Hey All,

I'm new to rod building and this board, and it seems like the more I read, the more confused I get. I'd like to build a fly rod for use in salt water. I curently have two 8wt. St. Croix Legend Ultras and a 10 wt. Winston. I rarely use the 10 wt. so I am most accustomed to the feel of the St. Croix rods. I'd like to build a 6 or 7 wt. rod that will be comparable to the St. Croix. I know that I can buy St. Croix blanks, but I was wondering if anyone has any reccommendations for blanks that are similar to the St. Croix that are maybe a little more affordable. Thanks!

Pete

Hey Pete,

Welcome!

It would help if you gave us a little more information on what you are fishing for and why you want to add a 6wt or 7wt to your arsenal (not that we really need a reason).

Fish type and fly size and line needs usually dictate rod weights so let us know what you are considering there.

On blank selections, it's really pretty mind boggling. Nothing wrong with St. Croix blanks. Great company. We also have the array of Batsons/Rainshadow blanks as well as tons of others. Click on one of the suppliers sites like Mud Hole or Angler's Workshop and see the array of 7 wts available. I use Rainshadow as my first go to choice and then hit one of the local guys for me, like Dan Craft. Service, selection and quality. I also use Lamiglas for a lot of my non-fly needs, but they have a respectable line up of fly rods as well.

Shoot us some more details and you'll get a better response from folks that are fishing the same species and water you do.

Terry

Look at the Buy/Sell tab on this site. I have two #7 Dan Craft blanks for sale. Price is right. Click on Dan Craft on left border for description of blanks. Contact me if interested hladen@hotmail.com
Herb

I can recomend a FT blank from Dan Craft. I recently built a FT 904-5 as my low wind flats caster. It has landed Red fish up to 29" and can punch through 10-15 mph wind with ease yet can cast short for that sudden tail that pops up.

This rod is a joy to fish with. It out performs my Scott Xi2 and my Sages. I wish I could justify building in the heavier ranges to replace those other rods, But the wife might have somthing to say about that.

Thanks for the suggestions! I fish the Southeast coast of NC mainly sightcasting to redfish, but also for bonito, Spanish Mackerel, and false albacore. I wanted a slightly lower weight rod for those slick calm dog days of summer when wind isn't an issue and it might be fun to downsize tackle a little, especially for smaller reds and for the Spanish. I will definitely check out the above suggestions. I have read good things about both the Batson Rainshadow blanks and the Dan Craft.

Pete

pete, i fish the carolinas and prefer fishing the coast. my personal rods are st croix sciv and dan craft ft. there are many others out there that are excellent blanks, but you won't go wrong with these two