15: GUIDE RINGS ON THE KAIZEN GREEN RODS
The choice of guides, or rod rings, and how they are positioned is an important decision when it comes to designing any fishing rod.
The last thing you want to do it to design and build a perfect blank and then negatively impact its performance by using the wrong type of guides; having too many or the wrong sizes; or positioning them incorrectly.
The weight of the guides is an important factor, especially when trying to achieve a rod that is as light as possible and makes it easier to generate very fast tip speeds when casting. This action and exactly what it does in practical terms is explained in Kaizen Green performance explained.
But at the same time you also need these rod rings to be robust enough that they can stand up to constant use out on the bank, and especially so in the hands of anglers that are relatively new to the sport and are more likely to knock them against the ground or overhanging trees.
So, for the Kaizen Green range we chose to use Sea-Guide TDG twin leg stainless steel guides for all of the rods – the only exception being the 10ft models aimed specifically at anglers who are fishing with braid, and where a different lining is required – you can read about that in Ceramic guides explained.
These guides are light enough that they won’t impact upon the overall weight of the rod enough to be noticeable, versus a single leg model, but are also far more durable and resistant to getting bent during transit or when accidentally knocked around on the bank.
Another advantage of a single leg guide is that it creates less of a flat spot where it is whipped onto the rod, versus two legs, but again that is hardly noticeable, and these Sea-Guide rings are positioned in the optimal position, taking into account the curve of the rod when it is compressed.
All of the 12ft, 12ft 6in., and 13ft rods feature 50mm butt rings tapering down to a 16mm tip ring, which is ideal for use with big pit style reels – this allows the line to freely cone off the spool, minimising drag and ‘slap’ against the blank, which helps you to cast further. The 10ft rods have 40mm butt rings, which are the perfect size for a shorter rod like this and given its intended uses. The 16mm tip ring allows a leader knot to freely pass through it.
These guides are low profile and instead of a traditional lining that fits into the ring – like that found on the ceramic ring version of the 10ft Green rods – instead these have a low profile Adaman coating, which is ten times tougher than stainless steel. The advantage is that it can’t get cracked like a traditional guide, which in turn damages your line, nor can it shatter or pop out of the casing if you knock against something – easy to do in the excitement of landing a fish.
The best way to see this for yourself, and to select which model from the range best suits you, is to head down to your local Korda stockist, details of which can be found on our store locator.