Hey everyone,
I've been a fisherman my whole life but I'm completely new to the world of rod building, specifically for stand up tuna gear. It's a total dream of mine to learn how to build my own custom rods, but I'll be honest, it's been tough figuring it out on my own.
I've been studying a ton of builders on Instagram and YouTube (a lot of you West Coast guys are legends, by the way). I'm trying to absorb everything I can, but one thing has me scratching my head.
I'm seeing a bunch of different techniques for wrapping roller guides. Some guys do a triple wrap with a underwrap, some do a double, and some just do a single wrap straight onto the blank.
As a total beginner, my instinct says more is better. A triple wrap with a solid underwrap seems like it would be the strongest and best way to isolate the guide from the blank. But obviously, the pros know what they're doing, so I know I'm missing something.
So I'm hoping you all can school me. What's the reasoning behind choosing one method over the others? Is it about blank material, drag pressure, the specific fish you're targeting, or just personal preference?
Any insight you guys could offer would be hugely appreciated. I'm just trying to learn. Thanks in advance for your help.
Tight lines
I usually do 1 under wrap and 2 over the guide feet. That's pretty standard. You can do more over wraps but I don't think it's necessary
Quote from: MexicanGulf on September 16, 2025, 01:36:11 PMHey everyone,
one thing has me scratching my head.
I'm seeing a bunch of different techniques for wrapping roller guides. Some guys do a triple wrap with a underwrap, some do a double, and some just do a single wrap straight onto the blank.
As a total beginner, my instinct says more is better. A triple wrap with a solid underwrap seems like it would be the strongest and best way to isolate the guide from the blank. But obviously, the pros know what they're doing, so I know I'm missing something.
So I'm hoping you all can school me. What's the reasoning behind choosing one method over the others? Is it about blank material, drag pressure, the specific fish you're targeting, or just personal preference?
Any insight you guys could offer would be hugely appreciated. I'm just trying to learn. Thanks in advance for your help.
Tight lines
Born in a family fishing charter boat , I did the maintenance and restore of the 20 fishing rods on board . Back than we still liked bamboo and fiberglass rods . Guides were mass produced , the feet on the guides were wide and unfinished . So for production purposes , underlayer were the normal to help stop chaffing the stick and give a little more stability for the guide . Oil varnish was the sealer for thread work , and needed touch ups during the year .
I will do underwraps for the purpose of looks and to stiffing up a stick if it is to wimpy .
For the new rod builders , practice on old sticks , to develop muscle memory and style . It does take time to learn all the little trick to build a fishing rod .
Underwraps provide a surface that can compress a bit, which helps distribute the load from the guide foot over a larger surface area on the blank. The bottom of the foot is not a perfect match for the shape of the blank, and the blank will also be bending under load. But underwraps also add weight an increase blank stiffness.
The higher the rod load rating, the more that the tradeoffs favor underwrapping.
The thickness of the underwrap is combination of thread diameter and number of layers. Undoubtably, there is a point of overkill, and some rod builders will go there and beyond in the hopes of building a "better" rod (three layers of "D" thread...really?). I am not a big game guy, so I can't offer an opinion on where to draw the line. I have only wrapped two rods (fiberglass) with rollers. I used a single layer of D thread, and nothing bad happened.
You should apply at least some finish to the underwrap at each layer to help it adhere to the blank or previous layer. Builders have varying opinions about how much to coat underwraps, but they seem mostly concerned with cosmetic issues. It is a bit more tricky to get a nice clean over wrap compared to wrapping straight onto the blank.
Buildings a functional rod is fairly easy. Especially with foam grips. You need to use high quality epoxies of the right type (no 5-minute epoxy - except maybe for the tip guide) and make sure that you get good coverage, especially with the reel seat. Avoid using masking tape arbors under the reel seat.
Use the classic combination nylon thread and epoxy thread finish. These hold the guides well, but you can still strip the thread off the blank if a guide ever needs replacement.
A functional rod is easy to build. The works of art that we see from some of the builders here take practice and some talent. It is unlikely that your first build will be satisfactory if you are aiming for something pretty and well executed. Starting out with a lesser build, or simply rewrapping some inexpensive rods thst you find lying around is a good place to start.
