Hey guys so I am going to be building an UL for a crappie fisherman. The blank is going to be a MHX PF542L. I havent built an UL yet and I was not really sure what guides and sizes I should use. Any help would be really appreciated, thanks so much!

Size and spacing will depend on the reel he intends to use. Personally I like the PAC Bay Minima 4's. I start with a size 16 stripper and use size 4 running guides if I'm gonna pass knots.

Cameron

I Like the Pac Bay Minima 4 guides, use them all the time, never had a problem with them. Great in fresh or salt water. Good for all types of lines.The rings are stainless steel and will never crack, chip or fall out and are light weight. Also they are durable. I think they will work well for your UL rod..

I guess you know by now I like Minima 4 guides. Worth checking out.

Good luck

John

Lets make it 3 of us, PacBay Minima's 3 or 4. I like the 3's myself for the 2-tone look, Example, Black frame with Gold rings. It adds a little more pizzazz to the rod. Standard height for the shorter rod's, And Minima {Match 3 or 4 taller guides} for the longer UL rods 6'+ to keep the light test wet line from sticking or grabbing the rod blank. Size you stripper guides according to the reel spool diameter. Tight lines Jaa

Perfection titanium alloy

Ok thanks for the replies guys. I actually do not have access to his reel. It is going to be a surprise gift. What should I do in that case?

Maybe you can find out what reel he will use Maybe the wife can get you the make and modle and let us know Then some one can measure the face
The 16 should work fine I have a 500 Shamano

Bill - willierods.com

For lightweight, I've been using the pac bay minima 4s for ultralights. American tackle should have their air waves available soon. They do not have a ceramic ring, so they should be very light.

Cameron, I would likely assume that he is using something like a 10/100/1000 sized reel, and build based on one you have in the shop around that size class. If he goes up or down a reel size, it's not going to make a huge difference in casting performance as he's likely using a very limp light mono or braid on the reel. Being that short of a rod I would assume it's most likely a 500 or 1000 sized reel depending on his preferred make and model. A 16mm butt guide in the taller match frame of the minima guides and some ceramics or a 20mm Y frame butt guide will both work equally well as they are about the same height. Follow that up with an 8mm match frame or 10mm Y frame then place a 4mm minima or 5mm ceramic in the choker location and decide whether you want to stay with that size or drop in size toward the tip. If you learn it is a 500 sized reel, you could possibly drop the taller match/Y frame reduction guides down another size.

That's how I would approach a surprise build in this case.

Good luck and let us know how it works out!

x10 on the use of Pac Bay minima guides starting with a size 16 stripper and going down to a size 4 for runners and a tip.

Be safe

I built one with Recoil guides and it turned out great. They are pricey but worth it. For my next personal crappie rod I'm going to try single foot fly guides for runners to keep the weight down even more.

Thanks guys for all the help! I really appreciate it!