Line control in fishing--not casting--slightly favors small, low-profile guides that minimize slop between them and enable a straight line, stripping guide to tip-top, and roughly parallel, relative to the blank diameter, "line" of line when the blank is flexed. Larger/higher guides slightly favor distance. If your fishing isn't casting, go with a relatively low sitting guide such that its "top" ( the low point of the inner ring when the rod is in fishing position) is almost in line with the inner ring of the second guide (snake or ring) and so on. This gives one point where everything is lined up and ready to respond to hand and rod motions to mend the line, strip, twitch, and so on. In casting, gathering more gradually through two or three guides down to the "straight line" minimum size, might be preferable. In fishing, not so much. But again, as a practical matter, these are slight differences.
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