Guide Placement

[Micadogs]

Hi, I have read a lot of the threads on this topic in Ausfish and several articles threads in rod . org and various other articles on the web regarding placement of guides.

There are some that use a numerical formula, some use charts that can be purchased, some using existing receipes (found on the web) and replicate them.

Rod information: 15KG in OZ (rated 20lb - 40lb in USA) United Composites blank, 7ft long, to be used as an offshore rod, overhead, blank action is mod-fast, reel is daiwa saltist 40 (lever drag)

Using the information above, the following is what I inteded to do to place the guides (except for any feedback that you could provide after this thread):

1. Tape / secure guides onto rod using a recipe off the internet as a strating point
2. Put line through guides under load and ensure line isnt touching the blank
3. Load rod (tip againt wall and holding butt end) and ensure guides are not right on a major curve point
4. adjust guides on curve as necessary
5. adjust remaining guides, keeping a ratio of distances i.e. ever increasing spacing
6. recheck that line isn't touching guides

In the absence of charts, using arc's & tangents calculus, or having a PHD is mathematics will this method suffice?

Does anyone else have a similar blank and alreayd know good guide placement?

[Owen]

You're on the right track except the bit with loading the rod. Sounds like you're pushing the tip into the wall??
You need to secure the butt and attach a line to the tip and load it by pulling the line.
This line is best if you go straight from the tip to the immoveable object, not right through teh guide train to the reel.
Your tip can only go one plce, so glue it on before you start.
I usually put the rod in a holder on the boat and place a large piece of wood on the ground and pull the tip down that way.
Then run a line from your reel through the guides and hang a weight on it. That way you can see the line path without the load pulling the guides off the blank.

All the formulas in the world can only be starting point. Most are done by yanks for use on bass rods and anything outside that box won't work.

At a guess I'll say you'll end up with 7 or 8 guides plus the tip going from about a 25 down to a 10 or 8 tip depending on what class line/knots etc.
If you're planning on casting with it then maybe even a 30 on the stripper.
Only way you'll know is to tape 'em on and try it.

If you have any old broken rods with similar height guides to what you want to use, you can strip them off for your trials so you don't have to order the good ones till you know what sizes work.

[Micadogs]

Thanks Owen, much appreciated.

I have now put the above into action. I screwed a rod holder to the leg of my workbench to make it easier.

Now, I used masking tape to put the guides on. A tip for anyone else, dont use masking tape. It takes forever to get it on an off, especially under taught line. I think that surgical tubing will be the way to go.

Anyways, this was a relatively easy thing to do to get the guides in the right place (time consuming because of the way I did it, but easy). I ended up with 8 guides plus tip. Not casting, so went a 25, and down to a size 8 tip.

The line forms a nice and even curve over the entire length. I can see how formula's dont work. They are usually based on a ratio of ever increasing spacing between the guides. The rod that I was working had three distinct areas. The tip - first three guides relatively small spacing, next 3 "normal formula" spacing and the last 2 well apart. If using a normal formula, then I may have got the spacing right for the middle 3 guides, but not the placement. As for the other 5 guides, I wouldn't have got close.

I confirmed this by placing a previous built rod (using a formulas only) into the holder and seeing how it looked. It confirmed that a formula didn't work. The curve isn't very even and unfortunately the line even touches the rod between guides 2 and 3. It looked pretty using a "formula" but it just doesn't work.

The static test is easy to do and the results are a massive step up from using formula's.

Regards Adam