With the exit of major rod building suppliers like St. Croix what are you all using for your rod blank suppliers? I know Sage is always a good option, but what about Phoenix and MHX?

All of them are good , Rainshadow , Sage CTS, Mudholes MHX, American Tackle blanks , RodGeeks blanks ( St. Croix in actuality) NFC, Fuji Point Blank blanks etc... everyone has their own personal preference and all perform admirably.

herb canter Wrote:
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> All of them are good , Rainshadow , Sage CTS,
> Mudholes MHX, American Tackle blanks , RodGeeks
> blanks ( St. Croix in actuality) NFC, Fuji Point
> Blank blanks etc... everyone has their own
> personal preference and all perform admirably.

I don't build fly rods but for spinning rod blanks I went with the RodGeeks C2 & C4 blanks. Identical to the St Croic SCII and SCIV blanks, and they cost less.

Thanks for feedback. I have had a recent failure on a Rainshadow Eternity II Fly blank and waiting to see if they provide a replacement 3rd section from butt.

How often do you experience rod failure from these suppliers that are due to manufacturing defects?

For your 5wt.. check out the Matrix from American Tackle... great casting blanks that do not break you...

_______________________________
God Bless, Don Morse

800-516-1750 ext. 1207 / don@americantackle.us

Rod Building..... It's What We Do.

Hello Russ - MHX Rod Blanks has a well rounded line-up of rod blanks to cover just about any fishing application Freshwater & saltwater casting, spinning and fly. Mud Hole Custom Tackle carries every MHX model. Here is a link to the fly rod blanks - [www.mudhole.com] - Thank You

Bob McKamey
Mud Hole Custom Tackle
bobm@mudhole.com

Thanks Bob, building two MHX rods right now but no established confidence in their rod quality and strength. Do you know if Mudhole posts detail specifications like Specific modulus and strain rates?

Hello Russ -- We have various series of MHX Rod Blanks that are manufactured from different modulus materials. You can e-mail me directly - bobm@mudhole.com - with the specific rod blanks that you would like to know about and I will gladly assist you. Thank You & We Appreciate Your Business!

Bob McKamey
Mud Hole Custom Tackle
bobm@mudhole.com

Thanks Bob. We'll do.

In answer to your question regarding manufacturing defects.....almost never! Most failures are user caused, second are shipping caused.

Russ Amato Wrote:
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> How often do you experience rod failure from these
> suppliers that are due to manufacturing defects?


The failure rate of modern blanks due to manufacturing defects like the ones being discussed in this thread are exceedingly low and it's something that i don't worry about at all . If somebody has had repeated failures after building on today's blanks i would bet the house that it's something they're doing that is causing it .

Improper builds , being overly careless while fishing , transporting or storing them etc... as long as the blanks are being used within their design parameters blank failure is virtually non existent . Now decades ago blank failures using higher mod materials was far more common for a variety of reasons but not these days .

Blank manufacturers will not stiff you if a blank is found to be defective due to legit manufacturing defects but again , the overwhelming majority of blank failures ARE NOT due to manufacturing defects .

Thanks for All great feedback . After being a rod builder for 15 years now , I have only seen one rod failure .

Russ Amato Wrote:
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> Thanks for All great feedback . After being a rod
> builder for 15 years now , I have only seen one
> rod failure .


I had one this year. I built a nice rod from a well regarded brand for a very good friend in 2012. He's caught dozens of Coho salmon with it. He's a good caster and doesn't abuse the rod, as in, he's careful with his gear. This year while casting, the top section snapped cleanly. There was no evidence of damage or blemish. Just an immediate 90 degree clean break. The blank itself, is no longer available. So I don't know if that's a defect, or the luck of the draw, but for a replacement, I'm building him a RodGeeks 8 weight.

I look at most breakage as unavoidable and just bad luck. The rod gets hit with a lure, or stepped on, or abused in some other way. But this one was none of those and broke at a relatively low stress time.

I'm with you on the disappointing fact that St Croix no longer sells their excellent blanks. I love those SCV fly blanks and believe they build into the best performing fly rods all things considered.

Drew

Drew,
It is fine to build him a replacement rod. But, at the same time you may as well repair the current rod.

With a clean tip break, just use an inner plug and an outer over sleeve of 3-4 inches long with a 3/8th thread wrap on each end of the oversleeve, and the rod will be back in service in 30 minutes plus the drying time for the thread wrap finish.
If you use fiberglass oversleeve, that is not to thick, there will be very little difference in the action of the rod before and after the repair.

Best wishes.

Thanks Roger but it's too late for that! Only the handle section and the guides came home from Alaska. The handle section is going to be a memento at my friend's mountain cabin, and the guides are going back on his new rod, since they are perfectly good REC fly guides and Fuji Titanium stripper guides.

I've never repaired a rod, and so far been lucky that of the 4 or 5 our group has broken over the years, I've been mostly been able to get replacement sections. I would be a good skill to learn, and one day I will. Thanks!

Drew

Here in Southeast Georgia, I build on many MHX blanks. Charter captains love the light salt water models for strength and durability, and the custom market couldn't be any happier with the Elite and Elite pro series. St Croix is a no build for me any more. Had 2 SC2 inshore blanks, from two different guys break at exactly the same place within a year of each other. I will not build on a Croix any longer, so good riddens as far as i'm concerned. The MHX line on the other hand, NEVER had one returned for anything other than a stepped on guide, or ring pop. I have several in my personal arsenal as well. If you guys haven't tried one, give them a shot!