Re: Checking your rod . . . .

[Norcal Pescador]

From Alan - "For local fishing in Northern California, my rods all have guides with ceramic inserts.  My long range rods are a little different.  Mind you, these are not hard and fast rules.  For drag settings of 10 pounds and less, I use rods that have guides all the up.  For drag settings of 11 to 15 pounds, I add a roller tip.  It probably does decrease my casting distance a little, but I am so lousy at casting that I think it does not make a different.  For 16 to 20 pound drag settings, I added a roller tip and roller stripper.  For drag settings in excess of 20 pounds, my rods have rollers all the way up.  To get the smoothest performance from your gear, both the rod and the reel need to work."

Alan, I've given serious thought to putting roller strippers and tops on my rods that have 30 and 50# spectra on the reels just so I don't cut the guides. (My 114H with 80# spectra already has the rollers on the top and bottom.) With the sharp angle that any line coming off the tip has to take for a straight up pull, what you're saying makes a lot of sense.

Thanks for yet another good tip.

Rob