Spiral Wrapped Line Guides

[OkobojiEagle]

What happened to all of the love for spiral wrapped line guides?  I don't read anything about them lately.  Did they fall out of favor with the builders and were replaced with micro-guides?  How are the spiral wrapped rods working out for those that tried them?

 

 

oe

[J Francho]

My custom swimbait rod has spiral wrapped micros.  Works great.  Since micros sit so close to the blank, it really makes sense to go with a spiral wrap to keep the line off the blank with a fish on.

[Dwight Hottle]

Spiral wrap on baitcasters for custom rods is a no brainer. They prevent the blank from twisting when loaded & help with line management. I have them on a custom jerkbait rod & love them. Unfortunately the only production rod (if you want to call it a production rod) utilizing this technology is Edge Rods by Gary Loomis. Like John said spiral wrapped micros work too as well as other conventional guides systems spiral wrapped.  

 

http://www.edgerods.com/catalog/rods/bass

[J Francho]

More than a year ago, I was talking to Boyd Duckett.  He had a pile of spiral wrapped prototypes in his truck.  I wonder what happened?

[deaknh03]

I have a custom rod with spiral wrap, and it is my favorite rod in the arsenal. 

[BigMoneyGrip]

Hammer Rods also has a spiral wrapped rod. I've been wanting to try one as their right down the road from me. As a bonus, they're 100% made in the US.

[Dwight Hottle]

Hammer Rods also has a spiral wrapped rod. I've been wanting to try one as their right down the road from me. As a bonus, they're 100% made in the US.

 

 

What are you waiting on.

[BigMoneyGrip]

What are you waiting on.

Money! All of the money I make goes into our house. We're hoping to have it paid off in 8 years. We are debt free other than that. I do work on the side, fixing things that others can't (motorcycles). They bring them to me as a last resort most of the time and I pretty much charge what I want. This extra money is what I use to buy fishing toys. I have enough saved up for a 10' Bass Hunter and trolling motor, I just haven't pulled the trigger.

[Jrob78]

I build the majority of my rods with spiral wrapped micros.  I see no reason not to.

[OkobojiEagle]

So what happened to all of the conversation about them?  A couple of years ago you couldn't read a post about rod building that didn't morph into a conversation about the proper way to spiral wrap a rod (exaggeration, of course).  Certainly this style of guide wrapping a baitcasting rod hasn't become mainstream.

 

oe

[J Francho]

Hot topics come and go.

[flyfisher]

I was watching a salt water show and one of the boats was using them and all they were raving about them.....of course then i saw the rod was also a sponsor of the show

 

I woudl give one a whirl if i was in teh market for a new rod but i am good with my rod arsenal for now....

[Jrob78]

So what happened to all of the conversation about them?  A couple of years ago you couldn't read a post about rod building that didn't morph into a conversation about the proper way to spiral wrap a rod (exaggeration, of course).  Certainly this style of guide wrapping a baitcasting rod hasn't become mainstream.

 

oe

The vast majority of rod builders, that I know about at least, are building spiral wrapped rods as much as possible for customers and 100% for their personal rods.   I just think it's a hard sell to the average fisherman.  Big companies aren't going to build them if they don't think they'll sell.  It took years for micro guides to show up on commercial rods.

[Diablos]

I have made a few bass rods that are spiral wrapped but I don't think there is a huge difference on such light rods. Most bass fisherman including myself rarely fight a fish for more than 10 seconds.

 

In saltwater when fighting fish from bigger depths I feel it makes a huge difference.

[Munkin]

I understand the physics behind it but we are not fishing for tarpon? For me the chances of breaking a guide because of the way I like to have 20 rods on deck is greater than any benefit I get from the system. The same goes with the micro guides, I understand why but for practical fishing they will freeze up a lot quicker in the cold weather and a 6-6 ml spinning rod doesn't weight too much to begin with. With that said I do plan on having a custom DS rod built with micro guides but it would only be used with 6lb floro in the summer.

 

Allen

[Jrob78]

I understand the physics behind it but we are not fishing for tarpon? For me the chances of breaking a guide because of the way I like to have 20 rods on deck is greater than any benefit I get from the system. The same goes with the micro guides, I understand why but for practical fishing they will freeze up a lot quicker in the cold weather and a 6-6 ml spinning rod doesn't weight too much to begin with. With that said I do plan on having a custom DS rod built with micro guides but it would only be used with 6lb floro in the summer.

 

Allen

Actually, a 6'6" ml spinning rod would benefit more from micro guides than most rods.  The lighter the blank, the more added weight will effect it.   

[Diablos]

I am going to say that most bass fisherman will have their left hand firmly wrapped around the reel while reeling with their right hand when fighting a fish. Due to the lightness of the set-up there is barely any torque from the reel.

 

Saltwater guys tend to use the foregrip as a hold point and spiral wrapped guides will help when there is a heavy reel to keep from moving around.

[BobP]

I often wrap my own rods and most times, I'll use a spiral design.  Farther casts?  Not that I have noticed.  Fewer broken rod tips due to twisting forces?  Maybe, but that's so rare in a bass rod to be inconsequential.  My reason is that a spiral wrap lets you use one less guide and still get good performance - and one less guide is less weight out on the tip of the rod where additional weight is most noticeable.  Not a huge deal, but every little bit counts, so why not?

[OkobojiEagle]

Are there benefits from a spiral wrapped rod beyond less twisting torque when playing a fish?  Better casting?  Better vibration transmission?

 

oe

[00 mod]

I have a custom rod being built right now, and I did not have a choice.  The rod builder just asked me, to the right or left?  I didn't know the answer so he explained, and since my reels are righties, so is the spiral.

 

Jeff

[.RM.]

The truth about it all (spiral) Roberts Wrap, posted here in 03...

http://rodbuilding.org/read.php?2,50190,50208 

[flechero]

I don't own a single rod with guides up.   

[.RM.]

I don't own a single rod with guides up.   

X2  

[dave]

I have a couple of spiral wraps. One 7' MHF and one 7' HF.  I am still doing some testing but,  they pitch poorly.  It has a lot of guides and I think that is affecting the line flow.  When I tie on a hollow body frog,  it will cast a mile very effortlessly.  I am thinking of rewrapping one with standard size guides.  

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

Spiral wrapping allows the line to flow on it's natural path, typically allows the use of fewer guides and results in a better performing rod. A bass isn't going to wrench a rod from your grasp, but if you can work with physics instead of against it, why not? The general public just does not accept the non-traditional look of a spiral wrap. One more reason to have your rods built the way you want them.