what rod blanks does everyone recommend i like mhx rod blanks whats about yall?

So far, Batson blanks...

MHX!!! My favorite. I'm all fly though. Looking forward to building the new PacBays too.

MHX, Batson, CalStar, Seeker, American Tackle, Lamiglas, Anglers Roost ........ I pretty much use blanks from all the sponsors depending upon the application

BATSON!!

Kevin Gross
Many men will spend their whole life wondering if they made a difference. Marines dont have that problem - Ronald Regan

Have to say Batson hands down!

Not only a local guy for me, but he, and the company do great things for the communitity. Great people to deal with, that get's my loyalty.

I build mostly for my own use. Since I enjoy many different types of fishing I keep my options as open as possible.

I search the offerings from many manufacturers (preferring those who support this site) and try to find the best blank for the specific application. Price will sometime dictate the final choice.

For trout fly fishing I no longer use graphite. It's hard to explain but Bamboo feels alive to me and nothing else matches that. I do, however plan to fly fish from the surf so I am building my first saltwater fly rod.

It will be on a discontinued Allstar Austin 10/11 blank which I picked up at the very first Expo. Yeah.. I know how to spell PROCRASTINATOR. (I looked it up in the dictionary and there was a photo of me next to the definition.) Assuming I am able to cast a fly far enough to meet a striper I expect to build several other fly rods for this application. I think an 8 weight will be a lot easier on the wrist while still proving effective on the fish I'll likely encounter on the NY/NJ shores. One rod per application just doesn't seem like enough. Call me a gear head but, hey; I'm having fun.

My most recent build is a 12'6" surf spinning rod. When I was searching for a blank I got in touch with Scott Parsons of Fishsticks . He suggested a Tommy Farmer blank. I took his advice on good faith and it turned out to be great! This is a good example of how well things can work when we make use of the expertise of the sponsors. The rod casts like a dream and is light yet very strong.

For saltwater inshore jigging I plan to build on a Hercules Inshore blank. I flexed one at a Nerb's gathering at Billy's house and it felt perfect for the job. I think the more moderate action is exactly what is needed for flounders and fluke. Here, again, I was able to find exactly what I was seeking by consulting one of the good sponsors of this site.

Batson is also a brand I would go with in a heartbeat.

CTS is also high on my list. I still have two 3 weight blanks I picked up from Sammy Mickel at last year's Expo.I plan to make ultra light spinners out of them. (see: "Procrastinator" above)

I do rely on the advice of trusted members of this community as well as the suppliers themselves. We are very fortunate to have so many choices. It also makes good sense to tap into the expertise of those at the forefront of the craft.

MHX and castaway suit most my current build requirements. But there are very fine PacBay and Amtack ones i have used too, Calstar have also made some nice blanks too. Those are just this seasons favorites.
I fully expect after the Expo to come back with 30 to 50 blanks, who knows what brand they will be.

I've built on quite a few, have not used Batson yet.
St. Croix, Pac Bay, are excellent have tried Cabela's Fish Eagle II and IM7,
although didn't care for IM7 spinning, liked the casting models.

I've built a few MHX (spin & cast) but they're fairly new and I need to validate
them as far as durabliity. Cost and blank weight very good.

It all depends on what you're looking for, i.e. durability, weight, cost, technique specific, etc.
There are so many good ones out there.

Im looking for replacement fiberglass tip sections to very cheap poles. I have someone who got a very large lot of this that he would like to fix up to give away to kids and or groups that deal with kids. Most have missing or broken top sections and I am willing to do this for him in my free time, but I am having a hard time finding the fiberglass that will work.

Thanks,
Scott

SK Custom Rods
American Tackle Pro Staff

Fish now, cause you'll be dead for a long time.

I enjoy seekers for all fishing.

#1 Batson (although I am disappointed in the disappearance of the RX8+ and RX7+)
#2 Mudhole MHX (new but very good blanks for the price)
#3 Sevier Tiger Eye (particularly in the lower line weights)

St croix and Castaway are my two favorites right now. I started out building on Loomis, but became less and less impressed with their blanks after shimano bought them out....

Steven Garvey im the same way i like the im7 rods but not the spinning rods i build bass rods spinning and casting. I havent got into building any fly or saltwater rods im not sure if i will get into building those. I would love to find a few White blanks for bass but i cant seem to find any. its good to see that im not the only one that like the MHX rods. Has anyone built one of the mudhole camo x rods? is so how did it turn out i just dont know if i like the camo look on a rod but i guess i will have to build one to see how it turns out and if i like it or not

MHX,Rainshadow,Castaway,Lamiglas. It takes these companies to fill my arsenal. All blanks are not created equal no matter how hard there copied. I have specific blanks I like to build for specific purpose simply because they perform better for certain applications. One companies 844 isn't the same as another companies 844. But you wont find a bad company that produces blanks to build on! Their kinda like women " their all good...some are just better than others".

St. Croix SCIII is my all time favorite but I like NFC IM blanks also. And then I like Mudhole CRB blanks, they are tough. The SCIII is hard to beat for the tournament guys. I've got some Federation guys that use them and love them.

the crb blanks are good? iv been wanting to get s few of them and see how i like them im glad to see someone likes them

Xzoga!! Awesome power for their diameter.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/02/2011 08:57PM by Chris Beverley.