Hope this helps,
-J
Remember this is a hobby so treat it that way. If you don't enjoy it and it's just a chore or trying to save a few bucks maybe pay someone to do it. Life is short
There's 2 schools of thought on finishes and how they're applied. Some like using color preserver and applying finish after every layer. Others believe no color preserver and applying finish in one shot so all the tread is soaked with finish giving it a better bond Personally I see the point of saturating the entire guide wrap but I think it's plenty strong doing it layer but layer. Try pulling a guide off with vice grips even on a cheap rod, it's not easy
Like every thing practice makes perfect
If this is for your 30# rod I would do a under wrap and one overwrap.
Just another 12 hours of work and I'll be free to read all your valuable comments. Forgive me for missing out. I have very busy work days. Tomorrow I'll read everything with obsessive attention.
I'm gonna throw an opinion out there that might be unpopular.
A lot of things in the fishing world, especially in rod building, are done a certain way because that's what buyers are expecting to see, not necessarily because it's the absolute optimum arrangement of components.
Aside from decorating, the function of under wraps is to protect a thin-walled blank from having the guide (which was ground to a sharp point) from cutting in to the blank under heavy load, especially the old bamboo blanks. The first over-wrap obviously holds the guide in place. The second one is there so if something scratches the guide wrap, it won't fall off because there's another layer. As joe pointed out, it originated in the era of oil varnish, which wasn't very thick. Now we see high-build epoxy on guides, and that protects the wraps quite well.
With all that said, you spoke in a previous thread about single foot roller guides. That presents a crossroads of sorts where decisions need to be made. Roller guides are kind of anachronistic in the era of high performance ceramics. If you're building with rollers, it's because you want to build with rollers. But that's ok. Fishing decisions are rarely dictated by an actual NEED. It's about how we WANT to fish.
What's my point? It's that you're deciding to do something old-fashioned because that's what you want. You have to then decide if you want to something fully old fashioned, which would mean under wrap and double over wrap, or do you want to do a modern build with old fashioned components? I'm in the process currently of planning the opposite (an old fashioned build with modern components) and it'll be a lot of fun.
But please, do better than me and follow the advice given above. DO NOT BUILD THIS AS YOUR VERY FIRST ROD. Try to do a few practice builds or rebuilds with cheaper and simpler rods before you try to build a rod with the expensive components you described. I didn't listen. And as I got a tiny bit better at rod building I HATED those first couple rods because I was ashamed at the poor quality of their assembly. It was a shame that the fanciest things I owned were the ones I didn't ever wanna use. I ended up stripping them down and starting over from scratch. Doing that with double over wraps and under wraps would be miserable. So get some practice first.
I've built a lot of rods. Not as many as joe or Sheridan, but a lot. This has been a bad year for me, I haven't built anything in about 6 months. So when I get my workshop back in order I plan to do a couple practice wraps (that I'll cut off) before I start on a rod I care about, because even a few months is enough to get rusty.
X2
I still practice with dowel wood rod for paint color and what trim wrap colors and widths look like before I put it on fishing rod .
Lots of good advice there. I have only replaced a guide twice. First time took 3 tries before I was happy that it didn't look out of place with the rest of the factory wraps. Second rod took two tries (wrap was OK, more of an aestetic thing - I am mildly colorblind and the thread I thought was the right color - was not the right color and it bothered me. Then I did what I should have done the first time: took the rod section with me to Squidco in San Diego (nice folks) and the staff immediately gave me a spool of what I needed.) Moral of the story - trust the experts as you learn! - john
Regarding color "preservative": It is not a dye bonding treatment. You are basically coating the wraps with a sealant to prevent the epoxy from penetrating into the thread. This keeps the wraps more opaque, but also weakens the bond, preventing the thread and epoxy finish from fully forming a composite material (not unlike fiberglass weave and resin). This becomes more important as you add more thread layers.
There are plenty of well performing rods out there that were finished using CP, so it is possible to use CP and still have plenty of residual strength. But you are trading off some structural strength for cosmetics, which should be an intentional decision.
