ok so i was fishing today and had a @#$%& of a day doing it but on my last fish(mainly cause it snapped my favorite rod) i snapped my favorite cts exactly in half on about a 30" redfish. i think it was an ebt 843 blank but when i got it from andy 3 years ago it didn't have a label but i liked the feel. hopefully i can get it warrantied

so the reason behind this post is what would you guys build to use while you wait on a warranty blank to come in? i'm currently looking at the st. croix inshore scIII and sciv series, north fork bay 703, or possibly a rainshadow ip 842 or if ya'll have a favorite i'm open to suggestions

3 years ago you got teh blank, not sure how that will fall under a warantee. Just buy a new one from SCott at Fishsticks if you liked it so much

CTS is pretty good with their warranty, I had a great experience getting two blanks replaced by them. I'd contact them with a couple of pics of the break and get their take on it. In the meantime for the money you'd spend on a North Forks blank, if you enjoyed the CTS you could just order another one like Billy said. If you are looking for something less expensive I'd recommend the American Tackle or Rainshadow Popping blanks. I've used my Matrix Popping blank on everything between redfish to mahi. You could also look at the lighter Hot Shot blanks as well.

You might also try the L842-MHX from Mudhole. Great blank at a great price, with a lifetime warranty on the blank..

If the rod was 3 years old and you've taken a number of good fish on it during that time, one thing you can be sure of is that it was not defective. Most likely it had suffered some type of impact or crushing force recently and failed the next time you put a good fish on it. I have no idea how CTS handles such warranty claims but you can always contact them and see what they have to say.

I have found some of the St Croix SCIV to be very similar to the CTS blanks. That's one option to consider while you're waiting.

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thanks for the input. i was gonna buy some more cts blanks later in the year but with it being the holidays moneys a little tight and those blanks are on the expensive side. that was actually the first fish of any size to bend that rod all the other fish were 15" to 20" trout

Shawn this may appear to be a "smart crack" answer but if you think about it you may see the real importance - that CTS blank was probably a top knotch blank and it may not have been damaged - the size of the fish really was not the real cause of the rod bending - you had total control of the bend applied to the rod - even to the setting of the drag and applying upward force. Many of us bust them up and tend to blame the fish or the blank.

CTS site says "Lifetime Warranty" agains defects. User pays for abuse. They decide. Sounds fair to me. I would strip the blank and send it to them for evaluation like they suggest. I bet they will cut you some kind of a deal. I know rodbuilders hate lifetime warranties. I don't blame them. But there is nothing wrong with using the service you purchased when you bought the blank.

I have never see a CTS. I would build a Batson or St. Croix if they had the right length and weight blank.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/28/2009 05:54PM by Bill Moschler.