Remember those black snake guides of old? They were just about the only snake guides available back in the Bamboo Rod Era. Trouble is, they were usually coated with a black lacquer which didn't stand up very well to line friction and the elements.

They certainly had no place in the salt, but some freshwater fly rodders advanced the theory that because the guides were blackened, they wouldn't reflect sunlight and, perhaps, spook wary trout in small, clear-running streams. Besides, many fly rodders just liked the look of black snake guides.

Black-lacquered guides were very popular until hard-chromed stainless steel snake guides came along, and they've been the standard for all fly rodders since. But what right- or wrong-minded fly rodder wants standard when there's an option?

Perfection Guides is giving us one this season with hard, black chrome snake guides. This isn't a paint or anodization. It's a pure black chrome plating over Perfection's stainless steel wire snake guides. In other words, it's the same process Perfection uses to manufacture standard, silver snakes, but with different chrome.

The guides are comparable in every way, and they're available on up to a saltwater Size 6, so there is no reason why they cannot be used on saltwater fly rods. Are they better? Not really. Both the silver and black versions have the same hard-chrome plating, the same stainless underneath, and they come in the same sizes, but, hey . . . They look cool.

Far as I know, no manufacturer is building with Perfection's black chrome guides in 1997, so it's a custom-rod venture for now. The guides are currently available to independent tackle dealers through Merrick Tackle, Inc. (914-688-2216).