Hi folks, I'm planning my first casting rod and will spiral the guides. Not sure whether it will be "simple + bumper" or "willie wrap" style but I'll decide that detail after I have the stripper and runners taped on and do some experimentation. Regardless, I'm wondering which guide type will be best for the bumper/transition and first 180 guide.
If I use one KWAG7 for stripper and KTAG5.5 for runners, will the KTAG be good for the transition/bumper and first 180? Should the first 180 be double foot?
If I go with a stripper->two intermediate->180 layout, is there some guideline for distance between those?

This is a St Croix 3C68MXF for bass, Revo SX reel, braid line with 40# fluoro leader (for those pesky musky & pike)

Thanks,

John Shear
Chippewa Falls, WI

Try different guides and experiment with the twist on the guides.

You might find that you actually have better performance if you place the first guide at 20 degrees in the direction of the spiral, rather than at 0 degrees.

Adjust, test and try to see what works best.

The transition guide should be a guide that the botttom of the guide is very close to the blank.

Be safe

KWAG7 is a good start. I won't say whether a double foot would be best on the turn (although it makes sense to me), but I would definitely add a couple of KBAG5.5's after the turn. If you choose to use a single foot in the turn, again, make it a KB...the foot is MUCH bigger and stronger than a KT in such a high stress spot. Good Luck!

KWAG7 is a good start. I won't say whether a double foot would be best on the turn (although it makes sense to me), but I would definitely add a couple of KBAG5.5's after the turn. If you choose to use a single foot in the turn, again, make it a KB...the foot is MUCH bigger and stronger than a KT in such a high stress spot. Good Luck!

I would suggest not get too fancy. I've had good success casting Husky Jerk's for pike using rods built with the so-called "simple" layout.
My stripper is off set one or two degrees to cancel any tendency the line might have had to build up on the spiral side of the reel.
Basically what you might call a minus 1, 90, 180 degree arrangement.

My spiral goes to the crank side, so the bumper is facing up when I lay the rod down.
The bumper I used was a #7 in the same pattern as the #5 running guides.

I'm sure you're aware that a bumper isn't part of the guide train. It's only there to prevent the line from rubbing on the blank.
To locate my bumper properly I wound it on last, so that I could load the rod up and see exactly where it needed to go.

I would think that the butt guide the 7 the bumper 5.5 the first 180 5.5 should be double foot All the rest of the 180 guides 5.5 since they are as a spinning rod single foot With a forhan wrap to be sure

Try putting the 7 as the butt the next 5.5 dubble foot then single foot All at the 180 Static Test As spinning rod -- No Bumper yet
Once ya got the spacing nice Bring the Butt 7 up to 0 Static test Tweek the No 2 guide 5.5 dubble foot a little to the side of the spiral Put line on Static test and tweek the butt and no 2 guide Find where the line rubs the blank Now Add the 5.5 dubble foot as the bumper
Tweek a little Test cast The idea IMHO is to get the streightest line path for casting
The articel starts at casting But since most all are at 180 might as well go spinning Then move the butt guide up Cuts a step

O Yea Glue the top on at the 180 Then play with the guides Better late then never ???

Bill - willierods.com



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/17/2014 06:30PM by bill boettcher.

I do plan on playing with the placement of the stripper, at 0 and offset in either direction to see how it behaves. I also do plan a forhan lock wrap on all single foots.
I was assuming the intermediates/bumper could be single foot since I would place them/it where the line dictates and would not have any side-pressure.
Sounds like a double foot would be wise on the first 180.

Thanks for the feedback and patience with yet another spiral wrap question. :)

John Shear
Chippewa Falls, WI

Jim Ising Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> KWAG7 is a good start. I won't say whether a
> double foot would be best on the turn (although it
> makes sense to me), but I would definitely add a
> couple of KBAG5.5's after the turn. If you choose
> to use a single foot in the turn, again, make it a
> KB...the foot is MUCH bigger and stronger than a
> KT in such a high stress spot.

Jim, I didn't realize the KBAG came in 5.5. I was looking at the height comparison chart on anglersresource which doesn't show the newer sizes.
I'm really glad you pointed that out. I can get some different options to play with.

John Shear
Chippewa Falls, WI

For the Bumper the L-T looks to be able to wrap a locking wrap I like to be safe and not have some thing come back and Haunt me The whole idea in the bumper is to have the ring as close to the blank as possible Streight line between two points better casting \

Jim knows these guides a lot better then I do

Bill - willierods.com

I t hink that it makes a lot of sense to use a short double foot as the bumper guide.

The main reason being the fact that the double foot guides are stronger.

You don't need the double foot for strength with respect to fishing or casting, but it is nice to have the double foot short guide, simply because these guides are stronger, and it is possible that this guide may get banged around a bit more.

John,

Also do some experimentation on the angle position of the stripper guide. Recently, when doing some testing I actually found that by offsetting the first or stripper guide by about 30 degrees, in the same direction as the spiral that the rod preformed much better.

So, when doing your first guide angle position, don't be afraid to move it quite a bit in a rotary direction on the rod. In particular, try rotating the butt guide a great deal in the direction of the spiral. I never would have thought that it would have worked, but it actually worked much better than leaving the stripper guide in the 0 position.

Be safe



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/18/2014 11:59AM by roger wilson.

Great point Roger. I wasn't thinking about needing to withstand a little banging or carelessness.

John Shear
Chippewa Falls, WI

it is also a good idea to after the guides are placed to put the reel on and reel in a good distance of line - with weight on - just to see how the line goes on the reel Then you can adjust if needed

Bill - willierods.com

bill boettcher Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> it is also a good idea to after the guides are
> placed to put the reel on and reel in a good
> distance of line - with weight on - just to see
> how the line goes on the reel Then you can adjust
> if needed

Yep, I saw that mentioned many times during my countless hours of researching previous posts. Thanks for the reminder.

John Shear
Chippewa Falls, WI

for my personal builds(rods for BIG 2-10oz baits) I utilize a KWAG6 for the bumper, KBAG5's for the transition(s), and KTAG4's or 5's for the runners.
I have been fishing this setup HARD for the last couple of seasons with no failures.

John: KB is available up to a size 6.