Tiny guides for a spinning rod

[handi2]

Off my dock in saltwater fishing I use the Quantum Smoke rod the has the tiny micro guides. It cast like a dream but I'm using light jigs and lures. 1/4 ounce is normal. I need to be able to cast two docks down which is about 100 feet. With the wind helping me! The reel is a Sustain 2500 with 15lb. Power Pro Maxquatro. It's the thinnest braid they make.

[JasonGotaProblem]

I finally got to use the rod in saltwater again, tossing very large free line shrimp again. And to my dismay I was casting like crap again, seemingly releasing way early and seeing el shrimpo go skyward. when I thought I'd figured it all out by now. 2 hours before I was throwing soft plastics like a dream. But I believe I've determined the problem, though I'm open to the idea that I'm now wrong in a different way.

When I bought the blank it had no info. No brand, no line, lure, or power rating. I just liked the feel. I think the answer is its even lighter of a blank than I'd realized, and a large shrimp may be above the suggested lure weight. So at what my muscle memory tells me is the correct release angle is actually way early because the rod so loaded. Inertia, etc.

I'm thinking I'd rate it for 1/16th oz - maybe 3/8th oz ? 1/4 oz seems like the sweet spot.

Got it out far enough to land its first snook though. Didn't have my tape but i know it was <2'. Still super fun to fight it though. I really do love this rod.

[oldmanjoe]

 Have you tried a popping cork with that stick yet , it may help with the casting .

[JasonGotaProblem]

Have you tried a popping cork with that stick yet , it may help with the casting .

No I find with snook the trick is to minimize your terminal tackle. I catch more snook on free line shrimp and a flouro leader than any other configuration. They see anything unnatural anywhere near your bait they get skittish.

Also if the problem is a large shrimp is potentially too heavy to cast properly, wouldn't adding more weight (the popping cork) make the problem worse?

[oldmanjoe]

   Key words    If the problem is ............         Try a coulp dry casts and see .

[JasonGotaProblem]

One of the joys of being so new at this is not being particularly attached to any given idea or explanation I come up with. I just assume I'm wrong and sometimes get pleasantly surprised otherwise. I'm certainly open to testing alternative theories.

[oldmanjoe]

                         2 hours before I was throwing soft plastics like a dream.
                          a large shrimp is potentially too heavy
               Try a smaller shrimp or start weighing you baits to test the theory ......

[oc1]

That's a good description of what it feels like to overload a casting rod.  A medium shrimp, 31/35 head-on, will weigh a half ounce.  A jig or plug is made to be aerodynamic and cast well.  A shrimp, not so much.

[philaroman]

hydrodynamic is fairly aerodynamic, if you rig 'em to fly the way they swim
...however, that may not be best for presentation/hook-set
play around w/ different hook styles, shank lengths, tandem hook rigs,
PVA string (water-soluble in minutes), soft copper rigging wire, rubber bands, etc.
to get the best bait position for both, casting & hooking

[oc1]

If you run the hook just under the rostrum (horn) they dive.  If you put the hook through the last abdominal segment they swim up.  They will cast about the same.

[JasonGotaProblem]

It will be interesting to see how you like one coat of Flex Coat light. One coat of that stuff won't give enough thread protection for me.

6.5 months and lots of abuse later I figured I'd follow up on this. I have gotten line broken off on fish way bigger than this rod should target, and bent it past 120° a few times in heavy fights that I've won. It's fair to say I have adequately put this rod and its guides through its paces. Ive seen no problems whatsoever, and nobody who has ever fished or rode in a vehicle with me would ever tell you that I'm particularly careful with my rods.

I can't vouch for performance in heavy offshore applications but for heavy freshwater and light saltwater use: one thin coat of epoxy for guides on an ultralight is adequate.

[steelfish]

Jason, Epoxy is not for add strength to the wrap of the guide but to protect the thread from regular nicks, scratches, etc that might weaken the guide wrap and lose a guide by fighting a bigger fish or by a small hit and ruin your fishing day, if you want more strength for a heavy saltwater rod you add a second wrap on the same guide (triple wrap = underwrap and 2 overwraps) and regular epoxy just to cover the thread and have a smooth finish.

your current wraps on those guides will handle weight way above of what your blank can handle, long time ago rodsmithers were using plain varnish, marine varnish or urethane instead of epoxy resin to protect wraps and they handle fish just as good but after some years they become brittle and the thread turned fluffy and weak.

I have restored few light rods that used varnish (or a pretty thin coat of thinned epoxy) on the wraps to keep the weight to the minimum, this next rod is 15-20 years old, so, it was time to do a complete restoration job.

PS: Owner told me he fought a 120# sturion with that rod