Fly rod guide spacing chart

This chart shows the distance in inches for each guide on a specific length fly rod, starting at the rod tip and progressing down the rod.  Generally, the space between guides ranges from 5" to 15".   As you may note, the longer the rod, the more guides used and the greater the distance between each guide.

For instance, the first row below shows that for a rod that is 6' 6" in length, the 1st guide will be 4" down from the tip top of the rod; the 2nd guide is 9" from the tip, etc.  This rod would have 7 guides plus a tip guide, for a total of 8.

Distance from the rod tip for each guide down to the rod grip
F
L
Y

R
O
D

L
E
N
G
T
H

 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th
6' 6" 4" 9 15 21 28 35.5 45"
7' 4" 9.75 15 19.5 25.5 32.5 40.5 50"
7' 4" 4.5" 9.75 15.75 22.5 30 38.25 47.25 57"
7' 6" 4.5" 9.5 15.75 22.5 30 38.5 48.5 59"
7' 9" 4.5" 9.5 15.75 22.5 30 37.5 45.5 54.5 65.5"
8' 4.5" 9 15.25 21.75 29 37 45.75 55.25 65.5"
8' 6" 4" 9 15 22 30 39 49 60 71"
9' 4.5" 9.5 15.25 21.75 29 36.5 44.75 54 64.5 76"
9' 6" 4.5" 9 14.5 21 28.5 37 47 57 70 83"
10' 4.5" 9.75 15.75 22.75 30.75 40 48.25 57.5 67.75 78 89"

When you purchase a "rod building kit", with components included, you will likely find specific instructions for spacing guides for that particular rod.

Back