Hi everybody, first time poster here. I'm two days into researching rod blanks here and more confused than when I started. I'm looking to build my first fly rod, a 9' 7 wt fast action graphite rod for big trout streamers, bass, carp, and I'm hoping it'll handle small pike flies. Anyway, my budget on blanks is somewhere in the $120 range, less is of course better, and it can be pushed if I get too excited.

Also, I'm looking for something light grey-charcoal colored.

As far as blanks go:
I've found a UHM12 blank from Angler's Roost. It's well under my budget and I can't find any bad (or good) reviews.
I've also found a PacBay quickline for ~$100 with some decent reviews.
Lastly, I've read some great reviews of Dan Craft blanks but unfortunately none of my devices are allowing me to browse his website without scrambling it all up. If anybody knows of a blank of his that may fit my specifications I'm sure I can find a way to check it out.

Thanks in advance everybody and sorry for the noob question!

I have built two Quicklines, an 8 and a 6. Both are very nice casting rods, and I really like their gloss black finish. The six was built with snakes, the 8 with single foot wire guides. I've seen nothing else at this price point that matches the performance. If you've been looking around you already know that the price varies greatly depending on the company offering the blanks.

Thanks Michael, I'm really glad to hear that. The more I envision it the more I'm starting to lean towards an all black rod anyway. A quick question for you: I can't tell from the pictures online if the blanks have a Quickline logo printed on them or not. Did yours come with a logo? It's not a problem, but I'd like to know as I move forward designing the rod.

Taylor,
All black works great for a rod. Black blank, black grips, black reel seat and black thread for the thread wraps.

Call it the Stealth rod. Simple but elegant.

Be safe

While not the color you are after, try the PacBay Arctos, they have a 9'3" 7wt and if it is ahything like their 6wt. it is fast

Ron Weber

Quicklines come with a decal which has the logo. You of course do not have to use it. Another Pac Bay rod has been suggested, check to see if the Pac Bay catalog has the CCS data for that rod, to compare. The catalog has CCS for the Quicklines. My Quickline 8 weight is a little faster than the old Rainshadow RX8 . The six weight is similar in action to the 8 Quickline.

I built a seven-weight fly rod on an MHXF-907 four piece blank from Mud Hole. Loaded with an 8-weight Triangle Taper fly line it will easily cast a Clouser tied on a #4 hook 80 feet. If there is a fly fishing club in your area you should seek it out. Members will be happy to let you try casting their rod/line combinations. A good experience is better than good advice - and cheaper!

My favorite fly rod blank manufacturer to build on is Temple Fork Outfitters (TFO). They have a lot of good information on their web site about building their blanks out. Also Sage has good information about building fly rods although out of your budget for a blank. The TFO Mangrove is a nice fast blank that I believe is true to its designated wt. I think when you start looking at " fast" or "extra fast" blanks on fly rods are we talking about a fast 7 wt that is really a medium 8 wt. This can get mind boggling. My old Sage RPL 8 wt feels more like a modern fast 6 or 7 wt for example. I have built on the MHX fly rod blanks and do like them with the Batson Rainshadow blanks being very similar. There really are no bad choices just preferences and figuring out what line will work best on a particular fly rod.

I have the MHX Blank 907-4 and run a Rio Redfish 7wt line and have been very pleased on the flats. Lots of power and pretty darn quick.

Tough to suggest a blank unless you have seen the user cast. The angler who double-hauls and really loads a rod will want a much different blank than the angler who casts no more than 40 feet.

Hi Everyone
Great comments....for those who may be reading this thread and looking to check out some of the products that were mentioned, we can offer the following links:

MHX Fly
[www.mudhole.com]

TFO Fly
[www.mudhole.com]

PacBay Arctos Fly
[www.mudhole.com]

Tight lines.....

Regards.
Team Mud Hole Custom Tackle
Web: [www.mudhole.com]
Email: sales@mudhole.com
Toll Free Phone #: 1-866-790-RODS (7637)

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What awesome replies from everybody. I'm narrowed down now to PacBay. I love everything I read about the Quickline, but it's such a close call with the Arctos. I can't find CCS or any other reviews for those blanks.The color is awesome, and they're a little less expensive than the Quicklines which is a plus. It's the power to throw larger flies that I want to be the deciding factor here. I plan on pushing it a little with this 7 wt, I tend to push fly size a little far.

The 10'3 6wt Arcton on my bench currently is ded on with the CCS coming in at a 6.35 ERN and an AA of 75

Ron Weber

I've built MHX (MudHole), TFO, St. Croix and RodGeeks. I've actually built several fly rods (spinning, as well) with blanks from RodGeeks. You can get the standard blank color or have them come in 1-3 colors for extra $$. I typically get a 1 color and a typical 9' 7 wt. rod is $112 for the blank and an additional $15 for the color.

My Dad and I have floated/waded the Green River up in Wyoming several times. The last time we were there, while we were eating lunch, our guide asked if he could borrow my rod and cast for a few cuts he knew were there. He used my RodGeeks 9' 5 wt with 5 wt. WF line (the wind blows in southwest Wyoming, so weight forward was the ticket). He was making 90'-100' casts with it and landed a 2.5-3 pound cut on it. He really liked the rod and said it casted as well as his St. Croix and lower end Sage rods. Hearing that from a guide is good enough for me. RodGeeks blanks are just about all I get now.

75 degrees is most likely a faster action than the Quickline. Not sure i would want a fly rod that fast. My 6 wt Quickline is about 68 degrees on my rig, 70 on Pac Bay's rig. I couldn't find Quickline CCS data on Pac Bay's 2018 catalog, but it's in their 2016 catalog. If you want it, search for "Pac Bay 2016 Catalog," and download it. If anyone has Pac Bay CCS data on the Arctons, let me know.

The action angle isn't as important as the ERN, 6.35 puts it in the same power range as my Dan Craft Sig V, 10 ft., 6 wt. which is a fine 0 to 60 ft. rod, and a bit more work than some past that.

The difference in AA between 75 and 70 in a fly rod is very significant. I can always re-line to match the rod's power, but if the action is not what I want, I'm screwed.

All of the Quickline's that I have built have come out considerably higher on the ERN that the advertised line weight. Most performed considerably better when overlined by at least 1 wt over advertised specs. The last 10' 5wt Czech nymphing one I built was a slug with a 5wt line on it, but really came alive with a heavy 6 on it, and customer throws a 7 on it

Ron Weber

Taylor
Your email is hidden.
I have a CTS Affinity-X, #7, 4pc that I bought for myself as a back-up to the 2 I already have built.
Will offer it at a deep discount to its $290 list price because I don't fish 7wts very much any longer.
Herb
U.S. Distributer CTS Blanks

On my rig the two Quickline fly blanks (6 and 8) were as Ron describes, as were the 8wt Rainshadow RX8 and a Rainshadow Eternity 2 8 wt. + a couple other lesser fly blanks of lower power..

I concluded after measuring all these blanks that marketing blanks to the high end of the power range was common place, likely to avoid someone calling their blanks under-powered.

I bought a Rio Bonefish Quickshooter for my Quickline 8 and found it very nice. Using it on the Eternity 2 8 wt yields the same results, as one would expect from the similar CCS numbers.