I am looking for a 1 ounce blank I can throw topwater lures and popping corks as far as possible. I want the blank to be very light weight. I and more concerned with distance and lite weight to be able to fast pop the rod for long periods of time. I am to too concerned with fighting big fish. This will be used for stripes in a tailrace and a 20 lb fish here is a fish of a lifetime. By far the majority of fish will be under 10 lbs with most in the 1 - 5 lbs range.

I searched several threads and compared all recommendations I could find. The 965 seems to be the best option with its light weight and I would think it would be a dream to fish with its small diameter.

If I go with this blank can it be extended to 8'6" if I decide I want the other 6"? I would test cast it first to see what kind of distance and fishing ability it has extended and original length before deciding.

Thanks

If your looking for a longer blank with similar power and weight you might want to look at the Lamiglas XMG105MT. These style blanks have been used for popping corks and other purposes for some time now.

Not sure about the Castaway but I've used a Rainshadow IP964 for a couple of years now and find it handles fish in that weight range with no problem. I typically throw 3/4 and occasionally 1oz. so I can'tcomment on the topwater or popping corks. Build it with a composite/graphite split grip and it should be light enough to meet your needs. Only issue might be the moving water of a tailrace when you've hooked a decent fish. I use mine in the surf and if there is a lot of wave action it can give the rod a workout, especially on above slot reds.......

Post should have read NOT too concerned with big fish. The rods we have built so far are 1-2 oz 7'11" and 1-4 oz 9' with line weights in the 25 and 30 lbs range. These are only fun to catch fish on when they are larger fish. Doesn't take a lot of rod here to quickly land a fish because of the way the current flows. Landed a 9 lb fish yesterday on 1/2 oz blank that was spooled with 15 lbs braid. Fish was landed quickly and released without a lot of fuss and little reviving even after the weighing and pics. Just doesn't take that much rod here when the river is flowing. I have rods for when it is low and you need to keep them out of the rocks.

I spent some more time looking at the local stores and also online. Is there a 8' 6" blank that will have a sweet spot in the 1 - 1 1/4 oz range and have a extra fast or fast tip? Nearly all we fish is topwater of some sort so the faster action is a great advantage. The above blanks are not fast action.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/23/2013 12:06AM by Greg Smith.

I have looked for a 8'6" one ounce and found nothing close to a fast or extra fast. Is there a 7' or 7'6" that could be extended to 8'6" and have a sweet spot between 1 and 1 1/4 oz?

Also, how does extending the blank affect the action and weight that a blank can cast? I would think the action would not be affected but with the extra length the castable weight could be affected? Is the power affected?

There are hot shot steelhead blanks in 8'6" that are extra fast action and could handle 1 ounce casting weights. Be advised that when you look at them they often list trolling, not casting, weights. I have a HS1023F. IMHO the tip is too fast/soft for popping cork work. The rod is also overkill for 1-5 pound fish. Also have a XP964 that I think would be better suited although you would need to extend it 6 inches (and it is 1 pc).

Russ in Hollywood, FL.

HS1023F 5.0 .590 (two piece) 3 oz and XP964 5.0 .520 (one piece) 2.26 oz , both the former, which is an overkill solution, HS stands for hot shot and with this technique throws up to 4 oz, otherwise being 1 oz capped / is a max 27 grams stick, and the latter being not quite an 1oz blank and more moderate than the castaway and also more moderate as extended compared to an extended castaway, are beaten up by the 965 that has better stats 6.0 .496 (one piece) 2.2 oz, an AA a tad in the 70s though I am not entirely sure about this and is cheaper, those two batson blanks cost $130/140 ++.

When I was reading your question, I was thinking about a japanese blank, and then you came to add fast to extra fast. Well, this is it: a japanese blank. These are faster than anything we know, light and very sensitive, the thinnest diameter on the market making it a blank for those 1-5 lbs fish, with a 10 lbs once in a while.

THE only bad point about them is that the japanese blanks are usually 2 piece blanks. Stats: 3.5 TIP .449 BUTT (two piece spigot) 2.0 oz, fast, 1 oz 8ft6in blank, price $100+, name: TR86 Super SeaBass-M, "seabass" being the very japanese word for popping and "super" being the surname for high modulus variants of those t-russell blanks from the matagi catalog.

As one piece, the options are expensive, I would look at NFC, MB 805 HM 4.0 .656 2.25 oz is actually 22.40 ERN and 78 AA and SJ 804 HM 3.9 .658 2.2 oz - 20.80 ERN and 80.20 AA. These would cast far but they are also quite powerful and designed with some larger fishes in mind. If one would extend a cannon, then one would extend these.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/07/2013 08:52PM by Razvan Matei.

I was thinking at XST1025F when I wrote 140 $, which is expensive but decent to better solution.

I still say the Lamiglas blank I mentioned above, was designed for your size salmon/steelhead, tip should work popping cork or plug at a distance well, a one pounder may be a bit anti-climatic to bring in. Look at the Lamiglas site to the left, XMG 50 salmon/steelhead rods, 8 ft 9 in rod and read the description there. Blank is no heavier then the Castaway blank you first mentioned.