I am going to build a 12wt CFB SW fly rod for myself. It will be used for GT and Tarpon mainly. The fishing will involve a lot of blind casting big poppers and streamers for GT besides the regular search and cast type fishing - thus a lot of line shooting involved for this rod.

1. As playing these big boys is tough I was thinking of having three 'stripping' guides (maybe a 20 or 16, a 12 and 10?) to have the most strain of the fight on them. Am I right in this assumption? Been thinking of titanium framed guides with high quality ceramic insert like the Fuji KW-style ones or Seaguide TiXQGs. The price difference between the Seaguides and the Fuji Torzite or SIC KWs is massive but am willing to pay the difference if I get a clearly better and longer lasting product as guides tend to take some beating every so often while being moved about in the skiff. Any thoughts or comments of the number of the guides, sizes and guide types?

2. I am leaning towards having Snakebrand ECOating Universal Snake running guides. What sizes would you choose and why?

3. Would like to have a titanium frame ceramic insert tip top in the rod. Naturally weight is of concern. The blank tip OD is 2,3mm. Been checking out Fuji Arowanas, Fuji Sic Ti TFST and Seaguide Ti-XLTs, Which tip top would you choose to optimise the performance of this rod and why? Should I consider matching the hight of the top most running guide to the hight of the tip top and how?

Many thanks! Any help in any of the three points will be highly appreciated.

-Mikko-

Build a 12 weight TFO TiCr X earlier this year. My thoughts and and selections were:

!. The "big boys" as you call them put a load on everything from tip top to fighting butt. But the number of stripping guides and their sizes is more a function of casting distance, knot and coiled line straightening than a load issue. I used 20, 16, and 12 though two strippers, 16 and 12, would have probably worked as well.

2. The 12 weight I built originally had Sea Guide stripping guides until the mid-butt section was replaced after a catastrophic failure. I then choose REC's titanium Recoil stripping guides. The snake guides and a large loop tip top were also RECs. Nothing wrong with Snake Brand guides - I think they are terrific for fresh water. And they are OK in salt provided you are careful to faithfully clean the rod immediately after use. My personal light salt rod (8 weight) has Snake Brand guides. But for day after day salt water use, I think a guide that simply cannot rust is the better choice. Plus with the REC's there is some hope that if a guide takes a lick it will spring back into shape. The snake guide sizes I used were one #5 and six #4s. The snakes and tip have to pass knots for rigging and line to backing connection when a "big boy" sets a course for Cuba.

3. I'm not a fan of or believer in the marketing claims for fancy inserts. Making solid double hauls on a pitching deck is far more important than insert material.

You don't need to use so many different guide sizes. You'll actually have a straighter line path with fewer sizes. I never use more than 3 sizes. Drop from the 20 to the 12 or the 16 to the 10.

............

Thank you gents for your input!

Any feedback or opinions regarding the guide choices I listed above? Would Minima 3 or 4 series titanium framed running guides work in this type of rod?

Cheers!

-Miki-

Ok, think I am pretty set with the guide choices. I'll use Black Pearl Recoil snakes in #5 as runners, three stripping guides (a little stubborn here ;) but just checked out the condition of the first snake guide after the two strippers in my most used two handed rod and it is quite grooved (some TiCH plated heavy snake). I shoot a lot with double handers as I use shooting heads and mono runningline. Although I'll not use mono rl with this SW rod I think fighting GTs with low rod will put a lot of stress into the lowest guides.) first a #20 full Ti-framed KW-series Fuji with Torzite insert, then #16 and #12 Sea Guide full Ti-framed XQG guides with the RS inserts. If there was a #20 Sea Guide I would have not get the Torzite Fuji.

Any feedback is welcome!

Cheers!

-Miki-



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/11/2017 01:58PM by Miki Stenberg.