Plus many of us actually prefer the look of some translucence in the wraps. Your rod, your choice.
-J
Quote from: Keta on September 16, 2025, 04:56:11 PMIf this is for your 30# rod I would do a under wrap and one overwrap.
Could you describe what you mean by under wrap and overwrap?
Quote from: jurelometer on September 16, 2025, 04:14:25 PMUnderwraps provide a surface that can compress a bit, which helps distribute the load from the guide foot over a larger surface area on the blank. The bottom of the foot is not a perfect match for the shape of the blank, and the blank will also be bending under load. But underwraps also add weight an increase blank stiffness.
The higher the rod load rating, the more that the tradeoffs favor underwrapping.
The thickness of the underwrap is combination of thread diameter and number of layers. Undoubtably, there is a point of overkill, and some rod builders will go there and beyond in the hopes of building a "better" rod (three layers of "D" thread...really?). I am not a big game guy, so I can't offer an opinion on where to draw the line. I have only wrapped two rods (fiberglass) with rollers. I used a single layer of D thread, and nothing bad happened.
You should apply at least some finish to the underwrap at each layer to help it adhere to the blank or previous layer. Builders have varying opinions about how much to coat underwraps, but they seem mostly concerned with cosmetic issues. It is a bit more tricky to get a nice clean over wrap compared to wrapping straight onto the blank.
Buildings a functional rod is fairly easy. Especially with foam grips. You need to use high quality epoxies of the right type (no 5-minute epoxy - except maybe for the tip guide) and make sure that you get good coverage, especially with the reel seat. Avoid using masking tape arbors under the reel seat.
Use the classic combination nylon thread and epoxy thread finish. These hold the guides well, but you can still strip the thread off the blank if a guide ever needs replacement.
A functional rod is easy to build. The works of art that we see from some of the builders here take practice and some talent. It is unlikely that your first build will be satisfactory if you are aiming for something pretty and well executed. Starting out with a lesser build, or simply rewrapping some inexpensive rods thst you find lying around is a good place to start.
Hope this helps,
-J
How do you usually pick the thread diameter for a reinforcement wrap depending on the rod type and the expected load?
When do you think it's worth adding a second layer, and when is a single layer enough?
What kind of problems can come up if the wrap is too thick or has too many layers?
How does the wrap thickness affect how the load is distributed on the guide and the rod's feel when fishing?
Thanks in advance for any tips or experience you can share.
Quote from: Swami805 on September 16, 2025, 04:48:28 PMRemember this is a hobby so treat it that way. If you don't enjoy it and it's just a chore or trying to save a few bucks maybe pay someone to do it. Life is short
There's 2 schools of thought on finishes and how they're applied. Some like using color preserver and applying finish after every layer. Others believe no color preserver and applying finish in one shot so all the tread is soaked with finish giving it a better bond Personally I see the point of saturating the entire guide wrap but I think it's plenty strong doing it layer but layer. Try pulling a guide off with vice grips even on a cheap rod, it's not easy
Like every thing practice makes perfect
For now, the construction of my custom fishing rods is entrusted exclusively to a professional in the field. I'm not capable. Furthermore, there are no courses here in Europe.Those who know the art of Rod Building keep it and preserve it jealously.As it is a business reason.Which for me is absolutely light years away, I'm just passionate and without ambitions
Quote from: JasonGotaProblem on September 17, 2025, 03:05:15 PMI'm gonna throw an opinion out there that might be unpopular.
A lot of things in the fishing world, especially in rod building, are done a certain way because that's what buyers are expecting to see, not necessarily because it's the absolute optimum arrangement of components.
Aside from decorating, the function of under wraps is to protect a thin-walled blank from having the guide (which was ground to a sharp point) from cutting in to the blank under heavy load, especially the old bamboo blanks. The first over-wrap obviously holds the guide in place. The second one is there so if something scratches the guide wrap, it won't fall off because there's another layer. As joe pointed out, it originated in the era of oil varnish, which wasn't very thick. Now we see high-build epoxy on guides, and that protects the wraps quite well. I push myself beyond the imposed limit.
