Iced Up Guides

[OnAFly]

I plan on doing a little more fishing outside the porty this year, but need a good rod that can resist ice up on the guides to do so. I saw Thorne Bros makes a couple "outdoor" rods, but I haven't heard how effective they are at resisting ice-up.

Anyone have any first hand experience with good panfish rods that don't ice up (or at least resist icing up)?

[slipperybob]

Larger line guides is about the best ice prevention method. At least you're not going to plug up. I would also think that haveing a ceramice guide ring will do better than straight metal guides.

[RebelSS]

On my guides that aren't ceramic, I just spray them with pure silicone and wipe it off.

[OnAFly]

I guess my question is, how well to the larger guides work? Marginally better? Better enough to have a dedicated rod?

[slipperybob]

If you reel fast and pull water up on the line then you're going to get ice up guides no matter. The larger guides prevents the ice plugging up. I will say that it's good enough to fight and land a fish without the ice to plug your line guide. The experience is relative to individual fishing style. Example is having to stand straight up and fish or kneeling down with rod tip so much closer to hole. When it's like -10 F or colder and you're either experiencing ice freeze or frost peeling off the line at your tip guide, I'll stand up. If it's about 20 F, I'll be kneeling down and let the water drip off the tip guide.

For me, it's worth it becuase sometimes it makes the difference between loosing or landing a fish due to a frozen pinched line. Sometimes it's the time to take to clear out a frozen guide or two that makes the difference between just hooking into one or two fish compared to three or four in a hole for a passing school. In those situations, it's a huge difference.

[Drewski]

I saw Thorne Bros makes a couple "outdoor" rods, but I haven't heard how effective they are at resisting ice-up.

I have a TB quiverstick and a TB powernoodle that have the larger titanium recoil guides and I can say that they definitely help with the ice-up problem. Plus they are extremely lightweight which is just another added bonus.

[south_metro_fish]

I would think using a more water resistant line might help to pull up less water onto the guides.

[Northlander]

No matter what you will get ice up there is just no way to prevent it when the line makes contact with the guides. With that said less area of contact will slow down ice build up thats why the fine recoil guides that TB is using on their outside rods helps prevent ice build up. Its not so much the material as how much surface the wet line is hitting when being reeled in.

[Hardyboy]

I build rods and the one thing that i found effective is using fly rod guides and it helps tremendously with ice build up without having a guide that looks like a basketball hoop to prevent the ice up. the "BRO" has a signature rod i believe that uses this idea if your interested in a commercial rod to buy.

[JoeB]

Hardyboy

On another note, I've looking for a source to buy the double eye tip that St Croix uses on their legend, would you by chance now where I can purchase them? Thanks in advance.

Joe

[Hardyboy]

I can certainly look into it and check my sources. I do not know that answer off the top of my head but i will do my best to find out.

[Hardyboy]

i did a little inspection and looking and its not a double headed guide but rather just a separate guide on the opposite side with a rubber grommet put in to hold the spring bobber. they build them in house. and something that could easily be done just take your guide to the hardware store and pick out a rubber grommet the size you need and slip it into the ring on the guide. i may have to do it just out of curiosity now lol

[Eric_Kruger]

when they say larger eyes there not talking to much of a bump they are going from a size 6 up to a size 8 in most cases, what it does is decreases the area of line that touches the guide on the retrieve. basically making less surface area for ice to build up. the nice thing about the snake guides and recoil guides is most have flex so all you have to do is flick the tip guide and it will knock the ice off. your cheaper guides will get cold and make more ice. also using a black tip guide or tip top will help out a little bit by drawing heat. I do like the bro series just for the fact that they have the black fly tip in them, i dont have any thorne rods but i do have some home brew built on there design using the Power noodle blank and some black recoil spinning guides that work real nice!

The St croix guides are two fly guides pressed into one tiny tube making the tip top, they can be imitated very well by tying to back to back on the tip, if memory serves me correct the guide is a size 8 snake guide, an 1/8 hole grommet and whatever spring you choose, can be done for under ten bucks!

Good fishin guys!

EK

[JoeB]

Hardyboy

Thanks for the reply. I have used a single foot fly guide #5 and tied it on top of several of my rods and used the rubber grommet your talking about and it works quite well. Thought there may be an outlet for the double that would save a little time and labor. Thanks

Joe

[RebelSS]

Like I stated earlier, I have sprayed my guides with pure silicone, for at least 5 years, which will NOT harm rubber, plastic, mono, or fluoro line for years, (As does my fishing buddy, who will attest to this) and I fish in extreme temps, and do not have ANY icing on my guides...since water cannot stick to silicone. Just trying to help folks out here, but sometimes I wonder...does anyone REALLY listen to some of these posts with an open mind, or just keep babbling along...I guess whatever works for ya...hence my signature quote.

[Ed Carlson]

Larger thinner guides, made from Stainless Steel, or Titanium is the only real defense from ice in open air.

[IceProwler]

I cannot find it on the board anymore. But, I swear I saw someone say WD-40 worked well to prevent ice-up. Anyone have experience with it?

[RebelSS]

Yup.That's what I used before I found some good silicone spray. I like the silicone, because it's "drier" than the WD-40 (Remember...WD-40 means "Water displacement at the 40th try"..that's how it got it's name..look it up!) I use it on my .357 and 10 mm..it doesn't "collect" residue. Either one will work. Water will just slide off either one..\but if you prefer shower curtain rings for guides, go for it.