Hi I'm new to the forum, lots of people here with an incredible amount of knowledge and I'm hoping some of you may have insight for me on a rod build. I'm looking for a suitable blank for casting heavy spinners (1 oz to 1-1/2 oz) in tidewater for chinook in coastal rivers. Length is important for casting distance, and it must have the power to handle the occasional 30-40 lb fish. My 9' rods don't have adequate length, my 10' is better but not quite there so I'm looking at a length of about 10' 6". Of course I also want to be able to feel my lure working and be able to differentiate between weeds, bottom, fish and whatever, but there is no need for the most sensitive blank out there either. A durable blank with adequate sensitivity would be sweet. Right now I'm thinking the Rainshadow RX-4 blanks might be what I'm looking for. The 10' 6" length and the power ratings of the BP1265F or BP1266F seem to fit my qualifications. My concern is that these are composite blanks that are marketed for salmon trolling, which traditionally uses a rather limber rod. The manufacturer rates the action as moderate, and I can live with that, but describing the action of a rod is so subjective. Maybe their moderate isn't the same as my moderate, and I definitely don't want a slow action. It would be disappointing to end up with a rod that I wouldn't even want to use. Does anyone have experience with these blanks? I would love to hear from someone who has first hand knowledge of them.

Thanks in advance.

Wow those are some heavy spinners, I have fished the 1264 and 1265 a fair amount, while I have casted 1 1/4 oz cannonballs I am not sure this is the right blank for your application, i have built 6 or 7 rods from this series and they are great trolling, downrigger and mooching rods. At the weights you are casting and retrieving the blank would need to be loaded up to get the feel of the spinner working, personally I would look for a graphite tip instead of e-glass for the spinners. Although your fishing style may differ from mine, I will say this is an awesome blank, the differences between the 4/5/6 power versions are smaller than other Rod series. If the blank action fits your style I would go with the 1266!

Good luck!

I agree with Andrew, the BP1264-66 are my go to for salmon DR trolling rods, absolutely perfect for the application.
We have a Chinook river fishery where common practice is bottom bouncing 2-4oz weights so sensitivity of the bite is paramount.
The River is fairly fast and very wide so long casts are necessary but I can't swing a 10'-6" for more than a couple hrs with that weight on it.
IMO the best rod I have used for this is a heavy weight fly rod, I have a Sage 1290 built into a casting rod, its amazing and has incredible sensitivity and power.
My concerns of distance with the shorter rod were quickly put to rest as I am able to cast as far or farther than my Sage 3113.
I think distance casting has a lot more to do with reel than rod but thats just my experience?
I have let a few friends try the 1290 and have since built one for all of them, they all immediately could see the advantages and were converts.
Likely the negative side of the fly vs the BP blanks would be durability however the RPL1290s have been landing Chinooks for close to 20yrs now with.............ok I'm not jinxing myself LOL
Worth a thought, good luck.

You can go with the BPs you were thinking but they are definitely more of a downrigger rod.

We’d recommend the RainShadow RX7 ISA1266 - [www.rainshadowrodblanks.com]

Also from North Fork Composites the SA1065 available in Standard, Intermediate and High Modulus would work great as well.

James Taylor
Batson Enterprises
BatsonEnterprises.com | RainShadowRodBlanks.com | ALPSForeCast.com | Build2Fish.com

The Batson ISA1266F looks like it will work well for you.
It is RX7 Graphite, a great combination of light blank weight, crisp (mod-fast) action, and RX7 dependability.
We have them on sale and the Special Free Shipping applies.
Here is a link;
[www.schneidersrods.com]

"Blanks will ship for just $ 6.00, any quantity" until end of the month.
Happy Thanksgiving!

Best wishes,
Ron Schneider
Schneider's Rod Shop
Mountain Home, Arkansas
[www.schneidersrods.com]
mtnron40@yahoo.com
870-424-3381

Thanks guys for the replies, this was the type of information I was hoping to find on this forum. I'm especially pleased to hear from people who have actually fished with this blank.

Yes, the spinners I use are heavy, and casting them for maximum distance 500 times over the course of a day is fatiguing to say the least. I feel a bit like a baseball pitcher that has just thrown 500 fastballs, and the magnum musky blades I build my spinners with have significant resistance on retrieval, so I'm working at least as hard on the retrieve as I am during the cast. I'm hoping that the right rod will allow me to fish just as hard with maybe a bit less effort, or better yet fish longer for the same expenditure of energy.

So the consensus seems to be that this blank is not a good fit for my particular needs. I thought it might be a little too "soft" but it was recommended to me recently by a fisherman I met. I did notice though that his rod was built on a North Fork blank so go figure. Andrew, Paul and James apparently agree that this is a downrigger/trolling blank.

JT - Thanks for the recommendation, the RX7 ISA1266F was next on my list to consider. It's reassuring to hear someone else agree with that.

So far I haven't found a ton of blanks that might work for me. St Croix has one that looks good but a bit more money that I was hoping to spend.

I see that the Rainshadow RX7 ISA1266F is rated to 1-1/2 oz. I'm wondering if that is enough power for the use I plan for it. The spinner I use most often is 1-1/2 oz, I'd prefer not be right at the edge of a rod's limit. Normally a rod is more comfortable to use in the middle of its range. Does anyone have experience with this blank?

It’ll hold up just fine, it’s a pretty stout blank.


Chuck Osborne Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I see that the Rainshadow RX7 ISA1266F is rated to
> 1-1/2 oz. I'm wondering if that is enough power
> for the use I plan for it. The spinner I use most
> often is 1-1/2 oz, I'd prefer not be right at the
> edge of a rod's limit. Normally a rod is more
> comfortable to use in the middle of its range.
> Does anyone have experience with this blank?

James Taylor
Batson Enterprises
BatsonEnterprises.com | RainShadowRodBlanks.com | ALPSForeCast.com | Build2Fish.com