Working on my Crossover challenge rod, and am looking for comparisons & any suggestions for blanks I might have missed on my list. It seems I'll be fishing 1/8 - 3/8oz with 8# Mono or equivalent braid with a spinning reel. General area will be somewhere from the Mississippi River to Lake Erie, lol. Will need to cast, but will also do teh drifting vertical jigging thing too.

Ok, here's he blanks that I've looked at on paper. The blank which was recommended to me was the St. Croix 3S63 MXF - but of course I wouldn't learn much if I just reasearched and built on 1 blank, would I? lol.
St. Croix SC5S63MXF
St. Croix SC4S63MXF
Lamiglas XMG LSJ781 (Is the 7/8oz weight accurate, and if so does the blank have balls to fight fish, and waht about to bounce/cast the jig?)
Loomis SJ782 GLX
Loomis SJ782 IMX
CTS EST782SJ

If you had to choose one dream blank for this type of fishing...is it listed above? Did I miss anything? Does one stand out over the rest? Why?

In my opinion the 3S63MXF is one on the best vertical jigging blanks available. It has a lite tip
with a hefty butt. The problem with walleye fishing is that there is no one blank that covers
all the different methods of chasing the critters. Jig fishing on the Mississippi is different than
jigging on the Illinois and both are different than the Detroit River and all are different than Lake Erie.
The main reason I like the blank is the softer tip and it works very nicely on lite biting
saugers. The higher modulus blanks are great for various situations and I have many of them.
I also use the 3S63MXF made up with a 6-inch extension for pitching jigs on wing dams on the
Mississippi.
Tom Cooney

I'll send ya one of my Lamiglas LSJ782's. They quit making them but have a few left. GREAT walleye jigging blank!!!

Putter
Williston, ND

Billy, I'll help you If you help me. My favorite walleye rod is the 5C68MXF it's 6'8" with 8-14 pound line rating, 3/16-5/8 oz lure rating. The Elite blank is only 1.5oz and is the lightest of the bunch, the Tournament Elite blank is 1.6oz, and the Avid blank is 2oz. If you’re only going to use it once you may want to look at the Avids. The thing I like about the 6'8" rod is you can use it for jigging (it's not as handy as the 6'3") but it excels at casting and rigging. I like the extra length and the extra fast action will let you feel a walleye bite and give you a good hook set but will not spook the fish when they pick up the bait. It may seem strange to a person that fish’s other species but the walleyes will not pick up the bait and run off with it, they usually take the bait and just sit there. Most times you will not know that you have a fish on you will just feel weight on the rod, no head shake. If you use a rod with to much power (stiff) you can spook the walleye on the pick up. It's just a little different than bass fishing. That's my favorite rod for walleye but there a many different ways to fish so there are many more rods that would fit the bill. I do need some advice on a Fluke rod. I have a SCI blank good to 3oz laying around that should make a great salt water rod, it's 7' MH Fast action. Could this be set up for Fluke?

I'm with Tom Cooney!!!

That's a GREAT vertical jigging blank (at least for Detroit River conditions.

Mike (Southgate, MI)
If I don't want to, I don't have to and nobody can make me (except my wife) cuz I'm RETIRED!!

MArk, when you say Fluke blank, do you mean Saltwater Fluke/Flounder, or that plastic Fluke bait for FW Bass? Start your own thread or e-mail me darnit!! lol.

Tom, thanks for that bit of advice. You actually mentioned all teh fishing that Al said to me last night on tehphone, lol. I'm hoping to make this into a NERBs thign + fishing trip for myself, so hopefulyl we can meet up.

Putter, I'd appreciate that. I'll e-mail you.

Mark - That sounds like the type of fishing I'd be good at. If the fish picks up the bait and just sits there, yet gets spooked, woudl fishing a bit of slack line and watching your line for a "tick" be an effective method? That's kind of the trick to Blackfishing (Tautog) over here.

I did express "concern" over teh lack of rod length, as I haven't fished a rod under 7' in quite some time. I'm not really concerned with the cost of the blank vs the amount I'm going to use it, I have $200 SW blanks with $100+ worth of components which have been sitting in my shop for 2 years. At least I'm planning to use this once, lol.

I'm also not opposed ot making a couple of these rods, since I'm probably not doing any threadwork on it, I'll be able to make 2 or 3 rods in teh time it usually takes me to build one. And then maybe, just maybe I can push that dime up to eleven cents, turn that dozen into a baker's dozen.

