I'm planning my 7th rod build. I fish medium to small streams in PA.

I'm leaning towards a 9' , 4wt, 4 pieces. This will be my main rod. I have various rods 2-6 wt.

I'm interested in some help selecting a blank that is an excellent value. I can justify a high price tag if the performance
is much better. I can't justify the high price for brand name bragging rights only.

I do like the idea of having a blank that not everyone has.

Some of the brand names look and sound great, but at huge bucks. I have built 1 sage and 1 Loomis
and enjoy the rods. I don't know if I enjoy them that much better than some of my generic blanks.

Any suggestions? What do I look for. Does the # modulus mean that much? Do most of the blanks come a few factories and are renamed.



thx

Jeff

I fish a Winston Wt 8'4 4 weight on small streams. It is very light, med action rod. It feels alot more balanced than other rods in this category. They make other small stream blanks that are a little faster. I think Winston built there reputation on small stream rods and I am very pleased with mine. A nice struble real seat and ultra fine grip would compliment this kind of blank. Just my thoughts. Have fun shopping!Tom. P.S. Anglers workshop carries winston.

You can't go wrong with a Dan Craft blank. The 803-5 is one sweet small stream rod, and the 844-3 V is not bad either!
Best part is that you'll be able to do it for less than $200...when you might lay that much out for a Sage blank.

I'm with Scott, the Dan Craft blanks are simply fantastic, I don't think you'll see to many in PA. I think I'd have Dan help you with this as there are some new Sig III blanks that are not in the catalog yet that he really is excited about. A $200 rod would be easy, even if you splurged on the components some. Some of Dan's earlier designs were reviewed at flyanglersonline.com some years ago, and are in the archives if your interested. They have only gotten better.

i just wrapped a dan craft Sig V 8'-4" for 3/4 weight line last week. the only minor problem you might have is it's only a three piece but that doesn't bother me at all, especially considering the performance. this rod blank is EXCELLENT. i'm not sure how you might be able to test cast one. find someone anywhere and you'll see. i test cast it alongside dan craft FTs, other Sig Vs in diff models, an 8 foot 4 weight forecast and rainforest blanks (7-9 for 3 weight) and a 3 weight winston boron this weekend and the Sig V hands down was not only my favorite, but that of at least 5 others who cast many of these rods. comes in spiral grey or matte sanded grey, looks fantastic with my dark glossy wooded insert bellinger cap and ring seat. i also will be using it on small to medium sized streams for trout, but in california's sierra nevada. admittingly, i have yet to get on the water with it, but soon, soon.....

i next want to try a Sig III, probably the 803-5. satin black baby... ;-) and both of these are under $100.

eric
fresno, ca.

I haven't yet tried Dan's blanks, but fully intend to do so. The great reviews they get on this board from accomplished builders/anglers speaks volumes.

btw, why 9'? Because there are also choices in slightly shorter rods that imo fish great on medium/small streams. For example, one option imo of an inexpensive, but quality, medium/small stream blank that builds into a very functional rod is the Forecast 7'9" 3wt. I think it is a sweet spot in the Forecast line-up. I really like the length and action and 3wt line for fishing the lower Appalachians here in the SE. Plus, the new ones have a noticeably better finish, imo.

I also just finished a 7'6" 4wt 4pc H&H IM7 (Pac Bay Rainforest) for a customer who intends to fish it in New Hampshire. That is if I don't find a way to keep it for myself :)

Lots of great choices in inexpensive, high-quality blanks. A little more information of the specific action you are wanting will probably narrow the list or possibly widen it :)

Hi Jeff! Gotta echo some of the sentiments already expressed here--you owe it to yourself to consider a Dan Craft...and are you set on 9'? You know your situation best, but my speculating leads me to think 8' or 8'6" might be a better all-round fit for small PA streams. One way or the other, I'm confident we'd have a Dan Craft blank that would be a perfect match to your criteria--you can view the whole lineup on our site. You can also read a short introduction to each of his series under "Our Products", "Blanks", "Dan Craft", then click the links on the left to view the series in the store for model options and pricing.

Another one I'd have to suggest you consider is Rainshadow's new RX8+ 8'6" 4wt 4pc blank. STUNNING PERFORMANCE. It's becoming one of my all-time favorites. If the price is a bit high, you might want to try the RX7+ instead, which is also a fantastic fishing stick and is finished in a beautiful and unique gloss brown.

All the best,

also, as an addendum to my earlier post, i wrapped a pac bay rainforest 9 foot 4 weight, 4 piece last december as a gift for my dad and that rod feels pretty nice too. a more medium action than the dan craft Sig V i've recentely fallen in love with. nine footers make mending easier,. do you already have shorter fly rods, hence the quest for a nine footer?

it's odd, but with these dan craft blanks, you see modulus ratings of 50-60 million and you hear the term fast, or super fast, but that's a bit misleading. i noticed my sig V blank felt really fast compared to other blanks i've wiggled or wrapped and i was worried that i bought something way too fast for me, or that i'm used to, but there is a certain unique quality i am too new to this fly-business to adequately explain which is only evident if you actually cast it with line. those FTs were surprising too. the tip section is "softer" than i expected. perhaps that explains the strange combination of juxtoposed terms like "cannon" and "light/sensitive" used for the same blank.

eric
fresno, ca.

Hi
I live in Scotland and have started making my own fly rods. After reading about the Dan Craft blanks I am seriously considering this as my next build.
I am just finishing an 8' 6" Loomis IMX 4WT. How does the Dan Craft compare?
We don't see these blanks in the UK so I am happy to come to sites like this to get the benefit of your experience
Thanks
Dave Olley

I would say that the 844-3 V compares quite favorably. The IMX might be objectively a faster taper, but the Dan Craft recovers so dang quickly that it generates some amazing line speed. The slower action, quick recovery allows you to drop a cast 15' out with great precision, and when the time comes to reach out to 60', there's plenty to back it up. Not to mention that it is lighter weight and prettier...