Just returned from this year's sturgeon trip and now have one of my friends wanting me to build a rod for him. He used one of my backup RCLB80XL rods built as spinning rod and was impressed how it handled fish he caught, some of them 50 - 55 lbs. We are fishing from boat, using 3-4 oz pyramid sinkers and worms as a bait. Line is 30 lbs mono or 50-60 lbs braid. Now, while he really liked te rod, he wants 9 ft rod for longer casts and 2 pcs for easy transportation. 8 ft rod does not fit in his car. He will be also using rod for big pike fishing with large minnows under float and 2 oz of lead, also from boat.
I am thinking about using a surf blank for this rod, but cannot really find anything priced close to RCLB line.
What your thoughts would be regarding Rod Geeks surf blankSRF90MM2, 9 ft, 2 pcs, moderate action, 10-20 lbs line, 3/4-4 oz, 8.5 tip. My understanding is its a blank with fibergass tip, similar to rclb.
Also, looking at Seeker SSU90 surf blank. A bit more expensive though

I made one into a bucktails rod for musky. Rod performed great for me.

Check out the mudhole sale on surf blanks. They might have what you are looking for. MH