Billy, I meant the saltwater fluke. My own thread what's that lol. We will sometimes drift or back troll for walleyes and you will have to feed them some line at times. My father in law is notorious as he will not slow down when I have a walleye hit (of course if it's on his line the boat comes to a complete stop), I usually leave the bail open with a finger on the line, when you pick up a bite release the line and let them have it a bit before you set the hook. The down side to that is if you let them have it too long they are gut hooked and you have to break out the hemostat and go through the gills to retrieve the hook. I've tried circle hooks but it seems that I loose more fish than I like with those hooks.

I prefer Loomis' (Shikari before they closed) Spin Jig tapers for my Walleye jig fishing.

The bulk of my jig fishing takes place from 1/16 - 1/4 ounce so I'm typically fishing a 6'6" 1-power.

I also own a 6'6" 2-power that takes over when wind and waves don't let me fish the lighter weights that I prefer.

Of the options you listed, the GLX would be the stick I'd be after. Maximum sensitivity is a real plus in a Walleye jig stick. Often the bites are very light. Also feeling bottom content can pay off. Feeling that transition line between sand and gravel and staying on it can mean the difference between a fish or two and full limit.

I wish Loomis had an SJ781 GLX. But I've extended 721's with great results.

The 5S63MXF would be my second choice on your list. Also a great stick.

I hear the CTS is nice. I wouldn't know...I'm on my 3rd month of waiting for my 781SJ. And until I can get it, build it, and fish it along side all of the other 1/16-5/16 ounce jig sticks I have, I don't really know.


Dropping line for Walleye is more of a rigging approach to fishing. Dragging a Lindy rig for example. When the fish hit, and hit right away, its time to jig. Keep the bail closed and cross their eyes the second you feel something.

If you're going to rig, get a longer rod with a longer tip. Loomis P8400, or HS9000. Fish with the bail open and drop the line the second you feel a tick or see your tip wiggle. Give them a few seconds and sweep set the hook.



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Matt, thank you for your response with the reviews, I appreciate it. I"m also thankful for the fishing tip, it gives me a little more insight as to what I might encounter.

I have a question for you though - why would you fish a spinner if you are going to drop back Wouldn't it be easier to fish a conventional in freespool with your thumb on the line and just let the line out when you get the initial tick? I think I'm going to enjoy this Walleye fishing. Maybe I'll hurry up and make this rod and get out there this Fall rather than wait for the Spring.

BILLY;
I haven't done any walleye fishing but from the discriptions of what your asking for and the responces you've gotten.
I think the Batson RX8+S822.5 would fill the bill.

Its and awesome blank that I use for drop shotting large mouth. In fact it's the same blank I had on the bait caster at the show tha you were handeling.

MATT; Which one of the Shakiri blanks do you like for what Billy is asking?

Billy

I typically don't drop spinner rigs, like crawler harnesses or minnow rigs, when I feel a bite. Typically I fish those types of offerings a bit faster. If you feel a bite, you've got a fish, as you're moving fairly fast. They pretty much hook themselves. I'm usually on the bow mount or even on the big motor moving at up to 2 mph.

I fish Lindy rigs quite a bit slower. Often times as slow as the boat can move backtrolling into the wind with the transom electric or the big motor when the waves are big. I use a Lindy No-Snag sinker and anywhere from an 18" to a 72" flourocarbon leader. At the end of the leader I typically put a series of beads, or even just a single bead, for attraction just before a Gamakatsu Octopus hook. From #8 to #2 depending on my live offering. Big leeches are my favorite. Sometimes I put a float in with the beads. Round or cylinder. I also sometimes use a floating jig head as well.

Fishing in this manner is typically very slow fishing. Typically the fish are a bit spooky and you tend to miss them while jigging. A long snell thru a slip sinker is the key, along with moving slow. When you feel the tick of the fish drop the line. The fish doesn't feel any weight as you are using a slip sinker and you are using a rod with a very long soft tip. Let the fish take line for anywhere from 5 to 30 seconds. Then close your bail, tighten up the slack, and use a long sweep hook set.

If you are rigging and immediately hooking fish, its time to start jigging. They're pretty aggressive at that point and you don't need to mess around giving line etc. The second you feel a fish, set the hook.


[www.lindyfishingtackle.com]

[www.lindyfishingtackle.com]

[www.northlandtackle.com]

[www.northlandtackle.com]

[www.northlandtackle.com]

[www.northlandtackle.com]


Get out this fall! Fall fishing is some of the best. The Walleye really put the feedbag on. Especially around the harvest moon. But from September to ice up is a great time to be out.