With all that said, you spoke in a previous thread about single foot roller guides. That presents a crossroads of sorts where decisions need to be made. Roller guides are kind of anachronistic in the era of high performance ceramics. If you're building with rollers, it's because you want to build with rollers. But that's ok. Fishing decisions are rarely dictated by an actual NEED. It's about how we WANT to fish.
What's my point? It's that you're deciding to do something old-fashioned because that's what you want. You have to then decide if you want to something fully old fashioned, which would mean under wrap and double over wrap, or do you want to do a modern build with old fashioned components? I'm in the process currently of planning the opposite (an old fashioned build with modern components) and it'll be a lot of fun.
My choice to use roller guides is strictly linked to technical factors. Rollers don't wear out nylon and I have a very unique personal fishing style.I bring the reel Drag load, fighting Drag to 50 of the breaking strain of the nylon line class.It is absolutely not recommended to use ring guides. The rule of thumb is 1/3 of the drag.
Quote from: MexicanGulf on September 18, 2025, 12:21:17 PMQuote from: Keta on September 16, 2025, 04:56:11 PMIf this is for your 30# rod I would do a under wrap and one overwrap.
Could you describe what you mean by under wrap and overwrap?
One wrap on the blank and one wrap on the guide foot.
Quote from: Keta on September 18, 2025, 12:54:22 PMQuote from: MexicanGulf on September 18, 2025, 12:21:17 PMQuote from: Keta on September 16, 2025, 04:56:11 PMIf this is for your 30# rod I would do a under wrap and one overwrap.
Could you describe what you mean by under wrap and overwrap?
One wrap on the blank and one wrap on the guide foot.
Thanks for the clarification, but unfortunately I'm new to rod building. Please bear with me... 🙏
Quote from: MexicanGulf on September 18, 2025, 12:30:19 PMQuote from: jurelometer on September 16, 2025, 04:14:25 PMUnderwraps provide a surface that can compress a bit, which helps distribute the load from the guide foot over a larger surface area on the blank. The bottom of the foot is not a perfect match for the shape of the blank, and the blank will also be bending under load. But underwraps also add weight an increase blank stiffness.
The higher the rod load rating, the more that the tradeoffs favor underwrapping.
The thickness of the underwrap is combination of thread diameter and number of layers. Undoubtably, there is a point of overkill, and some rod builders will go there and beyond in the hopes of building a "better" rod (three layers of "D" thread...really?). I am not a big game guy, so I can't offer an opinion on where to draw the line. I have only wrapped two rods (fiberglass) with rollers. I used a single layer of D thread, and nothing bad happened.
You should apply at least some finish to the underwrap at each layer to help it adhere to the blank or previous layer. Builders have varying opinions about how much to coat underwraps, but they seem mostly concerned with cosmetic issues. It is a bit more tricky to get a nice clean over wrap compared to wrapping straight onto the blank.
Buildings a functional rod is fairly easy. Especially with foam grips. You need to use high quality epoxies of the right type (no 5-minute epoxy - except maybe for the tip guide) and make sure that you get good coverage, especially with the reel seat. Avoid using masking tape arbors under the reel seat.
Use the classic combination nylon thread and epoxy thread finish. These hold the guides well, but you can still strip the thread off the blank if a guide ever needs replacement.
A functional rod is easy to build. The works of art that we see from some of the builders here take practice and some talent. It is unlikely that your first build will be satisfactory if you are aiming for something pretty and well executed. Starting out with a lesser build, or simply rewrapping some inexpensive rods thst you find lying around is a good place to start.
Hope this helps,
-J
How do you usually pick the thread diameter for a reinforcement wrap depending on the rod type and the expected load?
When do you think it's worth adding a second layer, and when is a single layer enough?
What kind of problems can come up if the wrap is too thick or has too many layers?
How does the wrap thickness affect how the load is distributed on the guide and the rod's feel when fishing?
Thanks in advance for any tips or experience you can share.
As Jason noted, there is a generally accepted way to build a rod of a certain type. It is based mostly on tradition and a bit on customer feedback. Testing to failure is extremely rare. Some of the practices are clearly not the best. But nevertheless, if you follow the standard practices, you will be a rod that will be as good as the rest of them. If you hunt around a site like rodbuilding.org, you can get a good feel for what the standard practices are for the type of rod you are building. You can also ask here once you have a specific rod in mind.
