I am building my first fly rod on a TFO BVK 8 wt blank and have a few questions about the guides. I am just learning how to fly fish and very little experience. I have read through the forum, and am trying to decide between the titanium Minimas and the double foot Recoil snake guides. I have a few questions that I can't find answers for or found conflicting information on.

1. What size running guides should I use for an 8 wt for each type (snake and recoil). The connections will all be loop-to-loop using welded loops, spliced loop for the backing, and furled leaders.

2. Which guides will build a lighter rod? I have seen mixed information about the total weight for each guide type.

3. Do you have any problems clearing tangles with the Minimas?

Thanks and have a great Thanksgiving.

An eight-weight rod will require a leader with at least a #30 butt and a #50 butt will be better. If you connect your leader to your line with a nail knot or even a loop-to-loop your smallest guide should be no smaller than a #8 to allow your line to pass freely. I do not believe it is humanly possible by just casting to tell the tiny difference made by the difference in weight between most guide trains, nor will one particular guide train out-cast another. If you use Recoils for your build be sure to get the standard weight guides, not the light weight guides for your 8 weight. I think you will love your #8 BVK.

One of my Regular Bass Flyrods was built using All Minimas - 20, 12, 8, 7, 7, 7, 7, 7, 7, 7, 8(tip) . I've used larger bass sized furled leaders with this rod and there are no line or leader hang-ups.

I do prefer the double swagged chrome guides over the titanium single swagged guides. I have several size 7 titanium guides with rings that were swagged from the wrong side of the guide - leaving the flyline to slide across an abrupt edge that shaves the line. the chrome and TiCh Minima's have double swagged rings that have no abrupt edges exposed to the flyline.

Minimas are slightly heavier than traditional wire guides but lighter than ceramic ring single foot guides. Plus you're also wrapping and finishing one foot as opposed to two with traditional snake guides, so it just about evens out. On a rod powerful enough throw these heavier fly lines, I don't think you'll notice any real differences in weight between the use of the two guide you're looking at.

BVK Blanks are great. I use an 8 wt. and a 10wt. for saltwater fishing. I build mine with minima guides and they work great. I use a # 16/ #12/ # 10 to snakes guides on my. 8 wt. And #20/ # 16 / # 12 to single foot guides on my 10 wt. like to keep the running guides as small as possible so the line responds quickly when casting. I use intermediate and sinking lines most of the time so I'm not doing a lot of false casting and my leader rarely passes through the tip. When I strip the fly in about 20-30 away from me I roll cast and as soon as fly hits water I do a double haul and send it back out. I keep leaders short (6-7') with a tippet. Blue fishing I use wire and other fish I use floro. I build my rods to meet my technique. That's what you should do. If you have a rod you like to use think about the positive and negative things about it. Use that rod layout as a starting point. Good luck! Have a happy thanksgiving. MH

BVK Blanks are great. I use an 8 wt. and a 10wt. for saltwater fishing. I build mine with minima guides and they work great. I use a # 16/ #12/ # 10 to snakes guides on my. 8 wt. And #20/ # 16 / # 12 to single foot guides on my 10 wt. like to keep the running guides as small as possible so the line responds quickly when casting. I use intermediate and sinking lines most of the time so I'm not doing a lot of false casting and my leader rarely passes through the tip. When I strip the fly in about 20-30 away from me I roll cast and as soon as fly hits water I do a double haul and send it back out. I keep leaders short (6-7') with a tippet. Blue fishing I use wire and other fish I use floro. I build my rods to meet my technique. That's what you should do. If you have a rod you like to use think about the positive and negative things about it. Use that rod layout as a starting point. Good luck! Have a happy thanksgiving. MH

I have been using the Minimas for most of my fast action fly rod builds. On a 8wt rod I would use a size 6 for guides 1-8, then I would use a size 10 for guide 9, and a size 16 for number 10. The 8wt I fish with now I actually built with size 5's for 1-8, size 8 for guide 9, and size 12 for guide 10. It works just fine except once in awhile the loop to loop connection between the fly line and the leader will get caught in the tip top if you reel it up that far. I think if I went up to the size 6 this wouldn't be an issue anymore.

What do you guys use for the tiptop? The Minima 4 as well? Is it acceptable for saltwater builds?

You can use those tips. I believe I use BFTL tip. You should use a larger loop for saltwater fly lines.

Andrew,
Lightest build will be with the REC Recoil guides. Either the S/F or the snakes.
Excess weight towards the tip of any fly rod will decrease its performance. remember the blank does not know if the weight is coming from the components or fly line. So heavier components will decrease the payload a fly rod cam deliver.
Both the S/F and snakes weight the same. And - yes the snakes do require two wraps. BUT - the wrap on one end of the snake is smaller and lower profile than the S/F after you wrap a Forhan lock on the S/F. so weight is the same. 100% of my rods were built with S/F until I tested side by side rods of the same model. Snakes are better.
I would use #3's for runners. certainly no larger. Also would use a REC Recoil tip-top.

Would not go with the minimas.
Regards,
Herb

The BVK is an excellent choice. I'm about to build a saltwater 6wt in it. I will use the Recoil guides. Will probably end up doing a 10wt as well. I like oversize tiptops on my S/W rods.

.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/28/2014 08:48PM by Phil Ewanicki.

The conditions, the behavior, and the size of the fish a fresh water fly fisherman can expect vary greatly from those a salt water fisherman can expect. The casting skills a successful salt water fly angler must master are far different from the casting skills a salt water fly angler must master. A LOT different! Good advice for building a fresh water fly rod is not reliable advice for building a salt water fly rod.

Thanks guys. The rod will be used for both freshwater and saltwater. Target species will be bass and carp, and redfish and sea trout. Can I go smaller than a size 3 snake guide based on the connections, or is a size 3 the proper size?

You can go to a #2 (smallest) for a #8 fly rod. That will be my choice for the #8 I am currently building. I am testing Snakebrand Universal snakes on this rod. I first used them on a CTS #10 in size #3 and found them to be fine. They are a little larger than the REC Recoils so I figured I could go smaller. Since they are larger you can go smaller to save weight.
I use "00" thread on all my fly rods - even on #10's and I did not like the way the thread rode up on the feet. So I prepped the feet the way I like and they were great. But by prepping the feet I lost the chrome finish. I bought 200 of the un-chromed guides, prepped the feet and shipped the guides back to Snakebrand for chroming.
I may switch permanently to Snakebrand.

Regards.,
Herb