Hello, I’m young and new to rod building and looking for suggestions on where to purchase a surf rod blank. Looking for something in the 9ft range give or take. Will be using it for casting plugs and metal in the surf of southeast Florida. Nothing too heavy. Budget is about $100 give or take. Any input is much appreciated, thank you.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/28/2018 12:33AM by Jeremy Pollack.

CTS has a nice 9'0" model for light stuff. But the cost is higher than your budget - unless you want to spring for it.
Herb

In the $100.00 price range Rodgeeks has two 9 foot surf rods priced at $105.00 and i can tell you from first hand experience they're as light as a feather and cast into the next time zone.


[rodgeeks.com]

herb canter Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> In the $100.00 price range Rodgeeks has two 9 foot
> surf rods priced at $105.00 and i can tell you
> from first hand experience they're as light as a
> feather and cast into the next time zone.
>
>
>
> [rodgeeks.com]

Yeah I’m thinking of going with one of the Rodgeeks blanks. Any idea what the shipping costs run? Thanks for the input

What weight lures will you be casting?

Anglers Workshop has their private label, a 9ft 2-6 oz rated made in USA by Talon for $122.

One of the Salmon blanks from North Fork Composites may work great with plugs and other treble hook lures and at 60% off with free shipping that would get you under budget. I believe their lure ratings are for trolling so a 1-6 oz rated blank is probably half that casting.

SHIPPING INFORMATION:

RODgeeks blanks are built to order in our factory. Place an order, and we will fabricate and paint your blanks within a few business days. We will ship your order to Laredo, Texas, and after clearing Customs it will be delivered to your address by FedEx or UPS. Most orders shipped to U.S. customers are delivered within 2 weeks of when they are placed.

A flat rate of $18.95 is charged for most blank shipments within the U.S., so you can save money by ordering multiple blanks at once.

Forgot to add that many have made the mistake of ordering a Rodgeeks or St. Croix blank , ( Virtually same thing) in the MMF2 when they really wanted the moderate action model which is the MM2 designation and there is a HUGE difference in feel and their inherent characteristics between them .


I always preferred the MMF rated models which means Medium power Moderate Fast action and if you see the # 2 after it that just means two piece . The MM2 by contrast means Medium power Moderate action two piece , the moderate rated rods are considerably slower just something to be aware of. Some much prefer the moderate but i'm NOT one of them.

Good luck with whatever you end up choosing , the NEW Rainshadow surf rods look very good to me , especially the shorter length models because they're definitely worth looking into , if you can pick one up and it's in your budget range i would check out one of those for sure before deciding.

Many of the suppliers on the left sell surf blanks.

herb canter Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Forgot to add that many have made the mistake of
> ordering a Rodgeeks or St. Croix blank , (
> Virtually same thing) in the MMF2 when they really
> wanted the moderate action model which is the MM2
> designation and there is a HUGE difference in feel
> and their inherent characteristics between them .
>
>
> I always preferred the MMF rated models which
> means Medium power Moderate Fast action and if you
> see the # 2 after it that just means two piece .
> The MM2 by contrast means Medium power Moderate
> action two piece , the moderate rated rods are
> considerably slower just something to be aware of.
> Some much prefer the moderate but i'm NOT one of
> them.
>
> Good luck with whatever you end up choosing , the
> NEW Rainshadow surf rods look very good to me ,
> especially the shorter length models because
> they're definitely worth looking into , if you can
> pick one up and it's in your budget range i would
> check out one of those for sure before deciding.

Thank you for the info herb it’s much appreciated. Do you know where I can view the rainshadow blanks?

David Miller Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> What weight lures will you be casting?
>
> Anglers Workshop has their private label, a 9ft
> 2-6 oz rated made in USA by Talon for $122.
>
> One of the Salmon blanks from North Fork
> Composites may work great with plugs and other
> treble hook lures and at 60% off with free
> shipping that would get you under budget. I
> believe their lure ratings are for trolling so a
> 1-6 oz rated blank is probably half that casting.

Wow yeah, some great deals on there from what I see. You really think the lureweight rating is half of what they list? I will be throwing maybe up to 4-5 oz

Hi, new member chiming in.

Black Hole Suzuki for under 100.00 is my suggestion.

Here you go Jeremy , i love the specs on the 8 and 9 foot models , the listed weights of the blanks are impressive in regard to the the weights they're intended to throw, (Lure ratings) the problem is very little feedback on these since they're so new .


[www.rainshadowrodblanks.com]

Remember it is quick and easy to make a fast blank slower - as slow as you desire. I believe it's impossible to make a slow blank faster.

Moderate action blanks due tend to have a broader lure range than faster action and is better keeping a fish buttoned up with treble hook lures. The downside is less sensitivity using non moving baits and slower to pull fish away from cover. So it depends on your fishing conditions, if you fish open beach with treble hook lures the moderate action would excell. If you fish off bridges or piers or near them a rod with a moderate fast would be better. If plan on casting up to 5 oz I would definitely look for a blank rated 2-6, it's optimum for casting with power would be 3-4 oz. A blank rated 1-4 could lob 4 to 5 but not very far, it's optimum would be 2-3 for distance.

The 9 foot RodGeeks surf blank i built rated 1-4 oz can whip 4 oz out of sight with power so just be aware not all rods ratings are accurate , most blanks like David said actually do drop off sharply in performance at the low and high end of their listed ratings but not all . I have a CTS rated 2-4 and it barely loads on anything less than 4 oz but thats not all that common .

As a rule of thumb though stay somewhere in the middle of what weights you intend to throw most like David mentioned meaning up to 5 oz a 2-6 oz rated rod would be ideal and if throwing mostly 2 to 3 oz a rod rated 1-4 would be your best bet .

Yeah the ratings are all different because it is all subjective to personal opinion and casting ability. I have a St Croix Avid rated 3-8 and it will lob 8 but I wouldn't want to go full power. 4-5 oz is best for me with it. Also have an All-star 1266 rated 1-4 oz that will sling a 2 oz spoon and still cast 4 oz lead and bait decent, it might lob 5 just haven't tried it because I go to my Avid in that case.

Thank you all for the input. I think I’m zeroing in on a rod geeks blank