Pro Building Tips
Guide Spacing
Measurements from tip top to each guide position (in inches from the tip).
| Length | Rod Wt | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7'6" | 3 wt | 4 3/4" | 10 3/16" | 16 3/16" | 23" | 29 13/16" | 36 13/16" | 45" | 53 13/16" | 63 3/8" | ||
| 7'6" | 4 wt | 4 3/4" | 10 3/16" | 16 3/16" | 23" | 29 13/16" | 36 13/16" | 45" | 53 13/16" | 63 3/8" | ||
| 8'0" | 3 wt | 4 11/16" | 9 15/16" | 15 13/16" | 22 3/4" | 30 7/8" | 39 1/8" | 48 1/8" | 57 9/16" | 67 1/8" | ||
| 8'0" | 4 wt | 4 11/16" | 9 15/16" | 15 13/16" | 22 3/4" | 30 7/8" | 39 1/8" | 48 1/8" | 57 9/16" | 67 1/8" | ||
| 8'6" | 5 wt | 4 3/4" | 10 11/16" | 17 1/2" | 25 9/16" | 33 15/16" | 42 1/2" | 51 9/16" | 61 1/16" | 72 1/4" | ||
| 9'0" | 2 wt | 4 3/16" | 8 7/8" | 14 1/4" | 20 5/8" | 28" | 36 1/8" | 45" | 54 11/16" | 66 7/16" | 79 5/16" | |
| 9'0" | 3 wt | 4 3/16" | 8 7/8" | 14 1/4" | 20 5/8" | 28" | 36 1/8" | 45" | 54 11/16" | 66 7/16" | 79 5/16" | |
| 9'0" | 4 wt | 4 3/16" | 8 7/8" | 14 1/4" | 20 5/8" | 28" | 36 1/8" | 45" | 54 11/16" | 66 7/16" | 79 5/16" | |
| 9'0" | 5 wt | 4 3/16" | 8 7/8" | 14 1/4" | 20 5/8" | 28" | 36 1/8" | 45" | 54 11/16" | 66 7/16" | 79 5/16" | |
| 9'0" | 6 wt | 4 3/16" | 8 7/8" | 14 1/4" | 20 5/8" | 28" | 36 1/8" | 45" | 54 11/16" | 66 7/16" | 79 5/16" | |
| 9'0" | 7 wt | 4 3/16" | 8 7/8" | 14 1/4" | 20 5/8" | 28" | 36 1/8" | 45" | 54 11/16" | 66 7/16" | 79 5/16" | |
| 9'0" | 8 wt | 4 3/16" | 8 7/8" | 14 1/4" | 20 5/8" | 28" | 36 1/8" | 45" | 54 11/16" | 66 7/16" | 79 5/16" | |
| 9'0" | 9 wt | 4 3/16" | 8 7/8" | 14 1/4" | 20 5/8" | 28" | 36 1/8" | 45" | 54 11/16" | 66 7/16" | 79 5/16" | |
| 9'0" | 10 wt | 4" | 8 3/8" | 13 5/8" | 19 11/16" | 27 11/16" | 36 1/8" | 45 1/8" | 54 5/8" | 65 15/16" | 77 1/2" | |
| 9'0" | 12 wt | 4" | 8 3/8" | 13 5/8" | 19 11/16" | 27 11/16" | 36 1/8" | 45 1/8" | 54 5/8" | 65 15/16" | 77 1/2" | |
| 10'0" | 4 wt | 6" | 12 1/16" | 18 1/4" | 24 5/16" | 30 5/8" | 38 1/8" | 46 7/8" | 56 1/4" | 65 13/16" | 76" | 87 1/2" |
| 10'0" | 5 wt | 6" | 12 1/16" | 18 1/4" | 24 5/16" | 30 5/8" | 38 1/8" | 46 7/8" | 56 1/4" | 65 13/16" | 76" | 87 1/2" |
| 10'0" | 6 wt | 6" | 12 1/16" | 18 1/4" | 24 5/16" | 30 5/8" | 38 1/8" | 46 7/8" | 56 1/4" | 65 13/16" | 76" | 87 1/2" |
| 10'0" | 7 wt | 6" | 12 1/16" | 18 1/4" | 24 5/16" | 30 5/8" | 38 1/8" | 46 7/8" | 56 1/4" | 65 13/16" | 76" | 87 1/2" |
| 10'0" | 8 wt | 6" | 12 1/8" | 18 1/4" | 24 3/8" | 30 11/16" | 38 1/4" | 46 7/8" | 56 1/4" | 65 7/16" | 76" | 87 7/16" |
Pro Tips to Building a Fly Rod
Prep the Guide Feet: Always file down the feet of your guides to a sharp, smooth wedge before wrapping. If the edge is too blunt, your thread will have a hard time climbing up onto the guide.
Keep It Clean: Wash your hands thoroughly before handling the wrapping thread. Oils from your skin can cause blemishes or "fish eyes" when you apply the final epoxy finish.
Epoxy: If you see tiny bubbles in your wet epoxy, gently pass a flame from a lighter or a heat gun a few inches below the spinning rod. The brief flash of heat will instantly eliminate the bubbles. Too much heat too close to the epoxy may make it worse, go slow.
Measure Thrice, Glue Once: Always dry-fit everything before mixing your epoxy. Once the glue sets, mistakes are very difficult to fix.
1. Find the "Spine" of the Blank
Every rod blank has a natural spine—a side that is slightly stiffer due to how the carbon fiber or fiberglass is rolled.
How to find it: Put the tip of a section on a smooth surface, support the middle with your hand, and push down gently while rolling the blank. You will feel it "jump" or click into its natural curve.
Placement: Generally, you want to place your guides on the inside of this curve (for maximum lifting power) or exactly opposite it. Consistency across all sections is key.
2. Prepare and Fit the Grip & Reel Seat
Before gluing anything down, dry-fit your components on the butt section and make sure they are in the correct order. Test fit your reel.
Arbors: If there is a gap between the reel seat and the blank, use masking tape or drywall mesh tape to build up the blank so the seat fits snugly with 1/2 spaces for the epoxy to fill.
Gluing: Use epoxy (like Pro Paste). Coat the blank and the inside of the grip/reel seat, then slide them into place with a twisting motion to spread the glue evenly. Double-check that the reel seat aligns perfectly with your spine.
3. Space and Align the Guides
Refer to the Streamside Spacing chart.
Secure the guides temporarily using guide surgical tubing, small rubber bands, or masking tape.
Sight down the blank from the butt to the tip to ensure every single guide aligns perfectly straight along the spine.
4. Wrap the Guides
This is where patience pays off. Use only specific rod building thread
Start the wrap on the blank about 1/4 inch before the guide foot, and wrap up onto the sloped foot.
Use a pull-through loop of thin line or thread to pull your tag end back under the last few wraps to secure it cleanly without a knot.
5. Apply the Epoxy Finish
Precisely measure your epoxy.
Place the rod in a motorized rod dryer (which rotates the rod continuously so the finish doesn't sag or puddle).
Mix a two-part rod-building epoxy (like Flex Coat) exactly according to instructions. Apply a thin, even coat over the thread wraps while the rod rotates.