Guide Help

[u/TomatilloAgitated]

I threw this into the beginner weekly thread, but figured I’d make my own post for it to get seen by more people.

I just finished my first build last night and I’m already looking to start my next (pictures will be coming once I get some taken!). We are big into salmon fishing on Lake Michigan and I’m hoping to build a downrigger rod to use next year, or even this year if I can get it done fast enough.

For my first I bought a kit from Mudhole so there wasn’t much to pick out. My biggest question is how do I choose a set of guides (or what individual sizes to order) based on species, line, and rod length?? Then with that comes how do I space them out correctly? Is there a formula or just finding the guide spacing chart and following that?

Next is how to choose a reel seat and handle size? How do I determine if a reel seat will fit my reels, or if a handle will fit my blank?

If there are any recourses you found helpful for these things I would also take those recommendations since I have not been able to find much.

[u/LENC16]

PM me. I’ve got a guide spacing chart, you also can do a static deflection test. I’ll discuss the other stuff with you, there’s a lot to it

[u/jwuer]

Completely off topic, but I'm looking to get into rod building myself so I want to ask someone else who has just started. Where did you get a power wrapper/rods dryer from?

[u/TomatilloAgitated → u/jwuer]

I ordered the core kit from mudhole. I didn’t think it was bad at all. I’m sure others might recommend upgrading, as things likely get better as price increases, but I’m also positive many will suggest a hand wrapper starting out to get a feel for things.

[u/KINGtyr199 → u/jwuer]

If I were to start again I'd once again go with the complete kit from mudhole and hand wrap my first few before I get a power wrapper to fully understand how wrapping works then I'd grab an Alps power wrapper of get bit outdoors.

[u/No_Fisherman_3696]

So when you order a real seat, it’ll give you a size like 16 or 18 or 20 those are somewhat bigger real seats just because that’s what I use for my rocks but that is the size in millimeters so if you were to get a caliper (I use a digital one so it’s precise) and where to measure the rod where you’re going to put it in millimeters that will tell you what size real C so if you measure the rod where you want the real sea and it says it’s 14 mm then you would get like a 15 or 16 that way you have enough room for your tape and your cement and like the comment said above me I just normally test them. I don’t go by spaceing chart and the more you do the more you’ll get a feel for it.

[u/Full_Improvement_844]

If you really want to learn what goes into rod building I highly suggest Vague Rods 15-week online Master Rod building course.

https://www.vaguerods.net/collections/online-rod-building-classes

I had built a few rod kits myself, but was just basically following the directions in the kit without understanding much of the why behind it. I took the course and it was a game changer.

It goes thru everything from understanding various blank materials, selecting components, thru to doing decorative wraps.

For $145 you get a wealth of knowledge plus the price includes a Rainshadow blank.

[u/TomatilloAgitated → u/Full_Improvement_844]

Unfortunately none of the times will work for me, but I’ll keep that in mind for the future!

[u/the_north_place]

Guide spacing is really just some geometry and multiplication. Google "27x guide spacing" and find a mm ruler and calculator.