Novice builder here looking to build a budget musky rod for myself, thinking of the Pac Bay Arctos Musky AMC997-2 blank. Anyone have any experience with this blank or Pac Bay blanks in general? The weight seems really light for something that is supposed to throw up to 8 oz lures.

Also thinking of trying Pac Bay minima guides for this build as the prices look great, but I haven't found a lot of reviews about them. Does anyone here use them? Any recommendations for which model to use? Thinking about a double foot guide for the first 2-3 with a simple spiral and then micro guides for the rest if that would hold up.

I'm also open to other recommendations for a budget musky rod build (up to 8 oz lure) from other manufacturers. Thanks for your time

Hey Brian,
I just checked out that blank and you're right. That seems extremely light for a rod rated up to 8. I haven't built any musky rods on that blank. I've built quite a few on the Rodgeeks musky blanks with nothing but great things to say about them. Tackle Industries sells a decent blank in the same price range as Arctos.

I haven't built any of my musky builds with micros or single foots for that matter. The single foot is definitely an option and would hold up find. I tend to gravitate towards double foot becuase most of the guys I build for are extremely tough on their gear and can't justify saving the weight of a single foot and giving up the durability of a double foot.

What is your budget and what's your intended use here? Are you wanting a rod for throwing bucktails, heavy rubber, gliders/jerk baits or just an all around rod?

Brian

I use Pac Bay minima guides for my spinning rods. They work well and never had a problem with them. I have not used the Titanium frame guides because for me there is no advantage using them.

The double foot guides for the first two sound good but I am not so sure about the micro guides.

Also I like to use Fuji SIC tips even though they do not match the guides.

The MHX and CRB blanks from Mudhole.worth looking at.

Have fun

John

Hey Anthony, thanks for your reply. I've looked at the rod geeks blanks but don't really like the feel of the mojo musky rods, I was using the legend tournament and a legend elite musky rods, do you know how the rod geeks blanks compare to the finished st croix rods? I'm also in Canada so shipping costs are pretty prohibitive (rod geeks only ships to USA and it would cost me about $90 to drive there and back). I'll check out the tackle industries blanks, my friend has a few rods from them I can handle as well. I'm considering the pac bay because I can get it from a Canadian supplier and the shipping on a two piece rod won't be too unreasonable. Which double foot guides do you usually use?

My budget is as low as possible with a wedding coming up, but if something is worth a jump in price I would consider it, I can always wait to save up money and get it later. I'll mainly be throwing double 10 bucktails, and some regular size shadzillas

John, thanks for your reply. Looks like I may go with regular size single foot or double feet guides, I'll look into the Fuji sic top as well!

If you're looking for something comparable to the LT and Legend Elite I do not think you will find it in your budget. The Rodgeeks blanks are comparable to the SCII material in the Premier and Mojos. They are hands down the nicest blank I've found in that price range and I really enjoy fishing with them. The TI blank is a step down from these IMO but still makes a nice rod.
I wouldn't be deterred from Rodgeeks because you don't like the feel of the Mojos though. That's the beauty of a custom rod you can build it however you want it to feel.

I typically use Fuji K frame casting guides but there are a lot of options. Pac bay/Alps, Forecast, American Tackle and Fuji all offer guides that are suitable for what you want to do. I have build rods with alps, the virtus guides, and the more economically prices fujis and all of the rods perform well.

The only reason I would be hesitant on a blank that light is I would fear the tip would be too soft. Getting into figure 8s and boatside strikes I always want enough tip stiffness to drive the hooks home and if my rod already has a considerable amount of flex in it just from pulling the bait itself I don't feel like I get an adequate hookset.
That being said, if you can get you hands on that blank before committing to building with it and you like it and think it will work for you, by all means give it a shot.

I have not personally built on the MHX musky blanks but have built on Rodgeeks, St. Croix and Tackle Industries all with good results.

I see no advantage and plenty of possible disadvantages with micros on a musky rod. Sensitivity is not an issue, weight is not an issue, casting distance is not an issue, so all the advantages of micros are not a priority. But more open guides will not get clogged with ice or junk in the water, will cast well with weights of lures used for muskies, will pass fairly big knots if knots are needed, and two foot guides will be strong enough. For sure. At least, if one doesn't want two foot guides to the end, use a stout single foot of 5-6 mm and a stout tiptop.

Fuji has a whole line of guides, single and double foot, no tangle design, micros and bigger sizes, single and double foot, corrosion control frames, fazlite rings, that are very affordable. Matching tiptops.



[www.getbitoutdoors.com]

I would suggest going with the Fuji Hardalloy guides for a budget rod that will come out great.

When throwing big baits, hundreds of times a day using braided line, the noise of the line running through a non ringed guide can become a bit irritating. I would also go no smaller than a size 6 running guide and tip top for the reasons mentioned above.

I would run 3 double foot guides and then singles to the tip.

Good luck

I disagree about "Weight" not being an issue and casting distance not being an issue with a rod built for Musky fishing , it's the fish of a thousand casts and the lighter the rod the better since you will be casting so much and having a rod that casts further is also beneficial as that will tend to cut down on the amount of casts you need to throw to cover the same amount of water .

I doubt if one can tell the weight" difference between micros and 6 mm guides when casting lures as heavy as this rod is being designed for. I would give up any casting distance advantage that micros might have with my 4 oz lure to be sure my guide system was durable, wouldn't clog, and would pass knots well. To me it's about maximizing the overall performance of the rod based on the type of rod it is, the lines and lures being cast, and the stresses possible with fighting the fish. Micros just don't seem to me to be the right answer when all aspects are considered.

Thanks for the insight everyone, I think I may go with size 6 running guides that are ringed and still think about if I want double foot guides all the way up or transition from double foot to single foot guides. The reason I ended up going with Lt musky and legend elite musky factory rods before was because I found I was having aggravated rotator cuff and shoulder pain with some heavier rods I used before, throwing heavy baits all day. The weight on the pac bay blank was amazing for the price and that's why I was considering it. I may still take a chance and build on it to see how it is, I only fish for musky once or twice a year so it's not crucial that I build it right away or for it to be perfect. Are there any blanks comparable to the legend tournament musky or legend elite musky blanks in terms of light weight and feel? Perhaps some saltwater blanks? Thanks again for the discussion, I've learned pretty much everything I know from this forum

Brian you could check with Thorne Bros. Their predator blanks are in fact LT blanks that are painted to their color.

I'm hoping Rodgeeks will add some of the SC4 blanks to their musky lineup, that would be great. As far as I know Mudhole is the only one that still has any of the LT musky blanks left but I could be wrong.

Herb I have to respectfully disagree here. There is definitely a line that can be crossed where weight is going to be detrimental but I just can't see a few ounces making a difference. As someone who spends a few hundred hours a year chasing musky almost exclusively I can't ever remember a time where I thought I wish I used single foot guides or titaniums in place of what I had. But I'm relatively young and in decent shape. On the other end of the spectrum I had my dad up to St. Clair casting mag bulldawgs and big rubber for 9 hours and he told me he felt like someone beat him up. I don't think lighter gear would have changed that for him.

I'm throwing a bait that outweighs my entire rod/reel combo sometimes. I want the rod to load up properly and do most of the work on the cast. Most importantly I want enough power to drive hooks through a boney mouth on 18" of line next to the boat.

Coming in at <4oz for an 8'3" blank with that price tag I just find it hard to believe that it will fit the bill for casting baits up to 8oz like it's rated for. However, I've been surprised before and will most likely order one to get my hands on and see for myself. Who knows..