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

Steve

For jig fishing Walleye, the PSJ661 has been my favorite blank. And I built a good number of them for customers with high praise. Really a great stick. And probably where I'd recommend anyone to go for a dedicated vertical jigging stick.

I also own a PSJ662. Again, a great stick. But a bit heavy for the jig fishing I do.

I fish 1/16 to 1/4 ounce jigs the vast majority of the time. Always trying to use the smallest jig the conditions will allow. After 1/4 ounce I typically switch to the 662.

Early and late in the year, jig fishing is typically shallow. Single digit depths to 20'. Using a 1/16 ounce jig is quite common for me.

I Lindy rig with a Shikari PP7000. And a Loomis HS9000. The Loomis also pulls lighter spinner rigs for me as well but I don't often pull spinner rigs.



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

for larger rivers like the detroit river where 1/2oz and even up to 3/4 oz jigs are often utilized depending on depth and current, I would suggest a 722 loomis as a very nice blank. also, I am building on (albeit slow, way behind on rods) a 4s63mxf and a 5s60mf set of jigging sticks for myself. the 4s is a spiral wrap split grip, the 5s is the standard spinning with a split grip and aero comfort grip seat.

from the feel of em (though no fishing yet), they should be very nice sticks also! plus, I can get the blanks for much cheaper than I can get a loomis, so if they are nearly as nice, I will make the switch (though I do have to say I really really really like my loomis).

St. Croix SCV Legend Medium light 7'0"
I have built about 40 of them over the last 3-4 years for walleye anglers. Great slip bobber rod, great vertical jig rod if you stay within the lure rating which is exactly what you listed.

MAtt, thanks again. I meant spinning reel though. Thanks for the links too, I used to use those floating Gum thingy's for Fluke, as well as teh Blue Fox Foxee jigs with MArabou tails & rubber bodies. I see I'm gong to have to pay attention to the section I usually skip over in Bass Pro or Cabela's catalouges, lol. Walleye fishing shares a lot of similarities with Fluking.

Steve, I actually have a few rods I use here for 1/2 & 3/4, GUSA 702DHX & the 70MXFWDHX which is a worm rod but has an XF action. Also have an old school All Star which was discontinued a while back: IGPS782 or 783 (I forget which, I use it with unweighted 4.5" Slug go's & top water) which I could use if need be.

Billy

Ahhhhh...should have read that closer.

I really prefer spinning reels for my Walleye fishing. Both of my brother's in law use casting outfits though. And love their spiral wrapped rods.

Interesting comment about Fluking...just had a Bass rod customer order a Fluking rod...I told him that I live in Minnesota and don't know jack about saltwater...but he described how he Fluked and I said it sounds just like Walleye fishing. I built the rod accordingly. He'll be test driving it this weekend. So far, he says I hit the nail right on the head.




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

Curious what you built it on, and how you set up the grips. WHere will he be fishing?

The main difference between Walleye & Fluke regardign the rods, is that we have to fish heavier sinkers to stay on bottom due to water depth & current. IT's common to use 6oz to hold bottom, and there are spots which require 10-12oz. It's tough to find blanks light enough to let teh Fluke bounce when you reel it in, but heavy enough to handle the weight. Of course, if you fish shallow water you can use an ounce, and that allows us ot use some of the lighter blanks as tehy were intended to be used, although I routinely cast & fish 2oz on my -3 power FW blanks.

Not sure where he will be fishing...he's from PA.

He typically fishes lighter weights. 3 - 5 ounces.

Rod was built on a GUSA B79F. Hypalon grips with a Fuji doorknob butt. Split rear grip. 5" fore. Fuji Soft Touch seat. He tucks the butt in his armpit and palms the reel while fishing. Then chokes up to the fore when fighting a fish.

Spiral wrapped Fuji titanium framed SiC guides.



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

Matt, if he asks you to wrap another Fluke rod, e-mail me. I understand why you used te 79F, its' actually a very good parabolic blank for what he's doing. That rod will drag 8, possibly 10oz. In general you can double teh casting (listed) rating on a blank to give you an idea of how much it will hold for Fluke. Another 3-5oz Fluke rod would be a 704DHX, as well as the now discontinued SW70M. IMo, the 704 is the PERECT blank for that range, even though it's only rated to 1oz. If you look at a lot of teh rods I've posted pictures of, quite a few are Fluke rods adn you'll see they are set up pretty much teh way you set up that one but with Cork or EVA. I assume he's on a party boat which is why you used Hypalon?

Billy

He requested Hypalon and was kinda set on it.

Thanks for the other blank suggestions...I'll keep them in mind.

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