News & Updates
Agate stripping guides have been a part of rod building since as far back as the 1870’s, when Kosmic Rods featured them as Agate Tunnel Guides. A book titled “Idyl of Split Bamboo”, by Dr. George Parker Holden, showed examples of agate guides and tip tops and companies such as F.E. Thomas, Payne, Leonard, Edwards, Varney and Heddon used agate stripping guides, made in Germany, extensively during the 1930’s to the 1940’s. The use of agate stripping guides dropped off during WWII and afterwards only a few rod builders possessed small quantities of these guides.
Read more: How Snake Brand Brought Agate Stripping Guides Back
The Snake Brand name has always been synonymous with creativity and innovation.
Each and every fly rod designer desires to bring to the market a design that will have elements that will increase line speed for distance, better loading properties and loop control for enhanced presentation. Component weight and epoxy build-ups can defeat even the finest designs. With this in mind we were the first company in the industry to introduce guides with graduated wire diameters to optimize the design of the rod and increase its performance.
In 2005 we submitted a design to the Patent Office and were granted a patent for the Universal Guide. What was unique about this design was that it incorporated a concave radius on the bottom of the guide, a convex radius on the top of the guide and a tapered foot for ease of wrapping. The concave radius allowed the guide to have a lower profile to the rod blank which minimized the epoxy build-ups, which reduced weight and helped to achieve the performance desired by the designer. Not only was this a breakthrough but an industry first because the issues with alignment were eliminated because Snake Brands Guides feet are designed to have the feet in alignment to sit flat and incorporated a round helix that assists in creating more line speed which in turn increases the casting distance.
Read more: Why Universal Guides Are the Best Flyrod Guides Available
Twenty years ago I realized that weight affected the performance of even the best-designed rods.
At the time of our introduction into the market the available snake guides used primarily two wire diameters with no consideration to reducing weight in the upper end of the rod. With this in mind I performed an Industry First by assigning each guide a wire diameter that complimented its location on the fly rod. The guide sizes and wire diameters are as follows:
A Concave Radius Universal Guide (patented technology)
Prior to our introduction of the Universal Guide we analyzed guides available in the market and noted that a flat stamped guide foot does not mate well to the round rod blank. With this in mind we designed the guide to have a concave radius on the entire undersurface of the guide foot. The benefits of this new design were improved alignment and orientation to the rod blank as well as more surface contact. We were also able to lower the profile to the rod blank thus minimizing any epoxy build-ups. Reduction in weight is critical in achieving improved cast performance.
This is an email received last week from Tom Margan outlining his thoughts and theory of fly rod design.
Mike McCoy built one of my 6-weight Streamer Special fiberglass blanks which is a copy of a special rod I built just for myself when I owned the R. L. Winston Rod Company. He couldn't believe what a fabulous rod it was and, not only did he love it, but he showed it to a number of friends and they couldn't believe how good it was either. I think they were all surprised it was fiberglass. Of course, this was not a surprise to me since I have always loved fiberglass rods and know how wonderful they can be if properly designed.
Snake Brand is pleased to announce that C. Barclay Fly Rod Co. will be among the first to feature our new light wire snake guides with ECOating in their new rods. These new guides are coated using environmentally-safe materials and manufacturing processes. Here's a brief synopsis of Chris Barclay's new rod series:
Read more: C. Barclay Rods Among First to Use Light Wire Snake Guides with ECOating