While the better blank manufacturers obsess over weight, flex, the amount of resin used, etc, custom builders often load up rod builds with long sections of multiple layers of decorative wraps- often all the way up to the firsts guide, multiple overly long guide wraps, and then slather huge amounts of epoxy over the whole thing. As long as it is a trolling rod or a heavy casting rod, it will still work well enough, and many fishermen appreciate the artistry. No harm, no foul.
As the rods get lighter, this practice has a more negative effect on performance, especially for casting, especially when the excess weight on the tip contributes to momentum, causing the tip to oscillate more on cast release. How much worse, I don't know, but the standard practice on light casting rods and fly rods is to use the shortest guide wraps possible with light ("A") thread and minimal epoxy coating. At the other end of the spectrum with heavy trolling rods, you are only concerned with the guides coming loose. There is no casting performance to effect, and the blank is already extremely stiff and heavy.
Guide will come loose one of three ways:
1. Impact - getting banged around during transit or use.
2. Pullouts - a knot or tangle catches on the guide wile under load -usually outbound. This is especially a concern with single foot guides.
3. Flex - As the rod bends and unbends, the shape and even the length of the blank under the guide changes, leading to fatigue in the thread/epoxy composite, eventually allowing the guide foot to work loose. Nylon is inherently stretchy, and newer epoxy resins maintain their flexibility over time, so this is now much less of a concern. UV damage over time is a concern here.
On your specific question: I can't help you with big game rods, but a single layer of D wrap is pretty common for most saltwater rods that get underwraps. A single layer for the over-the-guide wrap is typical, but double wraps are not uncommon for rods that target larger fish (maybe yellowfin tuna over 100 lbs). Even if the extra top wrap is unnecessary for strength, it does protect the lower layer from UV damage.
How tight you wrap will contribute more to strength and durability than the number of layers. Larger diameter thread will allow you generate more clamping load, giving you a greater margin of safety over time -but only if you wrap tightly. Many builders prefer to wrap on the loose side as it makes it easier to fine tune guide alignment and smooth out gaps in the wraps for cosmetic reasons.
You can wrap too tightly- leading to creep in the nylon, but it is difficult to wrap with this level of tension. I shoot for tight enough that it is difficult to slide the underwraps on the blank, and very difficult to impossible to move the guide once wrapped but not epoxied. I am probably an outlier, but my guides always stay in place.My wraps look decent, but are not the prettiest.
There also seems to be a trend to use lighter threads on larger rods to achieve better appearance. One compromise that I have seen a bit is to use "A" for the underwrap, and then a layer or two of "D" over the guides. I don't have firsthand experience here. My builds all try to optimize functionality. I am building tools, not works of art. On the other hand- these pretty rods wrapped with lighter thread from good builders seem to work just fine. They are just working with a somewhat smaller margin of error.
With single foot guides, many builders extend the wrap to go past the foot to help resist-pull outs.
After general durability, guide placement (spacing) probably is the most important consideration, and is sometimes neglected. The blank manufacturers often provide a recommendation, but this is only accurate if you are using the same components, reel seat location, expected reel spool height, etc. If you are selecting a builder, asking about how they determine guide placement will give you some insight on how serious the builder is about performance. There are different methods, but the better ones at least bend the blank to full useful load and space the guides to properly distribute the load and keep the line off the blank for the reel that you plan to use.
Most of us learned on our own. Some builders informally apprenticed under another builder. With the exception of bamboo rod building, I have not heard of any classes in the USA beyond fairly rudimentary introductory stuff.There are probably some out there, but it is not the typical way to learn.
Hope this helps,
-J
Mudhole and others have tutorials on YouTube but all I have seen are in English.
Well I will give this a shot ,
As simply as I can, one amateur to another:
As said above - underwrap goes on the blank only (and ends up under the guide) while the overwrap goes over the guide feet (and underwrap as well).
Thread alone will hold a guide very firmly; an underwrap gives the guide foot something to bite into as the overwrap holds it in place; less chance of slipping sideways if knocked compared to a guide wrapped directly onto the blank.
