Fishing Rod Roller Guides - Which Ones to Buy?

Fishing Rod Roller Guides - Which Ones to Buy?

Rod roller guides are the best option when you need the least amount of guide friction when doing battle with a 1,000 + lb. monster from the deep. The slightest edge is required when hooking into a huge Tuna or Shark. These beasts will test every component of a fishing rod to its limits.

There are many brands of roller guides from Winthrop to Sea-Guide to ALPS and AFTCO. They all have aluminum alloy frames and stainless steel rollers and bearings. All roller guide brands are heavy duty and will never break but some like Winthrop are super heavy duty and expensive. AFTCO have been around for a really long time and are well known. They were THE roller guide when I was a kid. They are excellent and expensive. Sea-Guide and ALPS make some really nice roller guides and are much more reasonable. A Winthrop set of roller guides can cost $400 while ALPS and Sea-Guide run around $150 per set of 5.

If you maintain roller guides by washing them with distilled water after fishing, they will perform well and last a long time. If they are not maintained, they will seize at some point and then your line will break. Roller guides are awesome but only if maintained.

I build custom Tuna rods and Shark rods. I have used all brands of roller guides. Winthrop are very nice but just too expensive. $400 just for a set of roller guides...too much for me to justify unless the customer requests them. I like ALPS and Sea-Guide. They are heavy duty and affordable. Best bang for the buck.

Here is the Sea-Guide Roller Guide. This stripper guide costs about $45.00

Here is the ALPS Roller Guide. It costs about $35.00 

This is the $90.00 Winthrop Roller Guide. It's a Beast.

And the AFTCO SXDH Roller Guide at $70.00.