Has anyone ever done such thing to avoid ordering guides you don't need?

I'm imagining something like a flat piece of plastic with steps for each guide specific to a certain guide model. If that makes sense...

I haven't built many rods so it hasn't been much of a problem for me so far of trying to figure out which guides to use. Not only of ring size, but heights.

I'm trying to build a couple rods to specific spinning reels and trying to size up the guides appropriately. (spool off, straight axis, choke point, sizing up guide heights to the line, etc)

Am I over complicating things or being super picky? How can I order the proper guide sizes on the first shot?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/02/2016 10:33AM by Chris Zarza.

Chris,
You can be as picky as you want or as general as you want when installing a guide size at a particular spot.

For my clients as well as myself, we often interchange and use different reels on the same rod. As a result - I basically use a medium sized reel and generally set up all of my spinning rods with a given set of guides - and all of my casting guides with a given set of guides. I personally am not concerned with a particular reel being too big for a rod or too small for a rod. Simply put, because over the life of the rod, the rod will likely see reels ranging from small to large during its ue.

The one thing that I am very particular about and that is to make the first or stripper guide large enough and tall enough to avoid deflecting the line during a cast. I have seen too many rods with the first guide too low and thus cause drag on the line due to the line rubbing on the first guide.

Good luck

I agree with Roger's post. I will add that if you want to use Fuji's K series guides, they have a suggested sequence of reduction guides in their catalog, and they really do work well. Last rod I built I used their recommendations and right out of the box it cast beautifully. Keep in mind that some of the taller reduction guides will not fit into rod tubes in boats.

I am confident that by using the Fuji method you will not have to waste any guides; first order will be dead on.

Micheal's recommendation is a good one. It is hard to go wrong with the reduction guide grouping that Fuji suggests. Most guide manufacturers publish the height of all their guides, so it becomes relatively easy to put you own reduction guide grouping together based on guide height. For many starting builders guide selection seems extremely complex and confusing, however guide selection becomes much easier with experience. The American tackle microwave guide sets take all the guess work out of guide selection, and they do work very well.
Norm

I use a spreadsheet. I give it the spool diameter, height of the spool shaft from the blank, height of my choker (usually KB5or Minima4). It uses 27X to tell me where to put the choker.
Then I list all the guides and their heights (provided by manufacturers). It's a simple formula to calculate, for each guide, the distance from the spool shaft where the top of the guide lands on a line from spool shaft to top of choker. Based on those distances I can choose the spacings I like.
Since I'm a visual learner, I went one step further and included a chart which shows a scale drawing of heights and distances so I can see the progressions.
Sounds complicated to some, but it's really simple and I don't have to run a string and tape on guides (or have one of every guide size on hand).

I should also say this is the starting point. I'll adjust as I see fit.

John Shear
Chippewa Falls, WI



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/02/2016 04:35PM by John Shear.

roger wilson Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The one thing that I am very particular about and
> that is to make the first or stripper guide large
> enough and tall enough to avoid deflecting the
> line during a cast. I have seen too many rods
> with the first guide too low and thus cause drag
> on the line due to the line rubbing on the first
> guide.

Is there a general rule one should follow regarding stripper guide sizes for a particular spool size?
ex: 4000 reel will get a size 30 stripper, or 8000 reel will get a 40 or 50, etc. From a cast-ability and non KR standpoint at least....



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/02/2016 05:29PM by Chris Zarza.