How good are the old Intermediate Modulus graphite blanks or should I just pass on them and with a better blank.

Glenn McMurrian



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/02/2019 08:33PM by Glenn McMurrian.

They're as good now as they were when they were introduced. It all depends on what you like. Expect them to be a little less responsive and quick to recover as the more modern materials. But if you like a rod that is, perhaps, a bit more forgiving, then why give up on them? And, in most cases still, they are a bit more durable.


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I would want to know how old exactly , big difference between 90's blanks and 1970's blanks.

The IM rods work wonderfully well for crank baits, trolling and bobber rods. They tend to have more of a parabolic action and are quite forgiving and help to keep a fish hooked once it is on.

Build one. Fish one. Report your boat full of fish.

Take care

I'm going to go out on a limb and say they are fine, and it makes virtually no difference. Action vs action a modern high modulus rod blank will be a few grams lighter. If you need the absolute best, most up to date SCV blank or Sage blank, go for it, but usually you don't. What you really need is a good fly rod and a spare. It kind of depends on what you are doing, but in most cases you won't be able to feel or tell the difference.

Case in point-I was just up in Alaska fishing on the Kenai. My friend Tom, brought up his "good" 8 weight and a back up 8 weight made from a $30 blank from Utmost. His "good" rod broke the first day and he fished all week with his back up. It was perfectly fine. Better than fine actually.

Another example-I have an 8 weight TFO TiCro-x rod I have fished for 10 years. It's an "intermediate" modulus rod. The way it's made, it's on the "powerful" side of an 8 weight and has caught hundreds of salmon for me. It's been a fantastic rod, though now it is one of several back ups! So if you've found a good blank at a price you're happy with, buy it and don't look back. As a rod builder, you'll have tons of options and building lower priced blanks into great rods is one of the perks!

If you fish in adverse conditions, the intermediate modulus rod will be more durable than it's high modulus stable mate, everything else being equal.

Disclaimer: My go to salmon fly rod is a high modulus SCV 8wt that I built, but all the spares and back ups, and the rods I build gratis for friends, are not that.

But what blank are you looking at specifically?

Drew

Material used has nothing to do with "action." There are fast action bamboo blanks and slow action high-modulus graphite blanks. Material does not in any way dictate "action."

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The intermediate modulus blanks will always be intermediate modulus blanks no matter how much time passes.

It is the application that determines which type of blank is "best".

It all boils down to what you or the customer prefers.

Have fun

John

Of course intermediate modulus blanks will continue to be referred to as intermediate modulus blanks regardless of the time that passes but the materials and resin systems DO NOT remain the same and advance over time . I have fished many 70's and early 80's blanks and i have fished the late 1990's stuff as well and as one would expect the newer stuff is flat out better in many ways even though all are referred to as intermediate modulus blanks . Design advancements due to technology advancements also helped improve blanks over time but no major groundbreaking changes until the nano resins shook everything up .

To me it is a more dependable blank type and can have the same action and power of a HM blank. There may, depending on the manufacturer, be a difference in weight in blanks of the same lengths as the HMs but that may not actually be the case. Even with advances in fibers and epoxies they are less likely to break as easy as HM.

Higher modulus materials are capable of storing and releasing more energy and thus are capable of higher performance but the application decides what blanks are appropriate for a task . Mid modulus blanks are very popular and most blanks on the market do tend to fall into the IM category . For an IM blank to match the weight and power of a HM blank more material will be needed to be used adding to it's overall weight .

With today's blanks breakage is the absolute last thing i worry about but others may feel differently . I treat all my rods like fine china but many people are not nearly as cautious .