New style rods with micro eyes??

[boat49]

Has anyone tried these yet? Seems everytime I look at BPS or Academy they seem to have more of these. Just curious to hear some opinions from anyone that has used one or knows of anyone that has and what they said about them.

[deathb4disco]

The ones I've seen are all bass rods. The micro guides are supposed to reduce weight and increase casting distance.

[bfish]

Lighter weight means increase sensitivity. However most of the production bass rods that I have seen have way too many guides (IMO) negating them being light weight. I will be putting microguides on the next crankbait trolling rod that I build.

[Meat Man]

What's a micro eye ?

[boat49]

My bad, I posted before I slept! The correct term is micro guide. Im guessing micro eyes are really small !!

[olduckhunter]

eyes? guides? some people call'em both. i do.

[deathb4disco]

What's a micro eye ?

The guides are really small -- roughly 1/16" in diameter.

[CrappiePappy]

Boat49 ... my ESP rods have mico guides, and they haven't been much of a problem for me. Mind you, though ... they only have (what I'd call) micro guides as the last 4 guides (counting the tip eye as one). As has been mentioned, they were put on the rods to reduce weight. And also, because these rods are fast action tip rods (the rod blank at the tips of the rods are smaller than your average graphite rod of the same length) ... having larger guides would change the action, & add weight to the end.
The only problem I've encountered, has come with the use of a bobberstop. (sort of noted as a "con" in the information below - in reference to line to line knots not easily passing thru the smaller sized ones) But, as I'm more of a jig caster .. than a slip float user .. that really doesn't affect me, all that much.


Here's something I copied off a site, listing pros/cons :

"Micro guides have their share of advantages and disadvantages. The advantages include, but are not limited to:
- Increased sensitivity by less added weight to the rod blank
- Increased sensitivity by less added build weight (less rod finish and thread)
- Increased casting distance by reducing the amount of line slap through the guides
- Increased durability by providing a smaller lever for bending
- Smaller "footprint" on the blank - this decreases the amount of influence on the rod blank's natural flex
- Fewer wind knots
- Less tangles on deck and in rods lockers
- Easier entry into rod lockers and tubes
Disadvantages include:
- Can clog easier with dirty water (cottonwood blooms, heavy slime in water, etc)
- Can ice over easier in sub 32 deg F environments
- Smaller sizes may have trouble passing knots between main line and leader
- Larger sized micros (5s, 4.5s, 4s) may be needed for larger diameter fishing line (ex. 25# monofilament)
- Availability - currently matching micro tip tops have not been available, but should be within the next few months*
- Lines with lots of memory (old mono) may not perform well"

(* note: this was a 2009 article)

... cp

[EnonEye]

Hmmm... hate to be a wet blanket but this sounds like a new marketing scheme to me and nothing new. I remember seeing "micro-guides" (as they're called) on my fathers bamboo fly rods he brought back from England after WWII. As the saying goes "nothing new under the sun."

Also I remember specifically reading that larger guides was what increased casting distance because of a decreased friction happening between the line and the guide.

Who knew my fathers generation had it right back during the Third Reich?Doh

[puddle jumper]

Here is a example of micro's these are on a dock shooting rod i built ,they are 4.5 and some of the micro's go lot smaler that this...Oh and if the rod is made right they are awsome extremely sensitive
PJ