Hello all, i'm fairly new to the rod building game, with only have one complete build under my belt. Being in Australia at times our availability to quality blanks is quite poor; most blanks require a blind purchase, as such quality advice is paramount.

I do a fair bit of surf fishing and am looking to upgrade my gear, i'm going to purchase a Daiwa Saltiga 4500Z. Does anyone have any suggestions of good quality spinning blanks that would suit this reel?

Please bear in mind that i will require the following from this rod:

- Able to cast an optimum weight of approx. 6 oz.
- Thin and light blank(reasonabley high graphite content)
- Between 10-12ft
- Blank must be suited to bait fishing, i will use for very sizable mulloway ( for the Americans they're fish much like redfish, except i believe they grow much larger)
- Fairly fast taper
- Between 10-18kg rating

Thanks in advance
Harry Olatkiewicz

P.S.
Some of the blanks i have considered are the Blue Marlin 6( I think thats what it's called), Kilwell's Pendulum 222 (a little long) and some of the blanks in the hastings united line up. Do you guys think any of these would be suitable?

WHich Hastings United blanks are you looking at? I know they make a series for Ulua fishing which are a bit longer than you are looking for, but should cast the weight & bait you are looking to toss. They also have 10' Mega MAg's which are rated 20-40#, which is about what you are lookign for with 10-18kg. The rod will cast 1-5oz, but if you aare casting 6&bait, it'ss too much for that blank. THE next one up is a 10' MOnster MAg, which is rated 24KG, and 1-8oz - which is probably a better choice for casting what you are looking to cast. Where do you see the United blanks?

Thanks for your reply Billy, the website that had the United rods was www.gccr.com.au/products/unitedrods2006.html. The two blanks you mentioned were in fact the exact ones i was looking at. How thick is the 24kg Monster Mag? I'm imagining a total broom stick of a rod, is this the case? Sorry to pick your brains, but what are your experences with this blank and what sort of fishing have you done with it, if any? Any other blanks you may suggest?

Does anyone on here rate Rainshadow blanks i haven't ever seen one?

Just to confirm the blanks that i was looking at was the 'URS100H-2J' and the 'URS100XH-2J'.

Kind Regards
Harry Olatkiewicz

I'm a big fan of Rainshadow blanks, Harry, particularly their surf blanks. They have a couple that would likely work for you.

Also, have you checked with Snyder Glas? They're an Australian company (they make a lot of rods for Alvey), and the one rod of theirs I have (factory rod) I like quite a bit. Do you know if they have a blank that will do the job for you?

Harry I have used the shorter versions of the Monster (1-8oz) and Mega (1-5oz)- from 7' up to 8'6. I have not used them for surf fishing applications, as this is not the type of fishing I do, all teh ones I've wrapped for myself and for others were for bottom fishing and casting jigs. The monster is a stout blank, but I think that is what you need for casting as much weight as you are looking to cast. I've built them for Cod and Tuna jigging for up to 12oz jigs, in water up to abotu 400 feet.

I am sending this link to the guy from Gold Coast to see if he can answer your specific questions regarding those blanks to try and get you more info on those blanks.

Thanks guys, your willingness to help is greatly appreciated.

Chris I have seen and felt quite a few Snyder Glass rods, yes they're aren't bad but i feel they're some what outdated. What i'm really looking for is something with a fairly reasonable graphite content, being lighter, thinner and crisper; something Snyders generally are not. Don't get me wrong those glass blanks still have there applications and are the preffered choice of many anglers undertaking similar fishing, but i feel a higher modulus graphite blank would be far more pleasurable to use. Also Chris with respect to the Rainshadow blanks are they mostly composites?

Does anyone have an opinion of Blue marlin blanks? I have seen a model reffered to as the G345 which felt spectacular, the blank i'm interested in is the G365.

Also another New Zealand company called CD rods makes some interesting surf blanks, i have only felt their lighter trout sticks and if i go by the quality of those, the surf blanks would be a spectacular sight. Has anyone seen, felt, used or heard of any of their surf blanks?

Thanks again
Harry Olatkiewicz

90% of my fishing is in the surf with cut bait. a rainshadow 1569 is my favorite blank. Nice and light and durable. If you want it just a tad beefier (is that even a word?) go with the 1509. I like the 1569 better because its and even split whereas the 1509 is a 70/30 split and that tip section is huge (9ft)

James the 1509 sounds particularly interesting, i actually have a preference to 70/30 split. Just a few questions on that blank, do you know how thick it is, how long it is and also where can i find some info on it?

The 1509 is 150 inches long (12 feet 6 inches) (it can be cut down on the handle part of the blank). I am not sure on exact thickness, but it is lighter/thinner than most of the other comparable surf blanks that are sold here in the U.S. (I am comparing to the AnyFishAnyWhere (beech,big beach, and rock) WheelsReels (Nail,Fusion,nitro).

The 1569 is 156 inches long (13 feet) and is a tad thinner than the 1509

Harry , take a look at the CTS blanks on our web site , longer than what you are looking for ,but what a blank !! Check out some of the fishing boards and you will see what I mean .

Robert

Harry,

I recommend you contact the following person - Australia : Jeremy Schrader

You can probably reach him through

[www.myfishcasting.com]

The Big Danny tournament starts in about two weeks. So, he may be currently on the road.
You'll find that most/all tournament casters are also avid surf fishermen.
I'm sure Jeremy will provide you with the best information to meet your needs.

The Zziplex Primo Synchro has been used to win many matches.
Chuck Wilson did use this rod to set the US record with a spinning reel a number of years ago.
It is rated at 3 to 6 ounces and is 13' long.

