Why Snake Type Guides

[Silver Creek]

Another thing I find odd about the whole ceramic-v-wire guide debate...every modern fly rod, and even most antiques, have at least one guide that isn't 'wire'...the 'stripping' guide. Why? If wire is fine, then why not use ALL wire? What are the benefits of using a ceramic insert on the 'first' guide? And, if there is such a benefit, why doesn't it apply equally to ALL of the guides?


Buddy

Buddy,

I think that is a great question.

The only difference I see between the stripper guide and the rest of the rod guides is that when we cast and shoot line, the fly line is released from our non rod hand which is not in line with the first rod guide. The line is at an angle to the guide. As the guide gathers the line, the fly line must go around the guide ring. This creates a larger area of contact between the fly line and the guide ring, than at any other fly rod guide. The rod tip guide has the same phenomenon with the fly line changing direction as the line goes around the guide ring. However, the standard tip guide has low mass which which you want at the tip of a fly rod.

The stripper guide does not actually "guide" the line but "gathers" the line. The other guides just "guide" the line, since the line's direction of travel is already along the same axis as the fly rod blank. If the ceramic guide has any advantage in friction, it would be at the stripper guide.

I don't know if this is THE reason but it is A reason that the striper guide has different requirements than the other rod guides.