Surf Spin Rod for Braided Line

[Saltheart]

I forgot to come back to this after asking Mike T the question.

Mike has a low rider set up that may or may not be done following the concept layout. I can't tell if its concept without info on guide locations.

The low rider set up supposedly offers some benefits like no snagging of the very light braid if its really accelerated by a very hard cast. Some people call these wind knots but they are in fact the line overrunning the guide because its traveling so fast and cannot be choked into the guyide , usually because its too small or too close. This applies to too close to the reel for the gathering guide and any other guide down the length. The line can even overrun the tip so often a bigger tip ring is used. Supposedly the lowriders also offer the oppurtunity to use both a spinner and a conventional on the same rod but I doubt either is optimal if you try to do that.

I think the lowrider larger guides are cool and off course the first and maybe others need to be turned around backwards but the smaller LC style guides worry me because the feet are so far apart they tend to splint the bend in the blank which is dangerous near the tip IMO.

Anyway , there's a gazzilion ways to build a rod but the most important thing to remember is that is a fishing rod. Its not a tournament casting rod or a ring 10 entra yards out if a cast rod , its a fishing rod and you got to be sure you don't screw up any aspect of fishing for the small gains some of these guide layout systems offer. To me , if a layout night result in any amount of fishing down time , its probably not worth the risk.

[numbskull]

I've built and fished a lowrider setup on a GSB1321L using titanium T-LCSG since this thread was created, and I have been VERY impressed. For me, is not about casting distance (even though that probably improves a bit).......it is all about having a lighter more responsive rod that is much more enjoyable to fish.....and that it accomplishes in spades.

As for guide splinting, the size 8 lowriders near the tip don't have any perceptible effect on the bend of a surf rod with any power to it. As for lighter tip rods, you would not normally run the LCGs out that far, rather you would transition to a small running guide like the T-LDBGs.

For any rod 11 ft or longer you would be foolish not to at least test the T-LCSGs before building......unless you find the cost (about $150) prohibitive. Under 11 feet, it can supposedly be done, but not many people are talking how......and whether the casting benefits persist is uncertain.