No underwrap for light rods needed; cut-off point is your decision given the extra weight on the blank, the deadening effect on its action (dramatic on a fly rod, but not noticed on a 130lb chair rod) and time involved.
Epoxy protects the wraps from scratches etc. mainly. It may also add some strength to the wrapping.
Colour preserve often works patchily and ruins all the hard work, so I miss it out. It means the thread colour will darken. Check first by wrapping a bit of dowel or spare blank and making the thread wet.
Old-fashioned valspar or copal varnish also works but take a lot of coats to fill the threads and give a smooth finish - we're talking ten or more if the threads aren't very fine, as you can see!
Dust is your enemy when varnishing - guess how I know!
My last 130lb chair rod had one underwrap and two overwraps on all guides with a third overwrap on the No 52 Aftco double-roller, all done by hand at the kitchen table, clamping the spool of thread between my knees.
Have a magnifying glass handy to check whether any threads are crossed before going too far - if it doesn't look right, it isn't.
Enjoy.
Quote from: UKChris1 on September 28, 2025, 10:00:24 AMAs simply as I can, one amateur to another:
As said above - underwrap goes on the blank only (and ends up under the guide) while the overwrap goes over the guide feet (and underwrap as well).
Thread alone will hold a guide very firmly; an underwrap gives the guide foot something to bite into as the overwrap holds it in place; less chance of slipping sideways if knocked compared to a guide wrapped directly onto the blank.
No underwrap for light rods needed; cut-off point is your decision given the extra weight on the blank, the deadening effect on its action (dramatic on a fly rod, but not noticed on a 130lb chair rod) and time involved.
Epoxy protects the wraps from scratches etc. mainly. It may also add some strength to the wrapping.
Colour preserve often works patchily and ruins all the hard work, so I miss it out. It means the thread colour will darken. Check first by wrapping a bit of dowel or spare blank and making the thread wet.
Old-fashioned valspar or copal varnish also works but take a lot of coats to fill the threads and give a smooth finish - we're talking ten or more if the threads aren't very fine, as you can see!
Dust is your enemy when varnishing - guess how I know!
My last 130lb chair rod had one underwrap and two overwraps on all guides with a third overwrap on the No 52 Aftco double-roller, all done by hand at the kitchen table, clamping the spool of thread between my knees.
Have a magnifying glass handy to check whether any threads are crossed before going too far - if it doesn't look right, it isn't.
Enjoy.
Thank you!
I asked the same question to a professional rod builder I follow on Instagram, here's his answer:
"on lighter rods like this one an "underwrap" is not needed. The functional purpose of an underwrap is to protect the blank from being damaged by the guide as it flexes during use. With light framed guides the frame should flex with the blank so the foot doesn't rub on the blank. Heavy guides like a HB or HN frame, or roller guides do not allow as much flex so an underwrap will provide some protection to the blank from the guide feet."
Quote from: MexicanGulf on October 06, 2025, 02:25:53 PMI asked the same question to a professional rod builder I follow on Instagram, here's his answer:
"on lighter rods like this one an "underwrap" is not needed. The functional purpose of an underwrap is to protect the blank from being damaged by the guide as it flexes during use. With light framed guides the frame should flex with the blank so the foot doesn't rub on the blank. Heavy guides like a HB or HN frame, or roller guides do not allow as much flex so an underwrap will provide some protection to the blank from the guide feet."
This seems to be a common belief, but it is unlikely to be true. This test can verify:
Take a rod blank and bend a short section somewhere along the top half. Observe the amount of effort it takes to create a visible arc in the rod blank. Now grab a lightweight modern two-footed guide and try to flex it by the feet. It will not flex until you supply a tremendous amount of load. Non-welded, single piece forged frames (like all modern Fujis) will probably deform before flexing significantly.
Except for some very specific and not commonly used guide designs (vintage coil style, modern Recoils), guide frames are too rigid to flex with the bank. This is necessary in part to protect the ceramic rings from a flexing load -ceramics are not exactly elastic. A well wrapped /epoxied guide will mostly prevent the blank from flexing underneath, especially on a lighter load rated blank.
