I received a E-Mail from Cabelas on Sale items.
I noticed Holographic Guides, double foot, frame (gold ring)and ring only.
I would like to know which guides, if any, rod builders like to use and why?
Titanium Guides (Fuji) were on sale and I would like to know if Titanium makes any noticeable difference in the weight or action of the flyrod?
Thanks,
Doug
I don’t recommend anything other than Fuji for ceramic guides, the quality is significantly better than other manufacturers. And YES, Titanium makes a GIANT difference. If you compare Titanium framed SiC guides to Stainless Steel framed Alconite guides, you will find them to be 50-60% lighter, 3 times stronger, 100% corrosion proof, much smoother and much better heat dissipation. The heat dissipation is only important on heavy class rods in certain situations, but the other items are always in play.
Fuji Titanium SiC guides aren’t cheap by any means, but they are worth every penny. Be aware that Fuji does make a “Titanium Plated” guide - I don’t recommend them at all, a big waste of $$$.
I have been selling a lot more Titanium guides in the past year and I have not had one customer say that it wasn’t 100% worthwhile.
And as to your question regarding action - Titanium does make a difference, more so as you get into better blanks. I wouldn’t dream of putting any other than Fuji Titanium guides on a GLX, SCV, TCR, etc. At the same time, I would try very hard to convince someone not to put them on a SC3, GL3, Matrix, etc. You have to consider whether a blank is worthy of $100+ worth of guides.
TampaJim,
Because I don’t salt fish, I was not aware of heat buildup in the guides.
It’s sounds like Titanium serves a purpose.
Are Holographic guides just a gimmick?
Doug 
Titanium doesn’t retain heat very well, stainless steel does. Titanium is stronger than stainless steel or aluminum - and although some aluminum alloys can be lighter, they are never stronger and aluminum conducts and gathers heat. The space shuttle’s main body is primarily aluminum to keep the weight and expense down, but the really important parts - shielding, engines, etc. are made from titanium. Basically, it is a fabulous metal - just expensive.
Holographic guides are not a “gimmick” for the person that wants the visual aesthetics - any reason other than that would be incorrect, however. Most of the holographic guides have decent ceramic inserts, but definitely not close to the quality of SiC (Silicone Carbide). The frames on all the holographic guides currently in distribution are stainless steel with a Titanium Chrome finish or similar.
My rods with ceramic guides are built with either Fuji Alconite (Chrome or Black) frames or Fuji SiC guides with Titanium frames. Occasionally, I will use the Fuji SiC guides with Gunsmoke Stainless Steel frames - but those days are dwindling.
Let me know if you need any further assistance.
Thank you for the excellent information!
I have one more question; When you build a rod, do you concentrate the color on the rod with the guide wrappings and keep the guides a flat color?
Also, is there any rhyme or reason for which reel seat you put on the rod?
Thanks,
Doug
I generally use the Fuji Alconite with Black Chrome frames on less expensive rods - occasionally someone will want more BLING and I will use the Polished Chrome frames. With Titanium there is only one color. As far as wraps, it depends … some customers like color and contrast - NFL teams, college teams, favorite colors, etc. Other customers want a subdued look and I do the wraps in complimentary but not contrasting color. With Titanium you can go even further by making the wraps almost “invisible” by using a regular nylon thread or silk thread that is a bit lighter than the blank - after wrapping DO NOT apply CP, just put your epoxy right on the thread … it will magically disappear. The thread will be 90% translucent on the blank and 70-80% translucent on the guide feet. The reason that you can do this on Titanium and NOT stainless steel - is that Titanium feet are made well enough to forgo prepping the guide feet, stainless steel feet require extensive prepping and the scratches, nicks, abrasions, etc. will show through the translucent wrap and look bad.
As far as reel seats … I don’t know exactly what you mean. For less expensive rods, I tend to use the “prepackaged” St Croix handle kits. For more expensive rods I use Premium cork and Struble reel seats (in particular Titanium seats).
If you have any other questions, feel free to ask.
I’m sorry! I was only thinking about flyrod reel seats. Is most of your business spinning and casting rods?
Doug
I answered you regarding fly reel seats … St Croix prepackaged fly reel handle kits for less expensive rods and Struble fly reel seats for more expensive rods. I do build spinning and casting rods as well and 90% of my fly rod business is 8wt and up for saltwater - that is one of the “downsides” of having to live in sunny Florida. 
Tampa Jim,
My ignorance was showing about the reel seats. Struble is the maker. I don’t know what I was thinking, maybe that someone hand carved each reel seat out of exotic wood!? 
Thanks for educating me! I think custom fishing rods are the BEST!
Doug
Doug, you can check out Struble’s site from here on the Sponsors Page.
Cheers,
MontanaMoose
(Yes sir, the
river is blown)