Without a huge dissertation on sensitivity what would I be looking for in a live bait rod that would keep the bait from tearing from the hook on the strike and be the most sensitive for bait watching? Would any soft power rod work as well for this? Specific blank models?

There is a brand of very inexpensive glass rods sold locally that many seem to favor for live bait fishing but I do not know if this is due to it being a great rod for the purpose or just very inexpensive. Some people buy based on price and then make due with whatever attributes the rod has. I am thinking the latter is the case here and would like to improve on the concept for a new customer.

If you're talking about the yellow Eagle Claw rods, people buy them because they're cheap, fairly tough and although not perfect for the job they work well enough. But their tip action is not really ideal for serious live bait fishing. As I said, they work and EC sells tens of thousands of them for this purpose but you can do one heck of a lot better if you're serious about live bait fishing.

Sensitivity in a live bait rod is all about tip movement. You won't be holding the rod (will you?) and thus in order to keep track of what the bait is doing you must be able to see, rather than feel, when the bait becomes excited (which means he has spotted a predator fish in his immediate area).

Just getting a soft or light power blank isn't going to do it. You didn't specify what fish species you're after? Stripers? Kings? Such powerful fish will require a powerful rod but one with a very soft and lively tip. I have always been partial to the Seeker CLB series. They contain an outer wrap of graphite over a full length glass blank. This provides you with a very fast taper, ultra soft tip and yet you still retain great power in the butt without the huge diameter that you'd otherwise have if you stuck with an all glass model. The 702 is great for stripers up to about 20lbs. For the bigger ones I'd go with the 704. Kings and Wahoos are better met with the 704 or the 706.

If you're working with smaller fish, schoolie stripers or bass then even the CLB702 may be too much. Try the Seeker bass crank series which I think is under the CBW model series. The 705 or 706 in that series is perfect for light live bait work. It's also a glass blank with an outer wrap of graphite extending about 1/2 to 2/3rds of the way up the blank.

I hope you're considering a spiral wrap for any live bait rods you build - it's ideal for this application.

RodMaker Volume 8 #5 has an in-depth article on building live bait rods for a wide variety of live bait applications. It also lists some specific set ups - blank, handle, guides, placement, etc.


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Thanks for the info. One more, is it possible to get this same Live Bait action in an all graphite model?

Not really, no. About the steepest taper you'll find in an all graphite model would be a Hot Shot rod and most of those are still too stiff in the tip to function as really good live bait rods. And if you make the taper even steeper, or the tip thinner, you begin to run into durability problems. Glass just happens to possess the qualities that make it ideal for super fast action live bait blanks.

I'm really not even aware of any true all graphite live bait blanks. Maybe somebody else will chime in with some blanks I've overlooked.

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I'll pitch in that I just built a live bait rod, for fishing spot and croaker in the Cape May Rips. I used a Rainshadow, and the result was just great. You can't beat the action of a blank that's designed specifically for live bait.

In our area the Batson RDR70M has been the new blank that works well for us.
7', 10-17# line, glass/graphite, with a slim .515 butt and 5.5 tip.
For heavier line consider the new Saltwater Live Bait series "RCLB", or the traditional "SWS, SWB, TS" series.
Here is a link;
[www.schneidersrods.com]

Best wishes,
Ron Schneider
Schneider's Rod Shop
Mountain Home, Arkansas
[www.schneidersrods.com]
mtnron40@yahoo.com
870-424-3381

I would have to agree with Tom, The Seeker composites and Super Seekers feel like no other LB blank I've used. They just seem to have the right tip feel and power in the butt! That would be my choice!!

I have built about half a dozen of the Lamiglass MB901F blank which is a 10 -20 lb. test, 71/2 ft. glass blank for myself and my friends.
We LOVE this blank....use it for striped bass. I caught a 25lber on mine with 12lb test. We use shiners, very light weights and drift it
through all our secret holes at the right part of the tide in the California delta. With a soft, parabolic rod like this you do not set the hook.
You just let the rod load up and the fish sets itself. 8 out of 10 times the hook is through the center of the top lip which makes it easy to release the fish.
This work great regular or spiral wrapped. I prefer spiral but I have only been able to talk one other friend into them so far.
I order this blank from Anglers Workshop and they have handled my order perfectly every time.