Guys I'm in search for a smallmouth blank to toss small hair jigs a good distance on very light line. I'm looking for it to be 8'-8'6 in length. These will be lightwire hooks and weight will never be over 3/16 and thats a stretch more on the side of 3/32. I won't be fishing for small stream smallmouth however this will be used on the Great Lakes for large smallmouth I hope. Line weight will be UL braid to 4# fluoro.

I noticed in the mhx line they offer a hot shot blank that is 8'2 one piece rated 1/8-1/2. I have no idea what a hot shot blank is or how it feels. Suggestions thoughts? This is the closest thing I found that's not multiple pieces which is a plus. I never extended a blank but always like to avoid that possibility.

I have used st.croix 7ft and 7' 6" blanks in these models and they work well. I have never seen a need for a 8 or 8'6" for this need but for a float and fly rig yes. look at these:

5S70MLF-G, 5S76MLXF-G, 3S70MLF, and 3S76MLXF. If you really need that extra foot then I would extend one of these blanks and its really not that difficult. If you search the forum you will find enough advice on how to do this correctly. I don't use blanks that long so I cannot help identify any. However, the ones listed above I have used and built for people to fish small tubes and hair jigs for susky smallmouth and for Erie smallmouth.

DG

here is a couple of suggestions

MHX Crappie & Panfish Blank PF1082ML-MHX [9'0" / 2pc / 2-8 lb.]
SKU: PF1082ML-MHX
$28.50
Quantity

MHX Crappie & Panfish Blank PF1202ML-MHX [10'0" / 2pc / 2-8 lb.]
(0) SKU: #PF1202ML-MHX

$31.50
10'0" | 2-8 lb. | 1/64 - 1/2 oz. | Mod-Fast Action | 2 Piece | 4.5 Tip | 0.504 Butt

MHX ST1142 Steelhead Rod Blank
(0) SKU: #ST1142-MHX

$81.00
9'6" | 4-8 lb. | 3/16 - 1/2 oz. | Fast Action | Medium-Light Power | 2 Piece | 4.5 Tip | 0.462 Butt | Slate Finish

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Wi.

From the line of North Fork blanks, we’d recommend ST711-1 (IM) or SJ804-1 (IM)

James Taylor
Batson Enterprises
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A hotshot blank would be way too much blank. A noodle rod blank would be closer to what you want.

HS 9600-MHX in the salmon/steelhead section is an extremely soft tipped blank like the St Croix 5S76MLXF, but it doesn't come into the power as fast, I think it would be perfect for your application. It's softer than it's rating would make you believe as far as line wt., lure weight is spot on.

American tackle Bushido
MB710/8-15

7'10" Mag Bass 8-15 lb
I have built many of these for that exact purpose . You will love it.

Rolly Beenen
Rovic Custom Rods

Years ago, St. Croix offered a rod specifically designed for the 'Float'n'Fly" technique. (They may have done so in collaboration with Ed Nuchols before his untimely death.) It was a two piece, 8'6" rod with a light action and was designated for use with lines from 4 lbs to 8 lbs. They offer something similar now (PS86LM2), although the original completed rod came with an oversized Tennessee handle. I suspect they still offer the blank as part of their SCII line, but I don't know.

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and long leggedy beasties,
and things that go bump in the night,
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Thanks guys I think the hs9600 from mud hole is the blank.

I have experience with giant great lakes smallies and all the St. Croix blanks mentioned so far.

First of all the, The MHX panfish blanks won't do what you are looking to do. I have built using most of them..

St. Croix still makes the Float and Fly rod. It is a 8' blank in the Avid series.

The float and fly blank is made for "float with a light jig" not casting a light jig alone. I have used this rod for quite sometime.

Hot shot blanks, even the spinning blanks are too heavy for this application, I have used the Loomis HSR9000, too heavy.

The exact blank you are looking for doesn't exists I have been looking for the same thing for a long time.

But, the rods I am using right now for light jigs is the St Croix 5S70LF and the St Croix 5S76MLXF, I have two of these.

The St Croix 5S70LF is better for the size jigs and line you are looking to use.

I like the idea of using the 5S76MLXF with a but extension. I have been thinking of the same thing for fishing grubs for smallies in the clear waters of the great lakes.

Good luck on your search.

See you on the water, Doug
Captain Paddlefoot

I think the MHX HS9600 might be very close to what you are looking for. Although I have not used this 8' version, I have made up several 7.5' MHX HS9000 and MHX SJ9000 which are almost identical to each other. They have a fast tip which allows them to throw a very light lure a long distance, but still have plenty of backbone in the butt and mid section. They do not have that soft feel which is characteristic of many L action spin rods, so it has a nice crisp and responsive feel. The rods I made up were for a friend and his sons who likes to throw light jigs mostly 1/8 -1/4 oz in shallow water for speckled sea trout. They also use them for crappie fishing throwing 1/16 oz jigs. They like them a lot. Make up your rod using very light components it will certainly add to the overall sensitivity and feel of the rod.
Norm

Jason,
Let me know what you end up doing.

I am trying something new this year but, afraid it maybe TOO LIGHT.

Go light on components ti help.

Good luck, Doug

See you on the water, Doug
Captain Paddlefoot

Doug S.
As I said in my post, you can't compare this blank by it's line rating, it is substantially less powerful, my guess without playing with both again before posting, I say the MHX is 40% less powerful in the tip that the HSR 9000 in GL3, which is the softest and best of the graphite G Loomis uses for this blank. The GLX HSR 9000 for instance is all but worthless as a plug rod.

I totally understand this one, as a smallmouth addict with similar proclivities for a long rod. My challenge was finding blanks in the right length and attributes, which is not so easy, especially if price is a concern. I found happiness in taking a 7' blank, and lengthening it in the butt section to whatever final length I need, using larger diameter blanks. I have built several in the 7'6"-8'6" range and a variety of actions, but the finished product are all one piece. In my case I use baitcasters (Abu 1500c or 2500c), so the handles have trigger seats, but you could do the same thing for spinning, if that's how you roll.

In addition to hair jigs and tubes, I also like the long rods for crank baits and topwater - they enable you to cover a lot of water, and also pick up slack quickly.

There is a lesson learned on this though, that is don't go too feeble on the (butt) blank with which you are lengthening the rod, such as by inserting a thin wall glass blank into the graphite main blank. This will cause undesirable floppiness in the handle. For the butt section I have had the best luck with graphite boat blank seconds. In oldtimer parlance, they would ideally be the graphite equivalent of 12 or 20 lb IGFA blanks. The strength is there, balance is good (especially with the smaller reels I use for the smallies), and the entire finished rod is both light and very fishable.

Whit

So many opinions I love it. The 9600 has the edge. Plus it's not as expensive as many other offering in case I don't like it.

I own several sc576 blanks only one ML and that's my dropshot rod. The others are M that I use for tubes and finesse jigs. I just don't like extending a blank if there's a one piece option that already meets the length needed. However I also never extended a blank. I build for myself so I don't have stock of bad blanks and such to cut up.

As for the build of this rod I'm going to use recoils. I kinda have a fondness for how loomis makes their current hybrid guide train on the nrx rods and that will be my route with size 4 runners after choking with Fuji K guides likely alconite. I'll be using the nps reelseat with just a butt grip no other handle components. I build light weight simple builds nothing JDM crazy minus some thread inlays. I'm still learning