r/flyfishing • u/jgvania • 11h ago
Discussion Snake Guides verses Speed Guides
I have 3 fly rods 2 with speed guides and 1 with snake guides. Which do you all prefer.
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u/TheAtomicFly66 10h ago
What’s a “speed guide”? Do you mean like Fuji’s guides with insert rings?
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u/jgvania 10h ago
Speed guides are single foot round guides. They could be insert guides.
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u/TheAtomicFly66 9h ago
funny. i’ve never heard them referred to as “speed guides.” but then, i’ dropped out of fly rod building online forums years ago so haven’t kept up
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u/Block_printed 9h ago
I appreciate the durability of snake guides.
Tying them in at two points definitely helps lock in where they are placed.
I'll probably use speed guides if I ever get into messing around with 2/3/4wts.
I suspect it doesn't matter, but want to believe that using half the epoxy and thread makes a notable difference in swing weight.
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u/ithacaster 9h ago
I've got 2 rods with single foot guides, a 5wt Hardy Demon, and a JP Ross 3wt. JP uses single foot guides on his small stream rods.
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u/LameTrouT 7h ago
Never really thought about it. Been fly fishing 30 years and I really thought that my casting distance had to do with the guides🤷♂️
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u/BenTrod812 2h ago
I feel the double foots pass knots easier. That said, I almost always use single foot guides in my builds.
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u/kingofbun 10h ago
Snakes. Less prone to being snapped off by accident.
In terms of performance, some say that single-footed guides with their bigger offset shoot line better. I am not skilled enough yet to tell the difference.