General Purpose Guides

General Purpose Casting, Running & Choke Guides

Choosing the right running guide for spinning rods

As we’ve mentioned, the choke point of a spinning rod separates two distinct functions. The bottom section near the reel is designed to handle line, the top section toward the tip should be designed to handle FISH. Neither is exclusive to any one section of the rod but good running guide selection and placement distributes and controls the stresses that translate into “pressure” on a fish. Properly built rods apply substantially more pressure and do so in a way that distributes the forces over the full length of the rod. We recommend a Static Load Positioning technique to utilize the bend characteristics inherent in the rod blank you have chosen. Generally this technique will result in additional guides on the tip section, but they will be smaller and lower to more carefully track the power and bend of the rod. Static Load Placement allows the ROD to indicate where it NEEDS guides to perform at its best. Please visit Static Load Tutorial for details.

Choosing the right running guide for casting rods

Casting rods do not have the “line control” issues of a spinning reel and can begin “reducing” line very quickly off the spool. Usually, a casting rod stripper is simply a slightly larger running guide (or two) to help manage the “waves” in the line coming off the spool. However, while casting rods are easier to set up with respect to the reduction portion of the rod, they have critical issues in Static Load Placement. Poorly set up casting rods result in line that rubs the blank when the rod is in a bent position. This robs power, increases line wear and adds a tendency for the rod to turn in the angler’s hand (known as rod torque). Think first in terms of what the rod is designed to do, and then select running guides that will provide a low, strong, light set up that will follow the bend of the blank when loaded.

Crossover

You will see slight repetition in our list of running guides since some frame models are offered in sizes that serve both the reduction guide train and, in smaller sizes, the running guide train. In cases where the selection of a sizes is broad enough, an entire rod can be built with the same frame. Other times, layouts are better served by a transition to lighter single foot guides in the tip section. Crossover guides will appear in multiple lists.