I am building a Loomis GL-3 # 9 wgt. which is a 4 piece rod. According to the Loomis site, the last stripper is to be placed on the 3rd section towards the butt. When I taped the guides in place I added a 3rd stripper 4 inches in front like the previous posts have suggested. However, the arrangement did not appear to be "balanced", if there is such a thing. I then spaced the last two strippers such that there was more of a space beween them to give it a more balanced look. This placement of the last guide puts it on the 4th section towards the end away from the seat/butt end. Is there a problem locating it on the 4th section? Will it affect the rod's performance? What do you guys think?

From what I understand it isn't supposed to look "balanced" it's just supposed to work. If you move the stripper too far towards the reel it will definitely affect the casting. And the two stripper deal at 4" is about right. I found that if I moved it close than 3 inches or much more than 4" it really had no effect at all. I was reading somewhere that once everybody starts putting that extra stripper on there then all of a sudden it will begin to look "normal". It's just what you get used to.

Would you place all the guides on using the deflection method or whatever method and the place the extra stripper or would place the guides accordingly in front of the extra stripper out to the tip? In other words do you place the butt stripper and extra stripper then deflection placement of the guides or place all the guides then the extra stripper?

Thanks,
Steve

Steve,

Most people are adding the extra stripper "in addition to" their regular guide set-up and placement. So you would just do what you have always done, and then add in that extra stripper. It not there for stress distribution but rather for channeling the incoming fly line into a straight path. Hope this helps to clarify.

But by all means, don't let me or anyone deter you from trying some different combinations. Your efforts might lead to something none of us know yet.

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Thanks for all the input. I think I will give it a test under both conditions prior to finishing the wraps. My 1st test will be with the butt stripper moved towards the reel about 2-3 inches and the "extra" one moved forward about 1/2 inch. I will then test it with the extra in the original spacing.