Quote:
Originally Posted by East Tide
Interesting observations, Numbskull. Do you have data to support these claims from a wide cross section of casters? I don't mean to sound accusatory, simply curious.
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A " wide cross section of casters"? Of course not. Very few people build rods this way. The LC transition builds are too complicated for most, and the KLH builds are only this year becoming practical with the availabilty of the new M series transition guides. I had to learn this for myself, but I did and now I'm putting it out there for others to try if they want something better to fish with.
Understand that I did not come to this as an internet fad. I came to it step by step because I was unhappy with the way my rods performed and it made no sense to stick with large guide systems designed for mono or reels larger than I needed for braid. I knew others felt the same and were having success pushing beyond the NGC builds, so I followed them. My transition has gone COF-NGC-Full LC-LC rapid choke (most of my rods are this) and now KLH rapid choke. Some rods I've rebuilt 4x on the same blank and seen improvement each step away.
Presently, the vast majority of rods (though not the one JK outlines above which is Cone of Flight) are built to a NGC formula. It works fine (none of these guide systems cast appreciably further than the other provided they are set up right). It is forgiving, lighter than most COF layouts, fits lots of different sized reels or line choices (which makes it popular with factory or stock-custom builds), and it is still a viable choice for short rods using large spool high stem reels, big rods where near spool blank support is desired (like a canal jigger), or builds where double footed guides are felt necessary (they are usually not, I suspect, but I'm still not fully there). If I was building a 10-11 ft rod for a 706/ZB 27/VS250-300 I'd still likely use it (at 11 ft for slight smaller spool reels like a VS200/ZB 25 I feel you can do better though that's debatable) But that is not what is being discussed in this thread. Here we are talking about a 1201L and that calls for a different minset, I feel.
If I am building on a 1201L (or anyother 1-3, 9-10 ft blank) I am very certain the rods performance can be enhnaced by building with small light guides and using a midsized reel. You could still do this NGC starting with a 30L or 25 KW, but you can also do it as well yet still lighter and more responsively with a rapid choke build using KLH or LC guides and small runners.
Unless you test the latter two guide systems for yourself against a NGC layout (as I have) you have no way to make a good decision about what feels best to you. If you build your own rods, it is naive not to try it (the three extra guides are cheap).
I'm not looking to fish rods that are more "clever" than the next guy (most of my fishing is done far from the canal or other fishermen), I'm looking to fish rods that are light, cast well, hold up well, and are comfortable to use for hours after hour. I feel what I have learned can benefit others who want the same, so I'm putting it out there to be tried and let people decide for themselves.
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