Need some ideas on blanks for a very specific application. If any of you are familiar with a great lakes trolling technique that involves a heavy (16 oz.) lead ball, to get a dodger/fly rig down on wire line, you are familiar with the term "thumper" rod, which is a fairly heavy power, 8'-10 1/2' rod with a SOFT tip to "read" the action of the trailing dodger down below. We use this as a speed indicator in the sometimes very strong underwater currents, to see whats really going on with the rigs down there. I have used many of the finished rods offered by the manufacturers designed for this purpose, but nothing optimal. The trick is to find a blank which has enough backbone to drag this rig around all day, and yet enough sensitivity in the tip to "read" the action of the rig down below. Any thoughts are greatly appreciated.

Don Eurillo

Sounds like something fiberglas to me... just not sure what. Possibly one of the blanks used for sturgeon.... have enough backbone to lob a 8oz sinker a country mile but a soft tip to see the pumping bite of the sturgeon.

Would a bunker-spoon blank also work?
Do a SEARCH = BUNKERSPOON for other blank recommendations,
or "DOWNRIGGER".

BUNKERSPOON Blank
Gator Glass Rod Blanks: U-6-108H [Rec'd by Tony Fialkowski]
U-6108H: Trim ~ 5" off the tip, to make a 8'6" rod