Jack is right...as usual. Offsetting half the guides ninety degrees would probably indeed affect shooting line. I hadn't thought of that. But on my little stream I wasn't casting more than thirty feet and it didn't affect that at all. Point is....if all the guides are aligned properly on an axis....any axis....the rod will do just fine. It still loads from where ever the guides are. BTW believe Jack Hise....what ever he says about casting a fly rod. I watched him fishing on the river. I was upstream....he was downstream casting perpendicular to me. What a beautiful cast! SWEEEEET. It was like out of the movies. What beautiful backcast, tight loop.....and he did it without even thinking about it. One heck of a fly caster. Really....a pleasure to watch. It's what most fly fishers wish they could do.