Nylon wraps with the right epoxy provide some elasticity, allowing a small amount of blank flexing underneath the guide foot. Without underwraps, the load on the blank is not evenly distributed, probably focusing on the close or far ends of the guide feet, depending on whether the blank bend is concave or convex relative to the guide. But not enough to worry about an a lighter class rod.
When we get to bigger trolling rods with roller guides, the flexing load under the guides is much higher, and the leverage and blank travel from the guide will increase for a given arc because the full guide footprint is much longer. More holding strength is needed to keep the guides from working loose and maybe to also protect from abrasion as well (not as big a deal IMHO).
There are different wrapping methods that might work, but professional rod builders use underwraps on heavier class rods. Few if any will skip the underwraps, because underwraps work well enough, and are expected by the customer. Once a method is developed that works, it becomes a custom. The technical justification for the custom often comes later, and can be (how to say this nicely?) less than convincing.
If you ask what method works well, a good rod builder is going to give you a good answer. If you ask them why it works well... meh.
-J
If you're thinking of selling an ocean rod good luck if the guides aren't underwrapped. Is it necessary? I don't know but it looks like it is and it can look nice. Look at all the junk they put on cars, very little has a good reason for being there. How many cars have tail lights in the back bumper? Who thinks that's a good idea ? they sure sell a lot of cars with them. Fishing rods are like food, you eat with your eyes
There's some style points involved here, to each their own
I never do underwrap on carbon rod and have not have any problem but for a heavy duty fiberglass rod as you build I think you should . Fiberglass blank easy to get damaged.
Anyway just do it ,we all learn by mistake .After 30 rods build you will be good
:) I am in the other camp . A carbon fiber rod will fail without under wraps faster than a fiberglass without under wraps in a heavy rod use .
I suspect he's right Quang. Carbon fiber is stronger than fiberglass and the walls are thinner and easier to crush.
Quote from: oc1 on October 07, 2025, 04:44:18 AMI suspect he's right Quang. Carbon fiber is stronger than fiberglass and the walls are thinner and easier to crush.
Lately I wrap up lots of rods ,fiberglass and carbon . When grinding guide foot a little too much it's easy to damage fiberglass blank but not on carbon blank . Fiberglass blank is much thicker but also softer .When carbon blank is much harder Try to cut a tip with a knife then you know
I have a very old Daiwa rod that I accident drive over it ,the guide flat out but blank undamaged just replaced the guide and it's still good till today
Maybe one of these days I'll build a roller rod for myself, just to get some practice so if someone ever wants to pay me to build one it won't be my first.
And you can bet I'll do at least one layer of under wraps. Mainly for resale value.
Quote from: Swami805 on October 06, 2025, 09:00:38 PMIf you're thinking of selling an ocean rod good luck if the guides aren't underwrapped. Is it necessary? I don't know but it looks like it is and it can look nice. Look at all the junk they put on cars, very little has a good reason for being there. How many cars have tail lights in the back bumper? Who thinks that's a good idea ? they sure sell a lot of cars with them. Fishing rods are like food, you eat with your eyes
There's some style points involved here, to each their own
Agree. There are actually studies on car taillight size shape and location, and as you would expect, putting them closer to the ground is not an improvement.
But, I want to be clear that I am not advocating against underwraps, just disagreeing with some of the technical justifications being tossed around.
Underwraps on a big enough rod seems like a reasonable idea to me: It is a common practice. There doesn't seem to be any complaints about the function. There are plausible explanations for some benefit. It can add some extra bling that many like, or can be pretty well concealed.
I think that a more accurate technical explanation is that almost all guides frames are too rigid to flex with the blank. An underwrap provides a bit of cushion to accommodate this difference in flexibility, and shields the blank from potential abrasion as the blank moves under the guide foot. However, underwraps add some additional weight to the blank in an undesirable location (toward the tip), so the predominant practice is to only use underwraps on larger weight class rods, where any potential effect from this extra tip weight will be less pronounced.
Just don't get me started on all the rods with unnecessary aluminum gimbal butt caps. Seems like going backwards functionally in order to look cool, like designing a car with taillights on the bumper. Aaargh...
-J