Can any of you saltwater fishermen recomend a rod blank for casting bait and plugs at tarpon ?
I plan to use a Garcia 6500/Shimano 400 size reel spooled with aprox. 300yds of 30lb braid.
I know that is a light reel for tarpon but it is a challenge I like to try some day.

How heavy are the plugs? I lean towards the powerful but light tipped Hot Shot blanks for many similar saltwater tasks.

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Here is some advice I received from a Tampa, FL builder:

" (Graphite USA) B79F, B79EF, & BMAG -- they all make great tarpon rods. plenty of power in the butt section. i like the B79EF best because of the extra fast action

The new American Tackle Viper AVGC70MH looks very intriguing as well. I'm building one for a customer using the Lamiglas Kayak series rod. I'll let you know how that comes out. I prefer a 7-7'6" rod over a longer one"

I will say though that reel/line setup may be light. Unless you are an experienced fisherman I would run some heavier gear. Tired tarpon + sharks = bad situation. You need to whip them as quickly as possible. However, I fish for them in a Kayak so it is a different situation. Good Luck!

I just built one on a seeker CLB806, rated 12-30 but I assure you it is toward the higher end of that with a really soft tip and tons of composite backbone. My design is mostly for slinging crabs and such at beach Trapon or down at Egmont. Sharks are not too much of an issue in this situation.... Boca Grande is a different story.
Where are you planning on fishing?

-Steve

Tampa, FL

Tom , I have zero experiance fishing for tarpon . Fishing for red fish , specks , flounder , king mackerel , and large mouth bass is a different matter and have built rod for those species.
Tarpon are rare on the upper Texas coast. I know of only one tarpon guide that serves the area between Freeport and Sabine Pass .

The weight of the plugs I fish with range between 1/4oz. topwaters to 1oz. and heavier rattle traps and Russel lures. A rod blank with a soft tip that can handle 30lb line and light enough for a day of casting would work. I like Seeker and Calstar but have only built rods useing their heavy E glass blanks . Are the Black Steel and Grafighter blanks lighter and castable ? What are the weight range of the plugs most commonly used for tarpon?