New builder, first rod, a little overwhelmed with the plethora of blanks on the market. Finding it difficult to navigate the many dealers x the many makes x the many model lines. Can you help?

These are my ideal specs, don't mind flexing on any of them unless noted:

2-pieces (this is a must have)
light power
fast action
6-6.5 feet
affordable
available in a color other than white/black/gray (this is just nice to have)

"Affordable" to me means in the $50 range preferably. Can go higher, would love to go lower. Willing to sacrifice weight for money, i.e., glass is OK with me.

The intended application is freshwater general purpose - bream, LMB, SMB, white bass, crappie, small catfish. Expect to pair the rod with a Pflueger President 25 size.

Thanks for any advice you can offer, even if it's just tips on how to understand the universe of blanks.

I just recieved my CRB Gator Glass blank and am happy with the action. Might look at their fresh water E-glass blanks or the light version of their Gator Glass line.

Mag Bass blanks, popping blanks and even walleye blanks would likely fill the bill for you.

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Tom, that’s one of my challenges. I don’t care what the blank is “supposed” to be for. If it’s the right size and the right flex, I’m happy to use it. Yet I’m having to navigate through layers of application that don’t matter to me. Mag bass and popping and vertical jogging and flipping and walleye and so on ad infinitum. I’d love to just have a comprehensive list with specs, and just fine the ones that match the specs I have.

Most all the manufacturer and supplier listings contain those specs.

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My first rod was a CRB blank from mudhole. They are pretty cheap and a good fit for a first time rod builder. I think mine was $30 if I remember correctly. Now, where you can really rack up the $$ is the components (reel seat, guides, epoxy, thread, etc). I just got a shipment of just those types of things and spent over $200. You can make a complete rod for under $80 with the basic stuff.

Hello Jay - Here is a link to a 6'-6" MHX Rod Blank that is a light power, fast action and in the $50 range -[www.mudhole.com] - Thank You

Bob McKamey
Mud Hole Custom Tackle
bobm@mudhole.com



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/04/2019 03:07PM by Bob McKamey.

I have a 7 ft 3 pc that is rated for 4 to 10 lb line in green.

Bob, the S782-2, which is what I think you intended to link me to, is on my radar. Lamiglass has a clearance blank GP722L that's a 6 footer.

Closest match so far seems to be Rodgeeks with a 6.5 medium-light carbon 2 C266MLF2 that they're willing to paint.

I'm still just really surprised that this much manual searching goes into a product like this. I'll say that when I found some outlets' downloadable catalogs, that made flipping through things faster.

Jay, which ever way you decide to go, check into possible painting and shipping charges before you pull the trigger.

You could also buy a Mudhole CRB colored blank and put a ferrule on it. IS661ML or IS661L. [www.mudhole.com]

Alex, I'm giving serious consideration to that. I don't know anything about ferrules yet. I imagine the good folks at mudhole would help me know what size to get, and there's got to be an installation video somewhere. I had thought about getting a donor fiberglass rod or blank and cutting a ferrule out of it.