Lami GSB 132 2M

[Pierless]

Some thirty years ago I built a Lami GSB 132 2M. Other than a couple of trips to Hatteras, it has mostly spent its life in a rod tube in the attic. I've gotten it out to review it and see if it needs any changes.

I was very inexperienced when I built it, and my design seemed like a good idea at the time. It now seems radical, and perhaps not very good. I'm considering changing it a little, and would appreciate any suggestions by people who actually know something about surfcasting rods.

The rod has only four guides. They are, I believe, Fuji SiC high-frame SV type. (I think they're discontinued.) Sizes are 16, 20, 25, 40mm. Approx. heights are 30, 45, 60, 80mm. Tip is Fuji SiC size 16 ring.

Guide spacing, from tip, in inches, is: 9, 23, 39, 61.

Tip end of reel seat is 101.5 inches from tip. That's 40.5 inches from reel seat to butt guide.

The guides approximate a COF system, except that the 16mm guide nearest the tip is about 5mm too tall. By replacing it with an SVSG 16, the guide system would be consistent. I don't know if there would be any practical improvement in casting distance.

I recall from using the rod that the torque from the high-frame guides, all on the tip section, would sometimes pivot the tip section when casting.

How extensive would changes in the guides have to be for an experienced surfcaster to enjoy using the rod? Someday I'd like for the rod to go fishing again, and I'd like for it to be well-configured.

Thanks for considering the rod, and I'd appreciate your comments.

[numbskull]

If you want to cut everything off the rod and buy $185 of titanium guides I've got a layout that works well on a 1321M but that seems a shame for a nice rod with little use.

The problem with the set up you have now is going to be guide loops with braid. If you use heavy braid, or better yet fireline, you might not have a problem and the rod would be fine as it is. Alternatively you could strip the tip section and rebuild it with K guides (probably starting with a 30L) in a NGC layout.

This site Fuji Rod Components - Anglers Resource is a good resource and has a guide placement system that will help you.

[Saltheart]

The only issue I see worth doing anything about is the 4 guides. That rod should have more. Not uncommon for a rod like that to have 7 or 8 these days.

The tip twisting may be helped some if you put the two sections together about 45 degrees of alignment then twist while pushing together for the final snugging (wringing the two halfs together). Do not use ant ferrel lube at all. You want it clean and dry then put the two halves together with a little twist at the very end of tightening.

[Pierless]

Thanks for your insights. It appears the tip section would have to be redone for the rod to be generally acceptable. I think I could use it, as is, with 4 guides by limiting the lure wt. and line test to protect from overstressing it. I'd be taking the risk of blank failure myself.

A conservative modification would be to add a regular height SVSG 12 or 16 and to move 3 of the 4 guides I already have and come up with something along the lines of this factory set-up for a GSB 132 2L:

(from: Lamiglas Guide Spacing Chart Revised 4/22/10)

GSB 132 2L
Distance from tip 7 1/2, 18 1/4, 30, 45, 64
Guide Sizes 12, 16, 25, 40, 50

To save labor I'd leave the butt guide where it is.

The more extensive, (and expensive) option would be to strip the tip section and install a modern NGC or other contemporary layout.

The difficult part in redoing the rod will be restoring the finish at the existing guide locations. I've done it before, and it's a job. If I attempt the project, I'll try to post a report after changing the rod.

Thanks again for sharing your valuable insights. It's a pleasure to have found and joined this forum.

[numbskull]

That blank isn't going to fail no matter what you do to it.

Rewrapping the whole tip section to throw an extra guide into it, particularly if you are going to put a 50mm 40" out the rod, seems counter-productive to me. I'd leave it alone and fish it, if you have braid overwrap issues rebuild it with K guides. An NGC option is not very expensive if you use alconite K guides.

The handle looks heavy. Are those hypalon grips? If so it is not a very big deal to cut all that off and rebuild with a NPS seat and xflock.

The GSB132m is a wonderful blank, but a bit heavy and slow to start with. Putting large guides out the tip like Lami does is a poor choice. It makes the rod too heavy and too slow. Free it up with light small guides and it will compete favorably with any of these new blanks.

[Pierless]

I really appreciate the assurance that the blank won't fail simply because of only 4 guides. That being the case, I'll leave the rod alone for now, except maybe replacing the 16H with a regular height 16 in the same place, just so it won't bother me to look at it. If the rod doesn't like braid, I'll just use mono.

I believe the grips are hypalon. I made a balance scale out of a coathanger to weigh the rod. I used bank sinkers as counterweights. According to this precision instrument, the rod weighs about 22oz. It balances 4 1/2 inches above the foregrip.

As it is, the rod will probably do just fine for what I need. That's probably just a little beach fishing with bait someday on the Emerald Coast. It could sit just fine in a sand spike. I could probably get by with it for a very infrequent surfcasting session. Thanks to your suggestions, I'll have a modification plan if I ever need to do some serious surfcasting with it on a consistent basis.

Thanks so much for the insights into surfcasting rod design.