I'm building a rod on an MHX SB812 blank for my brother that he will use an older Ambassadeur 5500 C3 on for bass fishing. I'd like to end up with Fuji KT5 running guides, but am not sure what size stripping and reduction guides I'll need.

I'm thinking 1 LKW12, 2 KB8, and 7 KT5 but am concerned about stepping down that much between guides both from a functional and aesthetic standpoint. Reel will be mounted on a Fuji ECS reel seat.

Can anyone offer some guidance? I realize the right answer is to order several different guide sizes and figure out what works best, I just want to make sure I'm on the right track.

Thanks!

Wouldn't think you would need more than one KB 8. Back in the late 80's Berkeley came out with the Series One rods, the first guide from the reel was a SiC 10 mm DF, I found that there was no need for a larger guide with your reel and even a 6500, you'll be fine I bet, you have a lucky brother.

I really like the RV6 as a first guide, then all the rest the same size, usually with 2 KB's. Size 5 runners will be fine.

Patrick,
You may want to check if Fuji / Anglers Resource offers KBs in size 8; used to be no larger than 6, but things may have changed. However, the KTs are available to size 10??? I have no idea what their logic is there; if anything, one would think the KBs would be available in larger ring sizes than the KTs!?!?

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

The feet on the KT10 and KT8 are sufficiently large enough, no need to make them larger.
Norm

Thanks for the feedback. I looked into the RV6 and really like that. I think I'll give that a shot.

And good to know on the KBs. Biggest I could find was a KB7. I don't anticipate using one that large in the future if the RV6 works out.

I rarely run across folks using conventional round baitcasters these days except for some inshore guys that still swear by the Calcutta 200s. Hopefully the RV6 will work for that as well.

Thanks!

I'm one of the weirdos, I really like my Calcutta 251.

I just stuck my old Daiwa CVZ 253a on a rod with an RV6 guide to test. It casted perfectly fine and I couldn’t detect any unusual friction. I don’t have an equivalent enough rod to do a meaningful distance comparison.

I assume by "stripping" you mean butt guide. (Only fly rods have a stripping guide)

You only need two size guides on the rod. No need to go larger than needed. If you know 5's will work just go right from a 10 or 12 butt guide to the 5's. Anything else is just for your eyes, not the actual line path.

................

Kendall Cikanek Wrote:
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> I just stuck my old Daiwa CVZ 253a on a rod with
> an RV6 guide to test. It casted perfectly fine and
> I couldn’t detect any unusual friction. I
> don’t have an equivalent enough rod to do a
> meaningful distance comparison.


Sweet. Thank you for that. I'm excited for the build. My brother's 40th bday is coming up so I got a hold of his Ambassadeur under false pretenses so I could add a supertune kit turning his 5500 C3 into a C5 with upgraded carbon drag and now I'm building a dedicated small-plastics river rod for him. He loves to kayak fish shallow rivers down here. He's (hopefully) going to be stoked.

Tom Kirkman Wrote:
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> I assume by "stripping" you mean butt guide. (Only
> fly rods have a stripping guide)
> ................

Ah. Appreciate the clarification. I've always seen "stripping" guide used like for the Kigan guide here:
[www.hydrafishing.com]

Or the Fuji RV guide here:
[mudhole.com]

I assume those are appropriate for use on casting rods and not fly rods?

I usually just refer to the first guide as "the first guide" and avoid the nomenclature issue. I can never keep it straight. Butt, stripper, first, etc. "Stripper" for fly rods does make sense since one "strips" line with a fly rod.

Patrick,

The guides themselves are the same, but the terminology is different. Line is stripped from a fly reel, not cast from it. Thus, "Stripping" guide. On everything else the 1st guide is the butt guide.

Catalogs and companies often get the terminology wrong, including using terms like action for power. What the heck is a "heavy action" rod?

............

Butt guide RV6, followed by 6-KB5s, then 3-KT5s. That is exactly how I would do it. Use the Alconite ring guides in either SS or CC. You have to bite the bullet on the RV6 because they don't have them for less than $11.00. A KW12 will also work followed by the KW8 or KB8 Then the rest of the 5s with the last 3-5s on the tip section being KTs. But the butt guide 20" to 21" from the reel face.

Lance Schreckenbach Wrote:
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> Butt guide RV6, followed by 6-KB5s, then 3-KT5s.
> That is exactly how I would do it. Use the
> Alconite ring guides in either SS or CC. You have
> to bite the bullet on the RV6 because they don't
> have them for less than $11.00. A KW12 will also
> work followed by the KW8 or KB8 Then the rest of
> the 5s with the last 3-5s on the tip section
> being KTs. But the butt guide 20" to 21" from the
> reel face.


What's the theory/reasoning behind the number of KB vs KT? I understand the KB have a longer/wider foot but wasn't sure when you should make the transition? Most recipes I see recommend kbs for 2 or 3 guides after butt guide. But I've also seen them used almost all the way to the tip.

Patrick Coco Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Lance Schreckenbach Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Butt guide RV6, followed by 6-KB5s, then
> 3-KT5s.
> > That is exactly how I would do it. Use the
> > Alconite ring guides in either SS or CC. You
> have
> > to bite the bullet on the RV6 because they
> don't
> > have them for less than $11.00. A KW12 will
> also
> > work followed by the KW8 or KB8 Then the rest
> of
> > the 5s with the last 3-5s on the tip section
> > being KTs. But the butt guide 20" to 21" from
> the
> > reel face.
>
>
> What's the theory/reasoning behind the number of
> KB vs KT? I understand the KB have a longer/wider
> foot but wasn't sure when you should make the
> transition? Most recipes I see recommend kbs for 2
> or 3 guides after butt guide. But I've also seen
> them used almost all the way to the tip.

The KT have a narrow foot and are a little lighter than the KB guides. I usually do only the tip part of the blank with the KT guides to save a little weight and sometimes the foot of the KB is too wide for the tip part of the blank. I used to use all KT running guides before they came out with the KB.