I'm planning a fishing vacation this summer with my girlfiend and her son and I'm planning to do some hiking. While I'm covered for fly rods, I'd like to build a few pack spin rods for them. Who has 3 to six piece spin blanks these days? I've been through several catalogs and have found two blanks. I'd rather not have to cut and ferrule, I don't really have time.

Why not use a 3-6 piece fly blank and build it as a spinning rod? The blank doesn't know how you're building it.

[www.batsonenterprises.com]

The SB720-4 is a great blank. I have built two of these rods and have loved them, but I can't seem to keep one for myself.

Curtis

Indeed. I built an SB720-4 for a customer and they love it. For my taste, a 4-piece 4 wt would be a great spinning rod for backpacking. Batsons also has 5-piece fly blanks in their RX6 material. Slower and a little more durable, qualities befitting a pack rod.

Terry

Talon graphite has travel/multipiece in both spinning and fly. They also have blanks not in the cataloge or on the website, give them a call if you don't see what you want. Talon-graphite.com

Either the Forecast SB720-4 or the St Croix 2S60LF4 ... either are very nice additions to any arsenal.

Another vote for the Batson SB720-4 (6'0" 4pc 4-8lb)
The next blank up in that series is the SB781-3 (6'6" 3pc 6-12lb). I have built two rods on this blank, for my dad and I and they are excellent also.
They are both very well priced at around $45

If you want one lighter, the SP720-4 by batson makes for a great ultralight. i have and use one regularly great rod

American Tackle "traveler" series blanks - 3 piece

Angler's Workshop also has a line of spin/cast travel blanks from trout to salmon. They are also an excellent source of Talon blanks.

Angler's Workshop also has a line of spin/cast, IM6 3 and 4 piece travel blanks from trout to salmon. They are also an excellent source of Talon blanks.
I've seen many lakes in the high country where you can't buy a bite on a spinner or spoon, but fill one of those casting floats half full of water for weight and drag a bright fly 3-4 ft behind, and look out. For this reason I prefer the 7 ft light or medium light travel rods. I've never really been able to make accurate casts with fly blank built rods, and their overhead casts are higher and more loblike than I perfer, so I don't use them unless I have no other options.

Thanks for the leads guys. I'll give a few places a call.
I'm with Spencer though, fly rod blanks don't have the right action for spin casts- they'll do it, but a spinning rod has a much stiffer butt.

Get a Forecast Rx6 8' 5 wt 4 pc blank. The last 3 pieces make a sweet 6 ' pack rod. Build a light Tenn. Handle (with a fiberglass insert in the middle that fits into the butt pc of the 6' rod) wrap the end of the rod for added strength at the insertion. Play with the size and spacing of the guides a little. You can create a very adequate, light multi pack rod. You'll have a nice throw- most- anything 5 wt fly rod and can quickly change it to a sweet small spinners, small spoons, bubble and a fly spin rod. Half inch medical adhesive tape will work fine to secure a small spin reel to the Tenn handle. The RX6 is very handsome and has a little added toughness for the trail. Be forwarned that other hikers will want you to build them one!

Spencer,

Thanks for the lead on the Anglers Workshop IM6 travel blanks. I was not aware of those at all.

Some of the length / weight configurations are quite different to anything offered by Batson, St Croix and American Tackle etc. There are a couple there that I may be quite interested in.

Have you built any of these blanks yourself and if so, which ones?

Cheers
Dale

Hobart, Tasmania
AUSTRALIA

Dale,
I've used all of the travel blanks 7 ft and longer, the only disappointment was the TSP70MH3, but they redesigned it 8-9 years ago so is been fixed. (There wasn't enough power difference between the 2nd and the butt section on the earlier model.) I've built on the salmon/steelhead rods, but never owned or fished one. Still I don't remember any design problems like the 70 MH and no one ever brought one back for any reason, they have been out there quite a while.

Thanks Spencer for the reply.