Aloha to all of you from Hawaii.

I was wondering if anyone has used the Titanium coated guides from Pac Bay (at least I think that's who makes them I know they have a matching reel seat for it). I plan to use them on a 13ft, 2 piece Outcast Magnum blank. The pole will be used for bait casting and Hawaii style slide baiting. The guides I usually use are tri-coil (spring) guides. Those are made out of steel and rust after a couple of years. The tackle shop I go to has been using those Titanium guides on all their poles lately, but I find them to be a little expensive. Is the price worth it? Can they handle the abuse of casting big knots and heavy live?


Thanks for all your help,

Allan

Allen I have been using these rings on my personal rods since they were available over a year ago. I can say that saltwater fishing has not affected them at all – not a spot of corrosion – even at the base of the guide foot. Another rod builder I know has had one hanging in saltwater off his dock for a year plus and it does not show any signs of corrosion either.

These guide start great basic material – stainless steel frames & Zirconia rings, then are beefed up with titanium plating.

There are actually two titanium coating on these guides. The first is on the frame which is stainless steel that is coated with TiCH (titanium carbide). The second is the ring, which is a Zirconia ceramic ring (similar properties to SIC) that is coated with TiGOLD (titanium nitride) that provides a tough smooth finish. I sometimes think about it this way – it drill bits are coated with titanium nitride to keep them sharp – it is tough stuff.

Pacific Bay offers a matching reel seat with the same titanium coating on the hoods that really does a supper job of matching the guides. They have taken that reel seat a step further and offer it with a clear woven graphite body – awesome looking.

Price wise the guides match up with SIC guides. The reel seat is not much more than a deluxe Fuji & looks a heck of a lot better.

As far as handling knots goes – I think it is like any guide, if you abuse them they will break. I have not had mine fail but I only fish mine in the 10-15# range casting #20 shock lead knots though it.

I though so highly of these guides, that they were worthy of inclusion on our web site so we have added them to our New Products section recently (located on the left side menu of www.mudhole.com). Additionally, we featured them in our next advertisement in Rod Maker magazine.

I actually have them on a Outcast 7 foot spinning blank, the combination of the titanium guides and the chameleon finish of the Outcast blank make for one great looking show stopper of a rod – and a heck of a speckled trout catching machine!

Tom McNamara
Mud Hole Custom Tackle
[www.mudhole.com]
Phone: (407) 277-0099

Good looking guides. If they could only make them in a concept system.