Is it possible to slow down a rod's action by adding more guides?Updated 3 years ago

This is a common misconception among both rod builders and fishermen. Action, or taper, is inherent in the design and final structure that is the rod blank. You cannot make a fast action rod any less fast by adding additional guides. What you will accomplish by adding these extra guides/weight, is the reduction of efficiency and performance of the rod blank, making it feel softer and causing it to react more slowly and dampen less quickly.

The best analogy I can make for you is to compare your situation with that of a high performance sports car. Let's say you find this car to accelerate too quickly, stop too abruptly and corner too precisely. So you toss a few hundred pounds worth of sand bags into the back seat. Suddenly, the car won't accelerate as quickly, will take longer to stop and won't corner as nicely. You haven't changed the specs of the car one bit - the engine still retains the same amount of power, the suspension works the same, the disc brakes rotors are the same size, etc., etc. But you have adversely affected its performance by adding all that extra weight and reduced its overall efficiency.

If what you want is a softer rod that reacts more slowly and dampens less quickly, then adding these extra guides will certainly help you towards that end. But it will still be a fast action rod, just less efficient than it was before you added the extra weight. If you truly want a rod with a slower action, I would suggest purchasing such a creature to begin with. And if what you are looking for is simply a softer feel and less responsive rod, then drop down a level or two in the modulus department and you should have what you want.