looking for a good quality blank to build a 15' float rod. I have built many 13' & 11'6", but can not find a suitable blank. Do I need to use a spey blank? Thanks for any help.

The manufacturers are backing away from the long blanks and I ses less and less of them being used also. Raven and others still build rods. I'm not sure anyone bulds a 15 ft light powered blank in spey rods either.

Take a look at Talon [www.talon-graphite.com] . They make a 15' and a 17' 3-piece. They offer over 600 models so not everything is on their website. email them (Dwight) for a list of available models.

Raven has 15 footers in IM6, IM8 and IM9 also you can get CTS spey blanks in 5/6,6/7,7/8,8/9,9/10/10/11 & 11/12 weight all in 15 foot lengths.
The CTS blanks are also available in 3,4,5 or 6 piece blanks. House of Hardy also makes a 15 foot 3 piece float blank that has a traditional slow action. Also available in 15 foot 3 piece is the GLoomis Frontier blank. Rumor has it that the new GLX float blanks will be available for purchase eventually, but that will be atleast a year or more. So you see there are lots of options in 15 foot float blanks out there!!!!

Regards
Dave

Fishing is Life the rest is just Details

Jerry, I sell CND spey blanks in that length. They are not overly heavy. They are also not cheap.

Email or call me if interested. They are not in my online catalog yet. Joe

Joe Douglas

I just finished the frontier 15' 3 pc float rod. I am stuck out of state and have only test cast it but I am very happy with the blank. I did a lot of research before hand and found that alot of the "Facts" were just opinions about likes and dislikes. I am putting the finishing touches on a 15' stcroix spey right now and the difference in the weight is very noticable. Not to say that other models like a sage or a loomis spey would not be lighter, but next to eachother the spey is a real cannon. The frontier was designed with great lakes steelheading in mind. I believe john collina had input on the blank design.

The blank I would look at also is either the raven IM8, or a loomis IMX which at the time I started buying material, neither was available, the IMX is still a while away frrom being available. The opinions about the Raven IM6 was that it was too noodley (might be a good option though if you like soft/slow). the IM9 was a little too fast for GL style fishing, and I was told brittle???. The IM8 was only available as a rod at the time I started, but everyone said that the rod as a factory build custom option was very nice. Again that was opinion given not my personnal experience so take it for what it is worth.

Jason Henderson

jason henderson Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I just finished the frontier 15' 3 pc float rod.
> I am stuck out of state and have only test cast it
> but I am very happy with the blank. I did a lot
> of research before hand and found that alot of
> the "Facts" were just opinions about likes and
> dislikes. I am putting the finishing touches on
> a 15' stcroix spey right now and the difference in
> the weight is very noticable. Not to say that
> other models like a sage or a loomis spey would
> not be lighter, but next to eachother the spey is
> a real cannon. The frontier was designed with
> great lakes steelheading in mind. I believe john
> collina had input on the blank design.
>
> The blank I would look at also is either the raven
> IM8, or a loomis IMX which at the time I started
> buying material, neither was available, the IMX is
> still a while away frrom being available. The
> opinions about the Raven IM6 was that it was too
> noodley (might be a good option though if you like
> soft/slow). the IM9 was a little too fast for GL
> style fishing, and I was told brittle???. The IM8
> was only available as a rod at the time I started,
> but everyone said that the rod as a factory build
> custom option was very nice. Again that was
> opinion given not my personnal experience so take
> it for what it is worth.
>
> Jason Henderson


The 15 foot IM8 blank is available now, I have one waiting in my building room to be built :)




Regards
Dave

Fishing is Life the rest is just Details

Jerry...

Of all the float rods I have built and felt and fished, the RAVEN 15 Foot IM8, is by far the best rod on the market for the $$$. I even like it better than the new GLX 15 footer.

paul