Hey everyone, I know there are a ton of threads on here on spiral wrapping. And I have read many of them describing the different spiral wrapping methods and techniques, but still have some questions on guide sizing. I am building an 8' xh saltwater rod that the blueprint states the guides to be used are 25,20,16,12,10,10,10,10,10. However I am not sure if I would need to change the guide sizes for doing a spiral wrapped rod. Since it is my first time attempting a spiral wrap I am just trying the simple spiral method. From other threads I have read that you want a larger stripper guide still to keep the line up higher but then typically go to a smaller guide than normal for the 90 degree guide to keep the line closer to the blank. And then I have also read that many people say to adjust the stripper guide around 5 degrees to allow more even spooling of the line on the reel, but I have read both that it is better to go 5 degrees away from the spiral and that it is better to go 5 degrees towards the spiral. Any input on guide sizing and adjustment would be much appreciated!

You are on the right track. You have a lot of good info. I start with a 20 and go to 10's to the tip. Lots of ways to do a spiral so take in all the info builders give you and do what makes the most sense to you. Always static test before wrapping. Good luck

There isn't much reason to use so many different sizes. Most likely you can go from the 25 (seems very large) to the 12 or 10's.

One question, is this actually a casting rod spiral or a spinning rod with New Guide Concept type system? The guide sizes seem very odd for a casting rod.

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Take a look the american tackle Microwave Guides, They are known to be great for a spiral wraps, Look at how Fast they choke the line down, And yes you have to large, And to many sizes in your build that are Not needed for a casting rod. Just my 2 cents. --

After reading responses I realize I left out that my guide recommendation is for a saltwater bottom fishing or jigging rod, I'm not casting. I use the 10's to allow line to leader knots to pass easily. You need to take line a leader connections into consideration. If that's not an issue you can use 8's as runners.

This will be a casting rod, the sizes I included in the original post is what the blank manufacturer recommends for the rod. Honestly this will be the first rod I ever build, and I figured I could probably cut out a lot of the various sizes for the spiral wrap. I was thinking a 20 for the stripper and 10's for the running guides and tip top as stated for leader knots, I guess the two guides that I was most uncertain on would be the 90 degree guide since I'm doing a simple spiral and the first 180 degree guide. I figured I could probably just use another 10 for the 90 degree as that guide seems to just need to keep the line off the blank, but I didn't know if I needed a little bit large guide for the first 180 guide or if I could use a 10 again.

Unless you're using a fairly large reel the 20 seems a bit large for your butt guide. You can gauge the size for the 90 degree bump guide after setting up all the rest. Most likely it doesn't need to be very large and should be low to the blank. The under-rod guides on the 180 axis can all be the same size.

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A 20 butt guide is what I would typically use on heavy trolling rods. I'm not sure what size line/reel you're planning on, but a 20 seems large...maybe?

But as stated...use the butt guide & then size directly down to your running guides...no need for various sizes.

Simple spiral works great.

Thanks for all the input everyone! I don't know if it makes a huge difference on the size of the stripper guide between 20 and 16, but the reel I will be using will be a penn squall 30LW.

I think in your case you'll want to size the butt guide with enough height to keep the line off your grip. With the level wind you shouldn't have to worry too much about lateral line movement on the cast.

The Fuji K series RV guide in 16mm may be perfect for this application as far as height goes. It should be heavy duty enough and would make a great but guide for a simple spiral.