Although there are lots of unique styles of outrigger guides, they can still be categorized into a few basic ones. One of the best is the pulley style clip (guide) and although it performs extremely well, even on a larger size boat, it is also quite expensive and not something that you want to get if you don’t need it.

The way that the pulley guide works is opening and closing out to the bait and back to the rod tip. You can adjust the tension with these pulley guides and you can adjust the length of your baits as well. This is quite convenient because it allows you to pull the bait forward if you want or even drop it back without the need to take off the clip like with other guides.

Another type that you might run into is pretty common. It is known colloquially as a ‘zip clip.’ The line extends from the rod tip behind a metal wire to your bait. This is also another clip that you can adjust for tension and the length of your bait.

Finally, there is the clothespin clip, which was the first type of clip to be used with outriggers. You can adjust the tension but not bait length. Most people don’t really use this as a guide for outriggers but instead for guiding flat lines which it is very well-suited for.