[Saltheart]

Oh , on the rod question. It will not hurt a rod to cast with the spine at 0 or 180 degrees to the guides. Either is an acceptable build depending on what you are trying to achieve , max fish fighting or max casting. In a spinner it matters little. On a conventional , although you can go either way , I always prefer the guides on the spine to minimze twist.

The rule of thumb is to have the spine opposite the applied load for your most important concern which to me is when you have a fish on but to some it is during casting at the peak load when you starrt forward on the cast after the backswing..