I am planning my next build and I thought I had decided on a blank but today I found out that the MHX blank that I wanted is no longer available. This will be walleye rod for throwing jigs from anywhere from 1/16th to 5/8th at the absolute most and plastics using lines no heavier than 8lbs. I had originally planned on using the MHX High-Mod HM-SJ781-MHX. I would like to stay at the light to ultra light power, fast action, what would a good comperable blank be for what I would like for roughly the same price point?

They still have the 7 footer. Is 6 inches a deal breaker? If so you can move down to the regular MHX blanks.

I have the SJ9000 but it is even longer. I have never fished for walleye. From what I have read it would seem like a good choice although a little more power than you might like. It will cast the lighter weights you mention with ease.

Russ in Hollywood, FL.

Batson has some really nice blanks in their RX8 Walleye series, I would recommend taking a look at their offerings. The XSW72ML might be just the ticket, based on your specifications.

The 6" is to a huge deal and I can always cut 6" off the butt if its to long I suppose. I will look at the bastons and any others that someone might suggest. This is going to be a slow build a d I plan on making it fit the application perfectly so I am very open to any and all ideas and suggestions

I would look at the Rogue spin jig blanks. I have one I use for a different application and its awesome! That being said I have only caught ten walleye in my life and none were bigger than 10 inches long. I like the rogue spin jig because it has power and I can pull fish from structure fairly easily. I don't know if you need to do that because I don't no poop about walleye fishing except what I see on WFN.

I would suggest a St Croix in a MLF or MLXF in whichever series fits the budget. They are a little light for anything over 3/8 oz, but I think you will find that with most of blanks you will be looking at.

Jim,
All of the comments are right on.
I mainly fish for walleye and have a wall of walleye rods.
I have used many of the RX8 Batson XSW72ML blanks for building a light jig pitching rod. It is right at the top of the list for a very excellent rod for this application.
I have also built several Rouge rods, using the Rogue spinning blanks, the 601, and 602 work very well for this application. They tend to be a bit slower than the new RX8 Batson, but work very very well.
Also, the Rogue 702 in a 7 foot length really excels as a split shot walleye rod, using a plain hook with a piece of split shot in front of it.

Finally, although a bit more expensive are the St. Croix SCV or legend blanks. I have recently build several 6'6" L rods, using the 6'6" SCV blanks. Again, for this lighter weight of 1/16th on up. It is absolutely perfect for a 1/8th oz. jig, but it will still work fine for a 1/16th up to a 3/8th or even a 1/2 oz. now and then.

Any of these longer blanks can easily have the butt of the rod chopped to get a shorter length if you want.

What ever you do, do NOT chop off any thing from the tip on any of these rods. The bulk of each of these rods real Walleye attributes come in the first 3-4 inches of rod and rod tip. Please don't cut any of those wonderful tips to ruin the blanks.

Also, if you do happen to break an inch to 5 inches off the tip - use the rod for something else or pitch the rod - but with anything broken off the tip, you have effectively ruined the rod for this weight walleye fishing.

Roger,

Wow thank you for a very thorough response being a complete newbie to this building thing I really appreciate it. It's very hard to swallow spending 100 bucks on a blank considering I have never in my life spent that much on a finished rod. I know that in the long run I will appreciate the better blank.

Scott, if you aren't used to speding a 100 bucks on a finished rod than I suggest you don't spend that on a blank. IMHO it is better to spend your hard earned money on gathering experience about blanks. Don't think you need a blank that is marketed for walleye. Don't think that any particular name is best. And most of all, don't think prices are the same year round.

If you are itching to build now get the standard MHX. It should beat any 100 buck finished rod. Spend the savings on a little better handle/seat/guide setup. For your needs it is hard to beat the minima 4 guides. You didn't mention the reel, if it is a spinning reel, consider the aero reel seat. For the handle, a carbon tube is light, sensitive, and attractive.....although a bit more money than eva but less than cork.

Then be on the lookout for deals. Black Friday is a terrific time to make your move. Do your homework and identify what could work ahead of time. When the deals happen you need to more fast. For your best value order at least a few blanks at a time to save on shipping. Don't blow your total budget on day one as there will be deals a few days later.

Utmost is a good place to check often too.

Russ in Hollywood, FL.

Russ,

Thank you for a thought provoking post. My intent for this post was to gain information, as a very novice builder it is at times very confusing trying to digest all the info, claims and false claims that are out there. I have decided that this build is not going to be happening for awhile for a few reasons: the first being that I will be getting sent overseas in July for awhile so I will miss a good portion of the season, because of that I do not want to have to rush the build so I can use it before I leave. The second reason is that I need/want to work on my wrapping skills both guide wraps and decorative wraps. I figured the best use of my time right now is to spend my time reading, asking questions and practicing so that when I get home I can spend my time actually making rods.

That all being said thank you for giving me another thought process to consider. This is exactly why I not only posted this question on this board but also why I joined you guys have great answers to every question and don't make a guy feel like an idiot like some other places I have been