Hi guys

I'm looking for a heavier rod blank for deep water zander ( similar to walleye ) drop shotting.
It don't have to be necessarily full deal drop shot rod, but it definetly need to be suitable for that.
We're using 1/3oz to 1oz weights because of the current and with those 3,5" - 5" Lunker city Fin S shads we need to use those heavy weights.

Looking for those cheaper blanks maximum $100 .

Hi Lauri. I imagine you are from Finland ? Where do you fish ? I've been on a fishing trip on holiday to the Tamissari archipelago in Southern Finland last month!... great place for perch, pike and zander.

Re drop shot blank for zander I think you can find a lot from the suppliers on the left ... there are quite a lot to choose from MHX, StCroix, RainShadow and others. The blanks are normally marked as drop shot blanks - just look for those that can handle up to 1 oz. I never built such a blank so I cannot direct you to a particular one but I'm sure the experts will chime in. Cheers!

Hi Alistair

I am from finland as yoy assumed.
So you were at tammisaari and I fish about 20km from that in the place called särkisalo.
Tammisaari is OK for zanders , but insane with perch and pikes.
Theres bigger zanders in särkisalo area or thats what I have been catching in 10 years.

So, I'll chek on those supliers and hopefully I will find some suitable blanks from there

Hi Lauri

A possible choice may be the MHX MB941. It is 7'10" in length that is rated to throw 1/4 to 1 oz weights. The blank has a Mag taper and is very strong in the butt section yet only has a 5 tip. It is a fast action blank although most drop shot rods are extra fast. That may not make a difference since I am not to familiar with your type of fishing. It is definitely below your price range.

Take a look at it here:

[fishmhx.com]

Anyone else see a better choice please let us know.


Tom



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/16/2015 09:04AM by Tom Wewerka.

Yes I heard about the Salo area Lauri :)

From my very limited experience of your fishing, I think Mag Tapers are great for the large zanders you mention as you have a very strong butt with a very sensitive tip, which is always good to have for drop shotting. Look for mag taper types as Tom suggested - all the major manufacturers should have them marked as such.

Considering the amount of weight you'll be using, I'd also suggest that you look for a mag taper blank, but with a much higher power rating than a normal drop shot rod would have. Here in the states, most drop shot rods, and subsequently the blanks they're built on, have lure weight ratings in the vicinity of 1/8 - 3/8 oz. I doubt a blank that was actually designed for using a drop shot, would do you any good.

I've used a heavier form of the standard drop shot rig, for fishing deep weed edges, and deeper thicker weed beds for bass. Here we call it a power drop shot rig. The only differences between it, and the normal drop shot rig is that it uses heavier weights, and heavier line. I've actually caught just as many walleye using the rig, as I have bass.

I use a 7' heavy power, extra fast action bait casting rod, with 17 - 20# fluorocarbon line, and weights up to 3/4 oz. when I power drop shot. As was previously mentioned, an extra fast action is preferred by most people when fishing a drop shot, because its lighter tip makes it easier to sense the pressure bites that regularly occur when using a drop shot. At least that has been my experience when fishing for bass.

Since you're fishing a current area, lighter, smaller diameter line would probably prove more useful to you. If it were me, I'd look for a medium heavy power, extra fast action blank in the 7' - 7'6" range you mentioned. I say medium heavy power because it would probably be more forgiving if you were to use lighter line, but it would still have the powerful butt you'd need to move the higher amount of weight, on the hook set.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/16/2015 11:57PM by David Baylor.

To cut a long story short: if you can live with a shorter (6'8") blank, then look at Batson Revelation REVS68MXF.

P.S. The blank will easily handle casting weights of more than an ounce. Maybe not tons more, but 1 1/4 oz. is easy.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/17/2015 03:18PM by Michal Rozycki.