TackleTour

Has anyone built with Pac Bay Minima 4 Guides, and do you think it will hold up to braid?

I just finished 3 9' fly blanks built as spinning rods with them. I've only used them for 2 weeks (with mono) but I am very pleased. I've seen posts in other places where users have had good results with braid but I haven't tried it. I used the hard chrome. They are certainly very light and I think they look very clean on the rod. I'll use more, and I'll probably try the TICH's. I went 20-12-6-4 fly to tip.

Lots of guys don't have issues with metal ringed guides. Braid or no braid.

Personally, I don't want to take the chance so I use ceramic. A metal ring just won't have the hardness of a ceramic.

The Minima 4's are nice guides for a metal ringed guide. I've used them for some fly rod builds. I certainly feel they are at the top of the heap in their class.

Mattman wrote: Personally, I don't want to take the chance so I use ceramic. A metal ring just won't have the hardness of a ceramic.

- I agree. Ceramic guides trumped metal in popularity decades ago... for several reasons... there is a world of difference in heat dissipation also.

I decided to try using a PB Minima 4 25 mm stripper guide, a 12 and a 6 mm Minima 4 for my transition guides then used 4mm nanolite running guides and nanolite ringed tip. It casts really well and appears to save weight without the high price of Ti guides. I will have to see how they last over time.