You may also want to look at the Lamiglas Super Surf series.
SSU 132 2MH
Length 11'
Sections 2
Line 20-40
Lure 4-8
Butt Diameter 1.080
Tip size 8
Weight 10 3/16

There are a number of alternatives listed on the Lamiglas website.

Don

Don Becker

Thanks All, Robert the CTS blanks are very appealing from what i have heard, however there website provides very limited information.

Don I know of Jeremy, he is a very knowledgable angler, certainly knows his distance casting. I think the Zziplex blank you suggested may be a little high priced being a UK import. Also i have tendency to be a little sceptical of distance casting blanks as i worry some may not be suitable for my sort of fishing. Distance isn't my primary concern with this rod, some of the gutters i intend on using this rod for are just an under-arm cast away. However, having said this being able to cast at least 100metres is very important, as some of the areas i fish require this. As for Lamiglas they are not bad, very forgiving action i here, but i'm really after something very thin and light, which i'll probably have to pay the dollars for anyway.

I'm really enthusiatic about the Blue Marlin blanks but require some quality feedback before i look any further. Has anyone out there used them? Maybe i shoud devote entire thread to the subject.

Also there must be something Japanese out there. Does anyone know of any quality Jap surf blanks that would be suitable for me?

harry olatkiewicz Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>clipped

> I think the Zziplex blank you suggested may be a
> little high priced being a UK import.

The price may be a little high. I consider the value to be excellent.

> Also i have tendency to be a little sceptical of distance
> casting blanks as i worry some may not be suitable
> for my sort of fishing.

Also my thoughts until I met up with some tournamet casters on the beach in Texas.
When I asked the question, Isn't that your tournament rod? The response was: Mate, it's a fishing rod first.
It is quite common for tournament casters to use their tournament rods for fishing. At least UK casters in Texas and Florida

> Distance isn't my primary concern with this rod, some of the gutters i
> intend on using this rod for are just an under-arm
> cast away. However, having said this being able to
> cast at least 100metres is very important, as some
> of the areas i fish require this.

Depending on your bait and rigging, you shouldn't have much of a problem casting any rod that is 12' or over a distance of 100 meters. Are you using a Breakaway Cannon? I understand that Australia now has a distributor.

> As for Lamiglas they are not bad, very forgiving action i here,
> but i'm really after something very thin and
> light, which i'll probably have to pay the dollars
> for anyway.

I believe you just described the Super Surf. ;)
There's a lot of praise for these rods on other boards.

>
> I'm really enthusiatic about the Blue Marlin
> blanks but require some quality feedback before i
> look any further. Has anyone out there used them?
> Maybe i shoud devote entire thread to the subject.

I have seen them on @#$%&. That about it.

You may want to look on the Conoflex website. I'll be making an order in the next week. That could save you some limited postage.

Regarding CTS (New Zealand), they specialize in one of a kind blanks. You should call them and tell them what you need.

Have you checked will Kilwell (New Zealand) recently. I hear they are making some excellent surf rods. The distributor in Hawaii doesn't seem to be pushing fishing rods.

It is my understanding that CD Systems (New Zealand) imports a lot of their merchandise. It couldn't hurt to call.

China builds a lot of rods for the US, UK, Japan and I'm sure numerous other countries. If you pick up a Shimano rod it will likely have a Made In China sticker on the end of the butt.

Hope this helps,

Don

Don Becker



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/28/2012 02:39AM by Donald Becker.

Cheers Don, i understand completely with where your going in relation to fishing with casting rods. Jeremy Schraeder uses his rods for fishing and so do numerous other casters, including friends of mine. However i have felt some blanks such as a Purglass 13ft (not sure of the serial no.) which was a wild beast of a rod, as well as a few other casting blanks all in the 13ft range which felt unmanageable in my day to day fishing scenarios.

I have just come off the back of two shoulder reconstructions and don't want something that is going to tear my left arm off when loaded up. Also a lot of casting blanks are 12ft plus, i want something between 10-12ft. Maybe i'm asking too much of a blank but i'm sure theres something out there like this.

Harry, I recieved some info back on the URS100XH-2J. IT is a 70-30 split, and it is a 10' Monster. It was a blank designed for the AU market, by AU fishermen, so it might be exactly what you are looking for. I am not sure of teh availability of teh blank at this time, but you can e-mail the GUSA Aussie Distributor Peter at gccr@optusnet.com.au and he'll be able to provide you with more info on any of the GUSA or United blanks tha he is importing.

Thank you kindly Billy, i will get in touch with him soon. You have really got me excited now mentioning its a 70/30 split, i love it. Even if i don't get one for bait fishing off the surf, i think i'll end up building up the lighter model for pitching poppers and metals off the rocks for pelagics.

Billy I realise you didn't reply to this earlier but have you ever seen a Blue Marlin blank?

I've never seen that blank, sorry. I am not a surf guy, at all. I have seen the Super Surf Lami's, and as much as it pains me to say it (since I sell GUSA's) - they really are nice blanks.

The CTS blanks are well worth looking into. Although a tad long they are very manageable and cast like a much shorter rod, due to their easy loading, and quality is top notch.
They have a thin, sensitive tip and are very light weight. The 5-8 oz rated model would be ideal for 6 & bait. Don't let the length fool you, yes it is 13'6" but casts more like a 12' rod, and can be trimmed down on the butt some if desired.



Just my .02

Mark

Billy from what i have heard, the URS100XH-2J is the an extended version of the URS86XH-2J, with a reverse taper rear butt. Do you know if this is the case?