Taming Guides

I started using taming guides quite a few years ago and have found very positive results with them. Mostly comments about how much better the line flows through the guides. I find this true and will likely continue using them.

I have been following a pattern I learned in California, there was a guy who would place three stripping guides to force the line to flow straight. They would be set three inches apart from each other. He believed he could shoot line much better this way. I found the extra weight made the rod top-heavy, but getting the line to flow straight made sense. So I started to place one single foot guide either ceramic or wire depending on the size of the rod three inches in front of the stripping guide. This has proved to be a nice enhancement to line flow on the finished product.

I just downloaded the Guide Placement calculator available at [url=http://www.rodbuildingforum.com/.:97ca6]http://www.rodbuildingforum.com/.[/url:97ca6] I find this Guide Placement calculator uses the same formula as the one I wrote so it comes up with the same spacing calculations. While mine provides different methods and purposes of calculation his provides guide size values and the calculation for a taming guide. I find both programs to be quite useful.

What I find interesting is that his calculation for the taming guide places one guide 2 ?? below and 2 ?? above the location where the stripping guide would go ? a difference of five inches. While I have always just placed the taming guide three inches above the stripping guide.

I am curious if anyone else uses taming guides and what their experience has been.

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Let No One Walk Alone
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Bill