What are the advantages and disadvantages of micro guides?

you know, a simple google search turns up tons of answers. Heres 2 from this forum

 

To me.... It doesn't matter. I own some rods with micros, without micros and some in the middle of the size spectrum. Some of the "micro" guide rods that I own seem to have no performance benefit than the same rod with standard guides. Case in point, the falcon Bucoo series and bps carbon lite. I see no difference between the two. But someone else might I guess. 

The two of my favorite rods just so happen to lay somewhere in the middle. the st croix legend tournament and the mojo series. 

With all that being said, I'm focused on buying rods with high quality guides. And thats it 

After owning a few micro guide rods i have now come to realize that in a kayak, they are easier to manage and don't bang on stuff as often.  All my rods are now micros and i don't think i will switch up anytime soon.

Micros are lighter. I like them on casting rods pretty well. I like an intermediate size on spinning though, especially on the stripper guide.. shoot DVT a pm, he can get heavy on the details..he can build you a hell of a rod too. 

27 minutes ago, flyfisher said:

After owning a few micro guide rods i have now come to realize that in a kayak, they are easier to manage and don't bang on stuff as often.  All my rods are now micros and i don't think i will switch up anytime soon.

Only a Philadelphia fan would fish from a kayak..lol

3 minutes ago, Alonerankin2 said:

Micros are lighter. I like them on casting rods pretty well. I like an intermediate size on spinning though, especially on the stripper guide.. shoot DVT a pm, he can get heavy on the details..he can build you a hell of a rod too. 

Only a Philadelphia fan would fish from a kayak..lol

yeah, we are gluttons for punishment....oh and don't need those pansy motors either lol

One of the biggest disadvantages is the are harder to string the line up after you turn 50 UGH!! 

Properly employed micro guides allow a blank to retain the maximum amount of its inherent characteristics through the weight savings. The result is a crisper,  more sensitive and better balanced rod. The problem is that too many manufacturers don't employ them correctly and make exaggerated claims regarding casting distance etc. micros aren't a cure all but have a definite time and place. They are contra indicated where ice, filimentous algae or cottonwood are a factor.  

My micro guides are just about unusable when air temps are below freezing. They freeze up before I can finish retrieving a cast. They are harder to de-ice too. It's like they freeze solid. The conventional ones freeze up too but I'm usually able to get a couple casts before I have to pick them clean. They (conventional) are much easier to clean out too. Other than that I have no problem with micro guides.

Fuji has a very handy tool to help guide your line through the micros.

It's as DVT says, the biggest advantage is a lighter, crisper, more sensitive rod.  A disadvantage not yet mentioned is that they do not pass line to line knots as well as bigger guides.  Yes, I know there are knots that will work with most pound tests and micro sizes, but the plain geometric fact is that a bigger guide will pass a knot cleaner than a smaller guide.  If you're going to use fairly heavy leaders and fairly heavy braids, and want to use your old favorite double uni knot, you may want to go with bigger guides, bigger meaning only something like a 6, so they are not that big.

Personally I like the micros on rods I use for baits that don't require a leader. 

 

I tryed a friends micro guide rod for punching one time and I was sold. It felt and fished so much lighter and easier than a regular sized guided rod I was useing of the same brand. And also agree it was just a tad more sensitive.

 

Mike 

Like all guides micros come in different sizes and types, most being single foot windless. Bait casting rods it's import that the first guide be larger, 2nd guide medium and placed at the correct location to reduce line whip, the balance of the guide train being smaller and located to reduce line drag on the blank for proper loading. Most rod builders use 1 or 2 more micros vs tradional size guides.

The big problem with micros is using braid and leaders, the knot doesn't go through the guides smoothly, the FG knot is the smallest diameter but still fills the smaller guides about 50% passing through. Another issue is keeping the guides clean from gathering debris or icing closed.

Advsntage is lighter weight and keeping the line off the rod blank.

Tom

I like micro guides for skipping, other than that I hate them.

I keep one baitcasting rod around with micro guides for skipping, the rest of my rods have "normal" guides.

My biggest issues with them for me are:

#1 as WRB said, they are not smooth with a braid/leader knot. And since most of my fishing is done with braid/fluoro leader, the micro guides don't work real well for me.

#2 The amount of junk they can accumulate ranges from infuriating to mildly annoying. Come late May early June around here, if your using a micro guide equipped rod, you spend more time picking cotton wood fibers out of it than fishing...........no thanks. Also early and late in the season they ice up solid too much to be of any use to me.