Good evening Gentlemen,

I have a request to build a jerkbait rod however, the customer would like it to be 6'3". I would like to know if you think that removing 6 inches from the butt of a 6'9" ot 6'10" xfast blank would significantly reduce the overall power of the blank.

thanks,
Tom

Thomas,
Power is a relative term.

The best way to know would be to chop the blank, build the rod and see if it works for you. A 6'1" blank can certainly catch as many fish as a 6'9" blank.

Be safe

Thomas
Don't chop anything!!
take the rod temporarily put a reel seat handle set up on it in the location it would be on a 6' 3" blank. Tape guides on it.

Try it out, or have the man try it out to see it it works for him. No need to catch fish is it is the action that is most important in a jerk bait for ( at least for bass fishing).
If it don't work you not wasted blank or handle as it could be reamed to fit further down the blank for what ever you decide to use it for.

doing so will also give you idea of power lost



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/06/2016 06:49PM by Steve Gardner.

You can do a CCS ERN measurement on the full blank, then slide it in 6 inches and repeat with the new flex amount. The difference in the two ERN readings would give you a percentage power loss. I suspect it could be quite significant, depending on what the action of the blank is.

.........

Steve hit the nail on it's head
This way you don't cut and if it does not work well nothing lost and you still have the blank
You can also just tape the reel on with some guides And play with it

Bill - willierods.com

Keep in mind that cutting from the butt is cutting from the power end of the rod, and taking off 6" is 7 +5% of the total rod. I think you will find the power reduction to be substantial.

The suggestion of trying before cutting is a good one.

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/20/2016 05:09PM by John E Powell.

Gentlemen,
Once again, thank you for all of the advice. I will do a simple mock up as Steve suggested. Tom, I will also measure out the blank just for personal knowledge and simply to see how it would affect the blanks.. They will make the perfect rainy day projects for today.

Thanks again,
Tom

Try using a 6-6 blank , then do what Steve said..

Robert, I would love to be able to use a 6'6" blank but I've yet to find one that has the extra fast action that I am looking for. I personally use one of the older 6'6" SCIV blanks but don't have any left to utilize. It seems as everything has gone to 6-9 lately. I had thought about using a 6 footer with a fast action and putting on an additional 3 inches and have a few options that I can show him, so I guess we will just have to see what he is wanting.

Thanks,
Tom

PB661LF
AA; 75-degrees
ERN: 15.4

I have to agree with Steve. Since it's not a rod for personal use, I wouldn't cut anything. As Steve said, the action that is the most important part of a jerkbait rod, not the total power of the rod.

My very first build was a jerkbait rod. I wanted a finish rod length of 6' but couldn't find a blank of that length that I thought would have the action that I was looking for, so I ended up trimming 6" off the butt of a 6'6" blank. I used an MHX SJ783. Trimming the 6" off the butt noticeably reduced the power, but I wasn't worried about the power. I was trying to build a rod that still had a nice tip that would be able to work a jerkbait, but one that would bend into the midsection of the blank under the load of a fish.

I'm actually very happy with it. It does a great job for the size jerkbaits I throw with it. Which are baits normally in the 3/8 - 1/2 range. It works a bait the size of Lucky Craft Staysees 90 really well.

Is 4S63MXF an acceptable option?
As a side question, since this is labelled a spinning blank is there a reason one should avoid building as a casting rod?

John Shear
Chippewa Falls, WI

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/20/2016 05:09PM by John E Powell.

John, I have that blank and it is just a hair short on the power side. Perfect tip and the action that I am looking for. I have found one blank that may work from MHX but don't think the customer is to excited about their products as he has used some in the past from other builders and doesn't feel they compare to his current Loomis sticks.

Guys, I forgot that Rainshadow has the IMMWS62MXF and that St. Croix makes the 3C62MXF that will work perfectly, if he has to have the extra inch I will simply extend it with my tube that I got it from CTS.

thanks,
Tom

Thomas Mud Hole makes a 6` 3`` xf they are mb 752 and 753......

Robert, thank you. I did finally see that and tonight when I spoke with the customer he bought my two personal rods that were built on SCIV blanks. I just have to order myself some new replacements now. I love having the problem of having to order new blanks!!

thanks again to everyone,
Tom