spiral wraps

[sid_fishes]

i have had a tyrnos 20 on a shimano overhead in my hands to day and after have a tuna on only to have it sharked ,but during the tussell i noticed that the rod wanted to twist and it took me a while to get comfortable with it.
now my question is ,,,as i want to build another rod[broomstick, crane jib or what ever they refer to it as ] would a spiral or acid wrap stop this
thanks
ian

[Willo]

Hi Ian
and the answer is YES
I have been building and using Spiral Wraps now for 7 years and as far as I am concerned once you fish them you wont go back(that is if you build them right ).
The principal is they fish like a Spinning rod with all the load underneath and dont wont to try and turn upside down during a fight .The more they load up the stable they become .You are not fighting the rod all the time ,I also find this great for fishing one up when you have to gaff your own fish you can comfortably control rod and fish with one hand while you gaffwith the other.and can fish big fish without a gimbal if ya dont mind the bruises ..LOL
In the USA now they are even making Spiral wrap Roller guides for 80lb outfits.
Could go on for ages about the pros of spiral Wraps but thats a personal choice where you actually need to fish one before you can pass judgement.
Any way ......did a lot of researh into the in the ealry days,mostly USA site where they are quite popular and have tried different configurations and have finally come up with this general formular which works the best for me .
On a 7ft rod I use 8 guides plus tip(9 plus tip on a 7'6"blank).But this can vary on on different blanks
The stripper guider a 16 and all the rest 10 (can drop guide size for rods under 12kg etc)
I find that you dont have to graduate the guide size once you get the guides under the rod
Stripper guide is usually between 450 and 500 from front of reel reat
Transistion guide is around 150 -200 from stripper guide ( the one that turns the line under the rod )
there are two theorys on this
1.. you can use 2 or 3 guides to turn the line under the rod
or
2.. Do it with one ( which the pro's seem to think is the best) this get the line under the rod quickly
and turn the guides to the right which keeps it clear of ya left hand which is holding the front grip( altough some turn left to counteract the winding on the right )
Temp put ya guides on and load it up in a jig and adjust so all line angles are the same .Adjust the transition guide so the line cames as close to the blank as ya can get it without touching .
These are the basics can give you more info if ya want by PM
Once again these are just my own ideas I have come up over the years and workd great for me and suggest you search the US rod building site for some more info other than mine
Hope this Helps
Willo

A pic of Rob with one of the first 15kg Loomis Spiral Wraps I built underload and have changed configuration a bit since then but ya get the basic idea

Also another pic of a one guide transistion

[finga]

I'll bring one for you to try next time I'm in Brisbane Ian.
I've built about 8 now and everyone who has one loves the idea and how they are very stable under load.

[Target]

With that sort of outfit, its probably what I would consider the perfect situation where you can get the most benefit. Lighter rods wont benefit as much from the tourque persepective, and with game gear you tend to have gimbals to help keep the rod from twisting. Ive done a few now, and cant fault them. My fave is a 10kg live bait/downrigger rod of about the same sort of class you are talking. Benefit is I dont have to keep a gimbal belt on, and the rod has rubber butcap which is much more corfortable. All fish on this rod have been a breeze to land and you are not wearing yourself out trying to stop the rod turning (its a subconsice thing until you use a spiral and see the benefit)

Like Willo said, theres two basic methods that I have heard of to make them work - the one guide, or multiple guide method. I use the multi guide method as with the actions on the rods I have built have suited it more. With the gradual method - try using guides offset at 45, 90, 135 degrees (roughly) in the rotation. Two guides at 60, 120 does not seem to keep the line away from the blank enough when loaded up. Also, first guide offset a few degrees the opposite direction will help keep the line central to the reel spool.....

Same principal goes as for all guide spacing on any rod build - set out what looks 'OK' then test load it, and make the adjustments. This tends to take a lot longer on the first spiral you do. Remember to use lots of tape to put the guides on, and remember to mark the blank with not only the distance along the blank, but the alignment (rotation)

Only downside is if you get pulled to the rail by a fish you can damage guides - same gos for spin rods though.

Good luck with it if you decide to go ahead - its not rocket science, nor a secret art, but it does work in some situations.

Adrian

[Owen]

I have spirals on rods from 6kg barra stick to 24kg spiral roller and they all do what they are intended to do.
If you're like me and can't be bothered with a gimbal belt then they do help on heavier rods with larger over heads especially in straight up and down fights.
Do they mean the difference between catching or losing a fish? Doubtful.
Are they easier to handle in some circumstances? Yep
Can you cause potential "weak spots" in your rod if you set one up wrong? Yep
Will those "weak spots" ever explode with a fish on the end? Maybe, but probably not
Does casting distance suffer? Not that I have noticed. You'd see more difference between a good and average reel.

[finga]

Looks like there's going to be a spiral done at the rod building week-end

Has anyone noticed the line actually sits straighter when a spiral is under load then a normally built overhead?

[Noelm]

spiral wraps have been around for decades, I have built a few, and used a few, and while I can see there may be some slight advantage, I still prefer a well made on the back bone, over head guides bound the traditional way, I suspect the rod in question was not built on the back bone, and this caused the undue twisting the owner experienced, that being said, there is no reason not to bind a spiral guide placement if you like, I just dont think the perceived advantge warrants it (in my opinion)

[Spaniard_King]

Hi Ian
and the answer is YES

Willo

A pic of Rob with one of the first 15kg Loomis Spiral Wraps I built underload and have changed configuration a bit since then but ya get the basic idea

Also another pic of a one guide transistion

Hey thats my boat

I have 4 spiral wraps built by Willo and as he says once youve used one its hard to go back to a normal overhead