Hi everyone,

while following the posts about new guide placement methods etc im wondering what criteria to use for the first stripper on a fly rod.

the 3 rods I built so far I used standard spacing charts off a vendors web site.

The basic spacing was ok but not great for the small rods but real screwy for the 10 foot 6wt I built.

I found that the location of the first stripper on the 10' 6wt was in a location that was very uncomfortable and fatiging when I was stripping in large streamers .

I have since placed an additional stripper closer to me and to solve another problem I added another snake guide just before the tip. both additions made a world of difference thanks to all of your recomondations.

wrapping this up (No pun Intended ) what is a standard method to place the first stripper on a fly rod . I would think that it would depend on the customers method of line retrieval and also individual arm length etc?

Also do you use a standard spacing off of the placement of the first stripper then perform one of the newer guide placement methods for fine tuning?

I plan on using titanium Singl foot SICs on this next 4wt. which is 8'9" many of you have shared your thoughts as to the number of guides and size but I now need to understand the dynamics of the starting point pros cons etc.


Happy wrapping "John"

A good rule of thumb would be to hold the rod in your hand with your upper arm and forearm forming a 90 degree bend at the elbow. Now reach up to the rod with your other hand as if you were going to pick up the line to begin stripping. You don't want to over or under-reach, just reach up in a comfortable manner. At the point where your hand naturally contacts the rod, locate your stripping guide roughly 1 to 2 inches beyond that. Normally, that location will work well.

The dynamics of guide selection and placement are hard to describe in a simple message board post. The last two issue of RodMaker, as well as the one that has just mailed, have detailed articles on this very subject.

You can also do a search here on those type topics and uncover a host of good info on the subject.

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

John:

I do what Tom says, then I play with the placement of the first stripper, specifically moving it further towards the tip. I test cast with it in a number of places. What I've discovered is that, for me, the "1-2 inches beyond reach" spot is fine, but the optimal placement (most of the time) seems to be more like 3-4 inches beyond reach. Once I go any further than that, though, I start running into line slap and other problems. Also, understand that I tend to use a multiple stripper set-up (I'm not sure if that affects the first stripper any, but it might be a factor).

The big thing, though, is TEST-CAST, TEST-CAST, TEST-CAST. Then, when you're done test-casting, go test-cast some more.

You'll love those titanium/SICs!