I know this topic has been beat to death but after reading literally hours worth of different threads on the topic I haven't found the answers I'm looking for. I'm building a couple seven foot 8-15 lb mag med rods for walleye fishing the Maumee river. For those unfamiliar with the river its a rock base bottom and you cast 1/4-1 oz egg sinker Carolina rigs ticking the bottom. Ill be running braided line. I've been looking at some recoil options compared to sic options and am looking for some feed back to this specific type of fishing conditions. Thanks for your time Nick

My go to guide is the pac bay minima. Inexpensive, light, long wearing and attractive. What else is needed.

Minimas are a great option, they come in titanium if you want for much less then your listed options, they are more resistant to grooving than the REC guides, and since your fishing for walleye, in essence a great tasting log with fins, high end guides wouldn't be my priority.

I'm imagining you're building a casting rod? And that you're building it for primarily the early run fish?

Personally I'd look at Fuji LN (double foot) and L (single foot) guides, with Alcoite rings, Or American Tackle Ring Lock RLC (double foot) and RLF (single foot) guides, with Nanolite, or Nano Plasma rings. Both are very nice guides. The American Tackle guides come with some great combinations as it relates to frame color and ring color.

If you are building it for use during the early run, then I'd probably go with a #5 or 6 running guide just give you a little more cushion as far as your guides icing up, goes.

Spencer Phipps Wrote:
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> Minimas are a great option, they come in titanium
> if you want for much less then your listed
> options, they are more resistant to grooving than
> the REC guides, and since your fishing for
> walleye, in essence a great tasting log with fins,
> high end guides wouldn't be my priority.


Appreciate the advice but for the amount ive spent on the blanks and the new reels im going to buy for them I dont want to chince out on any part of these rods.

David, I knew I left something out yes ill be casting and drifting with a spinning rod. I'm building it for the river as a general, I fish them from when they start making there way up the river to spawn til after they spawn and head back out to lake Erie. Usually knock on wood when they start making there way up stream its after the ice on the lakes has unfrozen and air temp is in the low 40s so I'm not all to concerned with the guides freezing up. Ive been looking at the fuji guides and searching reviews and other forums theres just so many here say stories its hard decide. Thanks for the recommendations.

Then go whole hog, Fuji KR guides with titanium frames with either Sic or Torzite inserts. Also the new Fuji corrosion control KR guides, with Sic or Alconite inserts, are also very nice and cost less. They are all great guides and truly complement a high end blank and reel.
Norm

Ah ok Nicholas, I was thinking with that 1 oz weight you'd be using casting gear.

I live in Northeast Ohio, and while I've never been up to the river for the walleye runs, I have buddies that go every year. They bring home some real pigs. 13 lb 4 oz is their biggest to date, but the one guy swore he had one on that would have pushed 15 lbs. Hope you get into one those big girls!

All my builds are either Pac Bay Minima or Fuji K with alconite depending on use. Braid will not present any problems with either of these. No need for the extra expense of SIC or Torzite.

John Shear
Chippewa Falls, WI

I agree with John. Alconite is sufficiently hard enough to last for decades of hard fishing use. You can’t cut or even scratch them with a hacksaw blade, so fishing line will do very little if any damage to them. I also use a lot of Alconite KR guides and Minima 4 guides.Trouble is that you can only get titanium frame KR guides with either Sic or Torzite inserts. The new corrosion control Fuji Alconite K guides are an excellent buy.
Norm

Thanks for all the input gentleman. I'm going to go with the alconite guides.

Nicholas Durst Wrote:
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> Thanks for all the input gentleman. I'm going to
> go with the alconite guides.


Great choice , All my rod's are equipped with the Alconite ring and will continue to be in the future. Minima guides are interesting to me however and many top anglers use them , just need to research them more.

I use the Minima for UL, L, ML power rods (size 4 runners) and Fuji K with alconite for medium and heavier powers (size 5 runners). Keeping the choices simple minimizes the number of types and sizes I need to keep on-hand which keeps the cost reasonable. I only do freshwater rods with stainless frames so I'm not so worried about corrosion resistance.

John Shear
Chippewa Falls, WI

really contemplating on building a third rod with recoil guides I like the concept of them. Any input on those style of guides? Seen some say they groove but not to much to really back it up as far as hear say and no actual experience with them grooving. Thanks again for all the input gentleman