Fishing Rods Part 2, Component Terminology

Rod Line Guides

The selection of guides on rods is huge even though most of the guides look the same or very similar, in New Zealand we get a few brands of guides over the rod ranges, the most common are Fuji, Alps,  Pacific Bay (Pac Bay), Aftco and Sea Cast, these can be seen on most of the brands we stock.

Rod guides come in a range of shapes and sizes, they are made from several different frame materials and come with a range of different insert sizes and materials. Guides can be broken up into 4 basic groups single foot, double foot, game and rollered .

Single foots guides are mainly found on soft bait rods and light casting rods, they offer increased sensitivity, and decreased overall weight they come in a large range of sizes and have a huge range of inserts. These guides are most commonly fitted to rods used for spinning reels.

Double foot guides are fitted to the majority of the rods on the market and are used in boat rods through to popper and stick bait rods. The frame design makes them more robust and more capable of taking load than the single foot guides. These guides can be used with both spin and overhead reels.

Game guides are heavy duty and designed to take the load of fighting game fish such as marlin and kingfish. They have a heavy duty frame and weight more than the double foot guides. These guides are only suited to be used with overhead reels.

There are 2 main materials guide frames are made from, stainless steel and titanium, the frame material effects weight, corrosion resistance, and the strength of the guide. There are many different materials the guide inserts are made from, Fuji have 4 main materials they use in the their guides: Hardloy, Alconite, Silicone carbide and Torzite. These guide materials change in density, heat transfer properties and hardness. Most rods under the $400 are fitted with a Hardloy or Alconite (or comparative material) these guides are more than suitable for most general fishing, if you are chasing records and need a guide that can take allot of back and forth of the line then a silicone carbide or torzite guide will have the heat transfer properties to prevent line failure.      

Reel Seats

There are several styles of reel seats, they includes pipe, palm, trigger, and skeleton.

Each reel seat has its advantage and can be used for different applications, there is more variety for overhead reels than spin reels.

The pipe reel can be used for spin and overhead reels, they are made from Graphite or Aluminium, the graphite ones have stainless steel reinforcing bands to ensure strength around the reel seat mounting.  

The Palm reel seats are great for mechanical jigging and Stray lining. They offer a comfortable palm rest and robust frame work. These reel seats are suited for overhead reels only.

Trigger style reel seats are perfect for casting rods, either for use on soft bait rods or light rods, these reel seats come in a range of small sizes, the reel seat suit bait casting reels well. These reel seats are available in both graphite and aluminium.

The skeleton reel seats are suited for rods designed to be cast repetitively, the reel seats come in a variety of different styles, they are suited to both spin and bait cast reels. These reel seats allow exposure to the rod blank meaning you can touch the blank and feel everything transmitted up the blank. They also help keep the weight of the overall rod build to a minimum. These reel seats are constructed using reinforced graphite making them light weight yet strong.