I have a customer who is wanting a short (6'6" to 7'6") multiple piece travel rod. He is wanting something from a moderate to moderate fast action blank to use for dry flies and small terrestrials. His requests were to keep the blank price at or below $100 and that it be at least a 4 piece blank for easy transport. I have been pouring over multiple blanks lately and the trend for "fast" is rearing its ugly head for the guys who like a more traditional taper. I have found a couple of blanks like the Batson F764-4 and the F764-5. Could anyone offer any other suggestions or if anyone has built on either (or both) of these blanks let me know if they might suit my needs. For those guys who have built on both of these, does the 5 piece feel a little stiffer in the hand than the 4 piece or does the extra weight toward the tip make it a little softer? Also wondering if I might be better off to build a RX7 batson a little on the heavy side to soften the action somewhat?

I believe the Rainshadow 764-4 is a very good choice for your customer. The action is right and from my experience it fits the bill for the type of fishing you mention. I have built a number of these for customers who like them a lot. I believe the 5 piece is no longer available.

Thanks, Phil. I am torn between the two and was wondering if there were any other "slower" or "not so fast" blanks that I was just missing at this price point. There are still a couple of 5 piece models floating around (at least at one sponsor). That's why I was even considering it. I have built a couple rods on the F905-5 and thought the action on those blanks would serve my purpose, just wasn't sure about the shorter blanks action. I appreciate your input very much.

The term "fast" is subjective to the nth degree. The popularity of "fast" rods is such that blank makers label 5 weight rods as 4 weight 6 wt. as 5 wt, etc. - much like the "strongest 8# test line" is actually 12# test line. You might try building out a 3 wt. blank and having the customer use it to cast a 4 wt. line to become a moderate action rod in actual use. Or build out a 2 wt. blank and cast a 3 wt. line to achieve the desired rod action. How any rod casts depends upon the blank AND the line - and of course the fly caster.

Pac Bay Traditional Series 7'6" 4wt 4pc. still uses IM6 Graphite. These are usually a Med/Med-Fast Action blank by CCS standards. Very inexpensive too.

MHX 7'6" 4wt 4pc. is "labeled" as Mod/Fast with and MSRP ~$80. Great Warranty. This would be my personal preference for that price range.

Dont over look the Bingham ent SHX 764-4

Ron Weber

Thank you Phil, I was kinda wondering about overlining a 3 wt rod as well. If I do that, it sure opens up a lot more options on the shorter end. I might be able to throw a 6'6" or 7 footer in the equation. You bring up a great point, the "speed" of the rod is the sum of all 3 parts: blank, line & caster.

Torin, I haven't built on a pac bay fly blank yet, not going to count them out. Thank you for the CCS info. I wish there was a database to cross reference blanks to CCS and AA. As far as the MHX blanks go I built a 9' 4wt for a good friend and he prefers the MHX over his dad's Orvis Helios. He says that it's "lighter,faster, longer casting and more accurate". Its funny you say that its "labeled" as a Mod/Fast because I have seen it listed on websites and catalogs as everything from mod/fast to fast (dependent on who has it listed.) I had decided to stay away from them for this build because of the high line speeds we were generating with the 9 footer. Sweet blanks and I will definitely build more of them.

Ron, I will check out the Bingham blank. No experience with their products, but I see lots of positive comments about their customer service and what a pleasure they are to deal with...

big thanks to all of you

Ron, Just checked Bingham's site. Not finding a SHX764-4. I saw a 6'6" 2wt and a couple nine footers in 5 and 6 wts. Does anyone know if this blank was discontinued?

Call or email Karen. She now has more options than is listed on her website. Last I knew the 7'6" 4wt was still avwilable.

Thanks for the product mention Torin! I just wanted to clarify that the current list price for the PacBay T2F764-4 is a mere $51.58. PacBay blanks also arguably have the best warranty coverage in the industry.

Thanks guys!