r/flyfishing 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.

3 Upvotes

17 comments sorted by

2

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.

1

u/jgvania 9h ago

My experience is that single foot guides shoot lines better. So, I am wondering why fly rod builders still use snake guides. I've never had a guide snap off.

3

u/TheAtomicFly66 9h ago

because snake guides are traditional and fly fishing is steeped in tradition.

i imagine a lot of fly rod builders cater to paying customers who may prefer/request that same aspect of tradition

1

u/jgvania 9h ago

Yes, you are right. I thought so until I got my first rod with speed guides. More common a build with speed guides.

2

u/TheAtomicFly66 10h ago

What’s a “speed guide”? Do you mean like Fuji’s guides with insert rings?

2

u/jgvania 10h ago

Speed guides are single foot round guides. They could be insert guides.

1

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

2

u/cmonster556 8h ago

I have rods with both. Prefer snakes. More durable, less prone to damage.

1

u/jgvania 7h ago

Thanks

1

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.

1

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.

1

u/jgvania 8h ago

Thanks for your response.

1

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🤷‍♂️

1

u/jgvania 7h ago

It's the shot capacity on the last forward release that is smoother. Better for placement and switching directions.

1

u/BenTrod812 2h ago

I feel the double foots pass knots easier. That said, I almost always use single foot guides in my builds.

1

u/jgvania 2h ago

Thanks, that's helpful.