How do you secure your guides to your rod when test casting? I have tried tape, rubber rings, and shrink wrap. In all cases, the guides tend to move while test casting. Is there any other method, other than wrapping without finish, to quickly secure the guides in place?

For the small running guides I also tape above the guide (towards the tip) to stop them from sliding out from what is originally holding them in place. I am not actually taping the guide but putting on a stop collar.

Some people use small tie wraps. I usually just tape them in place.
Norm

Bagging tape (the stuff you have to cut off from veggies in the grocery store) - reasonably cheap - just do a search.
Many long casters use it permanently on guides & I have found that with a coating or two of Thread Master One it's last a year or 2 in the fishing season ...

Mr. Dougherty..Thank you very much for that tip.

When i can't get the super small guides to stay tight with masking tape i switch to black electrical tape but i always cut the electrical tape lengthwise with scissors so i just get a long strip about a 1/4 inch wide. i snip it to get 4 to 5 inch strips . It never breaks and it stretches a lot , it secures those tiny guides super tight and is simple to remove .

Don't buy the dollar variety electrical tape those leave residue , some don't.

Frazier, are you talking about the Saran Wrap-like stuff that sticks to itself, or something else?
Norm

Frazer,

That sounds like a good solution to get a white surface for those that do decorative wraps as well.

Interesting ...

I use the smallest plastic wire ties I can find. If you don't cinch them down too tight, they allow for some adjusting during test casting. After I get them adjusted, I'll put a thin strip of masking tape about 1/8" behind the guide foot as a reference for when I wrap the rod.

Ed, Like most of the responses you received, I use tape. I prefer the Blue tape. When I test cast my fly rod I usually cast for an hour or two. By the time I finish the guides are all askew. However the rod is still casting quite well. At times I think that all the effort we make to align the guides is wasted since the casts are quite okay whether the guides are aligned or not. ( Needless to say I still align my guides before the rod leaves my shop). If the misalignment disturbs you, you can periodically realign them during your test casting. Good luck on your rod building. If you have any questions you can reach me at michaelblomme2@ centrurylink.net

Sincerely,

Mike Blomme

Ed,
On lighter powered rods we have few problems, I've even caught a steelhead once on a rod I was testing that was only wrapped with two turns of blue masking tape. Heavier powered rods can shift a bit, but it really doesn't hurt anything, the line path doesn't need to perfectly straight as far as the guides go, the guides hole the line uses can still be straight enough even though the guides look mis-aligned.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/03/2018 05:00PM by Spencer Phipps.

I static test before i set out to test cast and light masking tape will allow you to put a deep bend in the rod without any popping off , it's easy to look and adjust any guides that might need a small adjustment when you have a deep bend in the rod during static testing also . The guides just have to be reasonably aligned when test casting they certainly won't be as perfect as when you make your final adjustments .

Having said that i have had a runner come loose when test casting but it's extremely rare . The only time i have needed to use a thin strip of electrical tape is with KT size 5 runners , masking tape 98% of the time .

I have never "test casted" spinning rods or revolving spool rods for distance or accuracy, although I have test casted fly rods for distance, if not accuracy. I assume such tests are done using only one type and size of line and one casting weight? How many test casts do you need to make your choice, and is it an average or the best result?

I rarely test cast except for fly rods because i,m trying a different line or some crazy bass bug idea..i do static tests but that,s about it..

I test cast a weight somewhere in the middle of the rod's weight rating and I'm looking for how the line flows off the reel and through the guides. I flatten the test weights in a vise if I don't already have bought a flat design so the weight doesn't spend it's whole time rolling and twisting the line as it bounces back on the retrieve, I use a snap bearing swivel on the end also to help.

I test cast with considerably heavier line than i know i'll typically ever use , i figure 50 pound braid will be much easier to tell if there's an issue with the guide layout that 10 - 20 pound that i typically use will . Choosing to test with light braid makes it much much more difficult to pick out areas where moving a guide a little here or there will make a difference since light braid casts very well even on poorly laid out rods due to it's extreme limpness and diameter .

I adjust until i get great performance with the heavier braid and then switch to what i typically use.

As for how many casts i make , not many . I have a spot where wind is not an issue and i can easily tell the performance differences with just a few casts , usually around 5 good casts and then i make a few notes and decide what i want to do next.

As others have said, I don't test cast the rods that I build.

However, I do put an appropriate reel on the rod and before wrapping the guides, run line through the guides and with the line under maximum flex, check for the flow of the line and the shape of the bend in the rod to insure that I have the guides in the correct location.

Typically, I put the tip of the rod against the ceiling of my rod room to initiate the flex in the rod to verify the line flow. Simple, easy and it works well for me.

Good luck