Micro Guides

[catchnm]

Thinking about purchasing a Falcon Bucoo Microguide 7' MH rod. Would like some pros and cons input on the micro guides before making the purchase. Will be using 12-15 lb. Yo-Zuri Ultra Soft line. Thanks.

[BigMoneyGrip]

I have the Falcon Cara with the micros. I really like it and have no complaints. Mine is the 7'2" with a fast tip. Its a nice rod for plastics.

[Khong Y.]

Thinking about purchasing a Falcon Bucoo Microguide 7' MH rod. Would like some pros and cons input on the micro guides before making the purchase. Will be using 12-15 lb. Yo-Zuri Ultra Soft line. Thanks.

Pros: Less line flutter and cast seems a bit smoother. It has a nice squeegy to get rid of excess line water.

Cons: With the smaller the Microguide, it's hard to use leader. I don't really see a difference in casting distance.

[Hi Salenity]

I have a 7' MH micro Kistler & I like so I'd say go micro. As for the line isn't the soft line for spinning reels?

[pitchinthejig]

Anytime I have a Custom built I do it with Fuji Ti/Sic Micros they are pretty much awesome and I love everything about them other then this one thing if you are fishing in algae chocked area and using braid the line will pick up a lot of it and will clog up the tip and one or two guides below it and it will get on your nerves after a while.

I love them so much I just had two Steez Flex lites rewrapped to Ti/Sic micros because they do increase casting distance by a good bit and I wanted more distance out of my 7' Med and my 7'2MH for bombing lipless cranks and the 7'M for smaller square bills... I still have one of each of the 7M and 7.2MH that I didnt change over to Micros for times when the water has lots of junk floating on top and I dont want my Micros clogging up on me.

I also had one of my 7.1 Compile-X rods swapped over to Ti/Sic Micros as well and IMHO they are very sensitive rods to start with however side by side with my other one both have same reel (TD-Z Type R's) same line same lures and I will say the one with Micros is more sensitive by a noticeable amount.

so I totally say go Micro SO long as your area is coating in film or algae real bad so you dont clog up all the time, or if you have another rod you can use when it areas like that and same the Micro rod for cleaner water. if having a rod built you can have the builder go up one size on the guides and that will pretty much stop that.

[zip pow]

Ive got a couple skeet Reese micro guide worm rods. You can't be lazy with your cast they slow the line down when I make a lazy cast other than that I like them fine

[SDoolittle]

I have two micro guide rods, one Kistler and one custom, and I really like both of them. I can see how they might cause problems if you use leaders.

[northern basser]

I also have 2 micro guide rods. They are the way to go IMO. With mine I'm able to cast more accurately and the line doesn't get tangled in the tip area nearly as much. Also, they look nice and are easy to pull out of a clump of rods and reels.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

When designing and building a custom rod we use the smallest, lightest guides that will get the job done. Where, when, how and for what you are fishing all needs to be considered and an appropriate guide set chosen. "Micro" sizes of <5 may or may not be right. For most bass fishing applications I usually settle on a size 4 or 3. A size four guide will easily pass a well tied Albright knot joining 65# braid to a leader. Icing and algae fouling can occur and are valid considerations.

The lighter guides themselves along with weight savings from shorter wraps makes a definite difference in allowing the blank to do its job. The result is better loading, faster recovering and more sensitive rod. Casting accuracy and distance are secondary benefits from better line management. In the future I see size 5, 4, 3,... guides being just that, guide sizes and the "Micro" category reference fading.

[BassHole5]

Haven't really seen a difference in casting but the Micro rods, no mater what it is seem More sensitive but they break easier.

Just my experience with them but I don't really care if I have Mircros or not

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

If guides are breaking easier it may have to do with the guide quality rather than the micro size. Micros can actually be more durable due to the lower likelyhood of snagging a guide going in and out of the locker. We use a locking wrap on custom builds which is not feasible for production builders.

Properly sized (I wouldn't cast 25# flouro to braid connections through size 3 guides for example) and placed micro guides should not slow the line or make casting any more difficult. If you are experiencing this I would suspect the blank application.

[BassHole5]

If guides are breaking easier it may have to do with the guide quality rather than the micro size. Micros can actually be more durable due to the lower likelyhood of snagging a guide going in and out of the locker. We use a locking wrap on custom builds which is not feasible for production builders.

Properly sized (I wouldn't cast 25# flouro to braid connections through size 3 guides for example) and placed micro guides should not slow the line or make casting any more difficult. If you are experiencing this I would suspect the blank application.

I was actually talking about the rod they were on, but they guides do break easier, definitely on the Quantum Smokes!

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

The job of the guides is to place the stress of loading along the blanks length. Less than optimal guide spacing = less than optimal stress ditribution which can lead to failure. There also the quality of the blank and whether it had been compromised by handling. No way did the use micro guides in itself caused a blank to break. With all else being equal, micro guides are an improvement when used in an appropriate application.

[ChiCityBasser]

Anytime I have a Custom built I do it with Fuji Ti/Sic Micros they are pretty much awesome and I love everything about them other then this one thing if you are fishing in algae chocked area and using braid the line will pick up a lot of it and will clog up the tip and one or two guides below it and it will get on your nerves after a while.

I love them so much I just had two Steez Flex lites rewrapped to Ti/Sic micros because they do increase casting distance by a good bit and I wanted more distance out of my 7' Med and my 7'2MH for bombing lipless cranks and the 7'M for smaller square bills... I still have one of each of the 7M and 7.2MH that I didnt change over to Micros for times when the water has lots of junk floating on top and I dont want my Micros clogging up on me.

I also had one of my 7.1 Compile-X rods swapped over to Ti/Sic Micros as well and IMHO they are very sensitive rods to start with however side by side with my other one both have same reel (TD-Z Type R's) same line same lures and I will say the one with Micros is more sensitive by a noticeable amount.

so I totally say go Micro SO long as your area is coating in film or algae real bad so you dont clog up all the time, or if you have another rod you can use when it areas like that and same the Micro rod for cleaner water. if having a rod built you can have the builder go up one size on the guides and that will pretty much stop that.

What is the cost associated with having a rod rewrapped with micro guides?

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

A re-wrap is labor intensive since the old guides and epoxy must be removed carefully to avoid damaging the blank. Unless it is a really high end blank or has sentimental value, re-builds aren't usually cost effective over a replacement, but the details would need to be discussed. On a 7' rod you're probably looking at $50-$75 in labor & materials and $2 each for the guides. Shipping is often a deal breaker on repairs at avg. of $25 each way. As a comparison, I sell a basic,no frills custom build on a high quality blank w/ fuji alconite guides For around $200.

[ChiCityBasser]

A re-wrap is labor intensive since the old guides and epoxy must be removed carefully to avoid damaging the blank. Unless it is a really high end blank or has sentimental value, re-builds aren't usually cost effective over a replacement, but the details would need to be discussed. On a 7' rod you're probably looking at $50-$75 in labor & materials and $2 each for the guides. Shipping is often a deal breaker on repairs at avg. of $25 each way. As a comparison, I sell a basic,no frills custom build on a high quality blank w/ fuji alconite guides For around $200.

Thanks for the info DVT.