Who makes the fastest action surf blanks? I'm looking for a 12' two-piece with a lure rating of at least 6-8oz.

thanks,
jeremy

I'm curious. If you plan on casting 6-8 oz. off the beach I'm pretty sure you are fishing with bait, maybe using circle hooks. I do. What advantage will the fastest blank give you - and maybe me?

Phil, the rod will be used for trolling musky baits. Mostly 5.5" Wileys and Boss Shads. The reason I'm going the surf blank route is that there are no freshwater blanks that can give me what I'm looking for. I am looking for something faster than a traditional trolling blank- and longer. There's no point in having a 12' rod for a trolling rod if it flexes so much that the bait ends up running 6' out from the boat. There are plenty of one-piece musky blanks that would work well (Lamiglas 8'6"XH, Tackle Industries 9'XH, etc), but they're 8'6" and 9' and I can only extend them to 10' and 10'6" respectively, assuming an 18" fighting butt (which would be huge for a trolling rod).

jeremy

I built a batson SUR1508. cut 3" off top and bottom to make it 12' even. It is stiff and fairly fast. By the way you describe it, i think this would work for what you are trying to do.

Jeremy,

I'm just throwing this out there for discussion's sake, but if your just going for reach why couldn't you extend the blank further than your 18" limit? I'm not so much suggesting that you would do so, I am just more curious about your 18" limit reference.

Jeremy: I appreciate your requirement to distance a trolled bait , especially a shallow-running trolled bait , from the back of your boat. Consider installing a five-foot tall rod holder for trolling. This would move your lure well behind your boat, the holder could easily be folded down, the rod would be much easier to transport, and your selection of landing nets would greatly increase. Besides, a shorter rod will cost a lot less and tire a fish a lot quicker.

Jim, thanks for the suggestion, I'll check out that blank.

John, I prefer to keep my extensions under the reel seat. A typical rear grip length on a musky rod is 16"-18", with 18" being about the longest 99% of fishermen prefer. Hence the 18" max extension. Just a matter of personal preference.

Phil, this rod setup is for short line trolling. In this setup, the baits are run on a rod that is facing straight out from the side of the boat on a 3' trolling leader with no line out. Guys run very close to shore with wide spreading setups so that they can target the muskies that have moved shallow pre-spawn. This technique is obviously pretty much limited to southern / eastern reservoirs with no closed season. I understand your questions as to why the heck I'm looking for a rod like this for trolling. It's a bit outside the box.

jeremy

Sounds like it would be tough on the blank. Maybe an Ulua rod is worth a look (might be overkill)? Donald Becker might prove a valuable resource. He has knowledge of both surf and ulua blanks.

West coast jig sticks might do but I don't think they come that long.

Russ in Hollywood, FL.

Hi Russ,
Thank you for the referral.

Jeremy,

Lamiglas Triflex blanks seem to have a fast action. However, they are not rated for an 8 ounce lure. They are composite and should have the durability that would be needed.
Model CSB 132-2M, Length 11?, Pieces 2, Line 17-40, lure 3-6

You may be limiting your possibilities.
Phil's idea could be expanded upon. It is very possible that you could use outriggers.
A couple of years ago, outriggers were requested for use on kayaks. The solution was to develop telescoping outriggers. They were about 10 or 12 feet long, 2 piece, and equipped with smaller outrigger hardware. The kayak was paddled to the fishing location and the outriggers were deployed. The release mechanisms were set up, the outriggers extended outward and set in holders. In this manner it was possible to troll 4 lures. Two lures from outriggers and two lures from fishing rods. The use of outriggers provided an additional level of excitement when a fish hit. If you are interested in this method, it was Lamiglas who developed the outrigger system for Hawaii. Lamiglas will have the capability to meet your needs. You may need to contact one of Hawaii's tackle shops for proper setting up of the system.

Hope this helps,
Don

Don Becker

Jeremy,

I build salmon trolling rods for the Great Lakes fishermen. Our diver setups are a very similar concept to what you are trying to achieve. I use mainly MHX surf blanks for diver applications, especially wire divers. MHX does not produce anything longer than 10' presently. In the past I have used American Tackle AXSU surf blanks with great success. They have one at 11', which could give you the length you are looking for with an easy extension. These blanks are plenty fast and stout to keep all your reach, and they will take a 27# king salmon strike on ss wire line at 3mph, so they are tough. They will also not break the piggy bank.

Thanks Tony! I appreciate your advice!

jeremy

You might want to look at the Century Sling Shot 1449. It is a 2 piece, 12 foot rod rater 4 - 8 oz with a moderate fast action.

Cts s8, extra fast blank and has ratings you want. Expensive blanks though

Thanks for all the help guys. I'm looking into your suggestions.

jeremy

Jeremy,

Like Tony, I also have built on the AmTac AXSU and I think this would be a well-matched choice. I didn't recommend it earlier however because you wrote that you were looking for the fastest blank you could find. You have a couple choices the 110M-2 at 1-4 oz and the 100H-2 at 2-6 oz.

These ratings are a bit misleading for trolling applications. As Tony mentioned these blanks can tow a dipsy diver and attractor/bait at 3mph and have plenty left over to survive a mature salmon strike on no-stretch wire line. They'll be up to the task. The only thing is they are medium-fast action not very fast as you mentioned in your original post. You might want to consider these as you could always trim from the tip to get the power you want and then add to the butt to get the length you want. on an 11' rod you could trim up to 6" from the tip and keep your extension at 18" or under. This would probably up the action on these blanks from medium-fast to fast action.

Having wrote the above, I would however consider an alternative. It may not be practical for the boat being used, but a set of outriggers fashioned from some of the heaviest/longest surf rod blanks will widen the spread of the troll a few feet more and allow you to fish with more traditional length rods and maintain the leverage advantages of a shorter rod as compared to a 12 footer.

If this sounds like something you might want to consider, shoot me an-email and I can describe a simple outrigger mounting method using flush-mount rod-holders and exhaust tubing that makes for a real slick outrigger mount.

I do stock some Ulua rods that could be used as outriggers to meet your needs. However, they are about 13' 6" long. They are from two different companies. One is graphite. while the other is composite. Both are of a moderate or moderate fast action.


Don

Don Becker