I've seen numerous posts on this board by persons requesting advice on good quality but inexpesive blanks. One of the most frequent responses is "Tiger Eye." I've have built a lot of fresh water rods over the years but for some reason I had never had the occasion to use Tiger Eye. I wanted a small pack rod for the mountain streams and came across an inexpensive, first quality 7' 3/4 WT 4 piece Tiger Eye a few months back (I think it was on @#$%&) and bought it because it was a really good buy. It's laid around for a while and then I finally built the rod about a month ago. This is the first week that I've managed to get it out for a test drive. Man, was I impressed! That rod cast a 4 Wt line as accurately and effortlessly as any rod I've ever handled; rods that costs several times over what this one did. I haven't tried it yet with 3 WT but I think it may struggle just a bit loading with lighter line (it also CC'd out as a solid 4) but it will still be OK. Yes, there are still better blanks out there but if the rod I have is an example of their general quality, dollar for dollar it would be tough to beat the Tiger Eye for overall value. If someone asks me for a recommendation for a quality, inexpensive blank, Tiger Eye will be among the very first that I suggest.

Ditto! Sam,
I built an Ultra-Light 2pc. spinning rod using a "Tiger-Eye" blank I also bought thru @#$%& and am very impressed with
it! Spent less than $30.00.. Used the Amtak rainbow zerconium guides and the rootbeer color blank really pops.
If I were to build another one I would probably try a lighter set of guides. The Amtak's look sweat but I think they are
a bit heavy.

Raymond Adams
Eventually, all things merge, and a river runs through it..

I just picked up a 8' 3/4 wt and I think they are a little heavy. I have not built the rod yet but noticed on Schneiders web site that they don't mention the weight spec. Lamiglass also leaves theirs out and their blanks are a bit stout also. The ferrell end of the tip section was cut off unevenly, I will have to sand it flush and lookes like the finish was sanded off a bit also at the ferrell, but it will be wrapped there anyway. The color is nice, and I am just building the rod for practice and the price is right. Overall I am satisfied. Good wraps Tom.

i just swiped the single foot titanium wire guides from my first rod, an 8'5" 5 weight forecast, and used them to assemble a 7 foot, 2 pc, 3/4 weight tiger eye fly blank. finished it on friday, fished it on sunday. just a tad short for some conditions, but worked really well for most of the small stream water i fished that day. pretty blank too.

eric
fresno, ca.

I think they are similar to the Old Fenwick rods. They have a flexible tip with out being wimpy, with nice butt power. Can't beat the color.

Bill

I think you're right in your comparison to the really good old Fenwick's. I don't recall anyone else ever making that comment but I think it's a great comparison. As Eric mentioned, this blank makes a rod that is a bit short for some conditions - there are better rods for bigger waters. For my needs, I'm fishing smaller rivers and streams in the mountains of the western Carolinas and north Georgia and this rod is about the perfect length. It easily and accurately throws 50 FT of line. In the conditions that I wanted the rod for, how much more line do I need to keep in the air? Most of my casts are probably under 40 FT and a large percentage even less than that.

Sam Stoner

Bill

I think you're right in your comparison to the really good old Fenwick's. I don't recall anyone else ever making that comment but I think it's a great comparison. As Eric mentioned, this blank makes a rod that is a bit short for some conditions - there are better rods for bigger waters. For my needs, I'm fishing smaller rivers and streams in the mountains of the western Carolinas and north Georgia and this rod is about the perfect length. It easily and accurately throws 50 FT of line. In the conditions that I wanted the rod for, how much more line do I need to keep in the air? Most of my casts are probably under 40 FT and a large percentage even less than that.

Sam Stoner

Sam
Sounds like that 4 wt line works well on it.
You could add maybe 6" into the butt? maybe if you want to play and can borrow a 3WT line to try on it. But sounds like it is doing well as is.

ive heard some were on the web that the tiger eyes are built on the original fenwick HMG mandirals i cant remember were i heard it so i dont realy know if its true i would like to try one was thinking of the 9 foot 5/6 wt. 2pcs has any one built on this blank does it have a powerful butt anyways thanks Jon Erbacher

You have my attention with this thread....was thinking about a dedicated rod for surf perch grubbing here in Nor Cal and these blanks sound nice. A rootbeer blank with garnet guide wraps and gold trim maybe?

Time for more ressearch.

Hey Derek,
What part of No. Cal. ?

Raymond Adams
Eventually, all things merge, and a river runs through it..

Derek

The garnet thread is a common thread color selection to compliment the Tiger Eye blank. I normally use rust thread tipped with beige. With this particular rod I also had spiralled in 3 strands of olive green along with the beige. I haven't posted pics but I think that I probably will. I used a reel seat turned from deer antler. The beige and the rust seemed to perfectly compliment the several shades of brown that were in the antler along with the cork grip and the brown blank.

One of the preceding posts mentioned the weight of the blank on a heavier model and that may be true. These are probably not the lightest graphite blanks you can find. I'm not too concerned about the weight because mine is a very light fly rod and it really doesn't make that much difference. Had I been building a much heavier or different typeof rod, then the weight of the blank may have been of much greater importance. At any rate, the point of my original post was that I wanted to reinforce what I had already read on this board - from my experience these are very nice blanks at a very attractive price.

The other thing I would say is check the weight on the blank you may want to use and compare it to others.
I was looking for a certain blank for some one and checking the weights I found that St Croix was the lightest in this certain configuation.