Is there a rule of thumb as to where to place the stripping guide?
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Is there a rule of thumb as to where to place the stripping guide?
I start using the manufacturer's recommended spacing. If that doesn't exist, I survey the spacing charts online and use that as a starting point. Adjustment with static loads is necessary.
Yes, there is a "rule of thumb." Hold the rod across your tummy, parallel to the ground, with the knuckle of your thumb in your navel. Reach out with you line hand and pinch the rod. Just make it a comvortable reach not a streach. Put the stripper 1 inch above the point where you pinched the rod.
fishbum
I've heard (and used) a little different method.
Hold the butt of the rod with the casting hand on the casters sternum, pointing straight out level to the ground. Then reach out to the rod with the line hand. Where the tip of the fingers land is where the stripper guide belongs.
NOTE: This all assumes you know who the caster is going to be and you are designing the rod specifically for his use. The idea is the stripper guide should be placed in a location to make it easier to reach the line between the reel and stripper with his line hand. It sounds to me the method mentioned by fishbum has the same purpose in mind.
If you are simply building a rod for no specific user then it's your design. I like the stripper guide farther out if the rod is to be used in fishing scenarios that require distance casting and shooting line. I like it closer in if the rod is going to be used for more accurate casting scenarios.
The standard I've always used is 28-30" from the butt of the rod. This works out to be higher than the 2 previously mentioned methods. I haven't noticed any difficulty grabbing the line with this setup. The benefit is you get less space for the line to sag between the stripper and the next guide. You may be able to use fewer guides, too.
i use 30" unless a guide lands on or very close to a ferrule then i might drop it to 28" or adjust the number of guides to get the ferrule between guides
I thought about mentioning the standard 28" - 30" however that also can need to be adjusted based on the length of the rod. The 28" on a 5 -6 foot rod can be way too far forward and then again 30" can be way too short on some rods longer than 10'.
All rod building is about compromises. That's the beauty of building your own - you build what you like. For me I am short with short arms so building a rod for myself the stripper guide is much closer to the reel seat. I've known rod builders in the 6' or taller category who place the stripper guide in the 32-33" range. It's all a compromise and most importantly based on what you want.
I find the same thing with grips. I have small hands, people with larger hands hate my rods because they can't get hold of them. I once knew a rod builder with large hands - I couldn't stand the rods he built. It took me a while to realize I just couldn't get hold of them as they had been built for a person with hands twice the size of mine.
It's all about building what you want. If your building it, build it the way you enjoy it most. Designing is the best part of rod building. :D
hold the rod in a fishing position....perhaps at a 40 degree angle....what ever seems to be a normal hold for you. Now reach out with the other hand and touch the rod as far up as you can comfortably. Place the first stripper just about that...maybe an inch or two. The idea is to get a spot where you know you can always grab the line with out looking and without any EXTRA searching and looking for it. You want the stripper guide to be right where you can always find it easily while bringing in a fish. The standard 24" or 30 " may not fit you at all. You need to find the right spot for YOUR fishing style. This spot should stay the same for you once you have found it. Put the stripper guides on temporairly if you want and move it around and experiment. Anywhooooo I too have small hands. But I do not like the smaler grips that taper down to the rod. Apache Trout made a rod for me that is almost a cigar I guess. Anyway of all my rods it is my favorite grip and where I grip it there is no taper. It measures 1.05" in diameter and I love it. My stripper ALWAYS goes 14" above the end of the grip. Just fyi
Gemrod
Thanks for all of the good advice. Now what size diameter (ID or OD?) stripper guide do you guys use? Thanks again
You are opening up a can of worms with your question about stipping guide size. One school of thought is to use oversized guides, like a size 16 stripper, to keep the line away from the blank. Another is to use a smaller high-framed spinning guide (again to keep the line from slapping against the blank). Tom Kirkman of Rodmaker Magazine often recommends using a small stripping guide, followed by an intermediate guide, and going immediately to the smallest guides. He thinks that keeping the weight down is more important than other concerns. I usually go with a #12 or #10 Alconite casting guide for the stripper.