Hi everyone,

I have a friend in the US that raves about Kistler rods. He and I have been speaking about me building him a rod. I suggested a St. Croix SCV blank (good reputation and easy access for me in Canada) for a nice light baitcaster for Bass, but he wants something like his Kistler, which rumor has it are made on Rogue blanks.

Does anyone here have experience with both Rogue and St. Croix blanks? Rogue doesn't list blank weights on their site so I'm wondering about weight and feel of comparable blanks from these two companies.

Thanks,
Mark

Mark Janeck
Custom Rods, Campbellville, Ontario

Don't use many Rogue blanks, being in the Pacific Northwest one state away, you'd think I'd see more of them on the water or in the stores. Heard of lots of breakage years ago. The ones I've done have been of the large diameter/ thin wall design. The one bass rod I've done was a nice proforming blank, but nothing extraordinary in any catagory. Reminded me of old St Croix SC IV blanks in weight and performance.

Both are good blanks.

Rogue does not have any models that will compete with the Legend Elite however. Sensitivity in the Rogue's aren't on par with V and IV graphites.

Better to have and not need than to need and not have.

I've made about a dozen rods on Rogue SJ blanks, and twice that many St. Croix in SCIV and SCV. I just last week finished two Rogue SJ665's and two SJ703's. The SJ series in the 4 and 5 stiffness (e.g. the SJ664 is 6'6" in 4 power) are on par with the SCIV graphite in stiffness, weight, and therefore sensitivity. They are very similar in action, although the Rogue is a much larger diameter blank.

None of the Rogue blanks in this series are as stiff per weight as the SCV blanks. The SCV blanks are something else entirely (as reflected in the price).