KB but not 100% certain. Apparently, the “narrow, single foot” and the double foot may have deformed but did not fail even at 25lb.
Very informative and useful test!!! But surprising as well! As you, I would have expected the wide foot KB to withstand more force than the narrow foot KT (or L / MK); that was the reasoning behind Fuji’s development of the wide foot KB belly guide. I certainly would have lost money on that bet. Additionally, the KB incorporates a double set of barbs on the side of the foot whereas the KT only has one set and the MK has none to “restrict” guide-pull-out.
Apparently, you determined that the “U” shape of the KB legs cut through the thread wraps. While I would have not suspected so, I understand your observation and trust your test; afterall, results are results.
In your article, you also mentioned a very good point that many may not realize, “Most rods don’t experience [of] a lot of stress in the upper ½ to top 3rd of their length”. Consequently, nor do those guides. Compounding the confusion, many assume that a 100lb fish will put 100lb of force on the blank and guides as well. Such is not the case; the force that the blank and guides (angler too for that matter) will endure is only equal to the drag setting of the reel. Fighting chairs aside, the vast majority of us could not handle 40lb of drag with 30lb being quite a bit while 20-25lb is more the norm. Take a generic example of a loaded rod with 6 guides under 30lb of drag. Since the upper half of the guides don’t really get stressed, we’ll only count the lower 3 guides. Divide 30lb of force by 3 guides = 10lb of force per guide; that is less than half of force exerted in the test. Furthermore, in actual fishing situations, that 10lb of force is not directly trying to pull the guide out but rather sliding through it.
It seems safe to say that (proper) single foot guides can be incorporated on quite stout rods, obviously within reason. Of course, durability is part of the equation as well and single foots are typically less robust than double foots. Although relying on double foot reduction guides, I have built a number of 20-40lb salt rods with single foot guides without a single problem. And I still have confidence in them even though they are all KBs which may possibly not be the best choice from your test. But I will stick with double foot or roller guides above that.
Thanks again for sharing your test = very enlightening.

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

The KB belly guide which was the beefiest of the three failed first. So simply adding a wider foot and beefier frame does not always make one guide stronger than another in actual use. The KT guide failed second and I think it has to do with the higher frame height than you have on any of the single foot low frame fly rod type single foots. I am convinced that the lower the frame and the closer the ring sits to the blank the more secure and stable the guide and wrap are going to be. I never thought I would use single foot fly rod guides on pretty heavy SW spinning rods but after doing this test several times they are the ONLY type single foot guide I will use for the runners on heavy spinning rods. If I need more strength I will stick with double foot guides all the way out. But I will not use the KB Belly or KT single foot guides on any of my rods. Fuji makes great stuff but they got it wrong with the KB 'Belly" type guide if strength is what you are after.

Keep in mind that I used a Forhan wrap on all the guides so they could not pull out. Any failure was transferred to the guide or wrap itself. If you do not use a locking wrap then Fuji might be right in saying that the KB belly guide will withstand more stress before it pulls out. But I cannot imagine anyone building rods with single foot guides these days and not using a Forhan wrap. I did not perform the test to see which guide would pull out of the wrap first but instead to find out which guide would provide the strongest and longest use before failing in any manner.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/27/2023 09:31AM by Mike Ballard.

Mike,
Thanks for the clarification. Although I have never experienced “guide pull-out”, I too install a locking wrap on all of my single foots (not a Forhan but of my own design). I don’t build that many salt spin rods; the single foots that I have been using are on spiral wrapped rods.
By the way, I was going to ask if you performed the test more than once but you answered that in your last reply “...doing this test several times”; you certainly have your bases covered.
I chose the KBs simply because they appeared beefier than most other single foots, but your test(s) has / have proven otherwise. So what is your single foot guide of choice for these medium duty salt builds? As always, I’m here to learn.
Also, thanks for your “Eureka Rod Handles” article in RodMaker magazine, V-25, I-2. While you may have gotten the idea elsewhere, nonetheless you took the idea and made it work. I personally do not care for cord wrapped handles = too abrasive and uncomfortable. The majority of my salt handles have been cork tape covered with X flock shrink tubing = very comfortable, grippy and durable. I can’t wait to try a Eureka handle = should be much less abrasive than cord, durable, certainly seems easy enough to install, all while adding a bit of unique flash to the rod.

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

Mike Ballard Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
"I am convinced that the lower the frame and the closer the ring sits to the blank the more secure and stable the guide and wrap are going to be."

That is one hundred percent correct. Once in a while a surgeon is called upon to apply what is known as an external fixator to a patient to stabilize a fracture. Metal pins are applied through the bone segments at approximately right angles to the bone along the length of the bone, and a connecting rod is then applied as perpendicular as can be across the pins with clamps, essentially tying them all together. When applied properly and according to standard principles, the connecting bar will sustain the weight of the patient. BUT...the closer that connecting bar is to the skin of the patient, ie to the sites where the pins enter the bone, the stronger and more stable the whole construct becomes. Of course, the opposite is true.

All things being equal, guides with shorter stems should be significantly more stable than those with longer stems. The shorter stems just won't torque as much.

Hello Mike,
Are you still following this topic? I requested your opinion of which brand and style single foot guides are best-suited to medium-duty salt rods.

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

Fuji single foot fly rod type. WITH a Forhan locking wrap. There are probably some other good brands out there as well but I have not had to try any others. These work just fine and do not let the "fly rod" label discourage you. They are plenty strong and very low frame.

Mike,
Thanks for the reply, Although I consider myself as a Fuji guy, I was unaware that Fuji offers a “fly” guide. Their single foot L guide seems quite spindly and the ring appears rather high; the L-T has a wider / longer / barbed foot and the ring seems as if it is lower than the L; and the MK appears to be a bit spindly but possibly with a lower ring (but only in their bottom-tier aluminum oxide ring). Other than the KTs, KBs, those are the only Fuji single foot running guides of which I am aware = which one to which are you referring? Sorry to be a bother, but after reading your article and discovering that I incorrectly assumed that the beefier appearing KB was the way to go, I want to make sure which is your guide of choice. I am here to learn = teach me.

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

Fuji L series single foot fly guides?

Mick,
Thanks for the reply. The Fuji L single foot would be my ASSUMPTION, even though the ring appears to be higher than what Mike was concerned with. Nonetheless, I would feel more confident hearing it from the man who performed the test which proved my original assumptions incorrect. I AM here to learn.

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

L Series. You will have just enough height to allow for an easy Forhan Wrap.

Thanks, Mike

Dido thanks, Mike

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