Been a stalker here for a few years now. I guess im diving im. I am looking for a couple of fiberglasses, " I THINK" blanks. Casting rods 5 8 to 6 0. for spinnerbait and buzz bait fishing down in Lower Alabama rivers. I got the big stuff covered. My question is A: should I do glass B: What blanks would you consider . C: What split grips, not cork, and guides would you consider. This will be my first although my good buddy and son have built hundreds but mostly Big Game. If I get in a jam they will help. I have done woodwork and welding for 40 years. I am a little to proud to ask them for much help. I sorta want to do it my way. Thanks In advance guys and galls David

David, welcome to the forum and soon to be rod building brother. I am not an expert at rod building only have built 14 for myself and family. I am sure other more experienced rod builders will weigh in on your question. My suggestion would be contact some of the sponsors (to the left) and see what they could offer. The Rod Room located in Orange Beach, AL is a sponsor and might be close to you. I have bought from them and they are nice people to deal with and willing to help in any way they can.

Thank you Pat for the welcome, my son is a pharmacist over there and actually buys some blanks from those guys. like me, he is a large supporter of locally owned businesses. Sincerely David

David, take some old rods and completely strip them! (Stripping blanks is a good skill to have anyway) Then build on them experimenting at will. Try things, make mistakes, learn things, improve your technique. They are 'no deposit-no return' blanks. When comfortable, then go order that really 'quality blank' and have at it!!!

David,

Welcome to the forum.

Throwing in my 2 cents, and echoing Steve Cox, when I first got started, I stripped 2 blanks, one was one of my inshore rods, the other was a beach rod.

When you strip a blanks, you certainly learn a lot about how its built. Not everyone wraps a rod the same and you'll learn a lot just from tearing one down. I still have my first 2 "stripped" blanks and have to admit, when I did those first 2 rods, i thought I did an outstanding job .... then as time goes by and the more rods I wrapped, I learned tricks, tips and all SORTS of things that could have made the job a whole heck of a lot easier!

I also want to add, if you're going to ever use a cork grip, get one from a reputable dealer. When I first started, I found cork grips on sites like Mudhole, and then I found what I THOUGHT was the exact same cork grip on E B A Y and I can most certainly assure you that they are NOT the same! The quality from the E B A Y grips are awful in comparison.

As far as split grips go, here is the link to the Mudhole grips below and they are awesome in every way. I don't work for Mudhole or have any association with them.

[www.mudhole.com]

The link below is for every split grip they sell on Mudhole.

[www.mudhole.com]

If you're looking for a real decent graphite blank, low cost but very nice, these blanks are sweet and I use them all the time. "IS701M" and "IS701MH" are the ones I use 99.9% of the time....

[www.mudhole.com]

And if you're still considering glass .....

[www.mudhole.com]

Tony Boschi
Banana River Rods
Merritt Island, Florida
321~525~1063

* Rapid Prototyping Services
* Custom Beach Rods
* Custom Inshore Rods

[bananariverrods.com]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/20/2020 08:04AM by Tony Boschi.

Personally I wouldn't use fiberglass blanks for either of those rods. I'd also use blanks with different actions. For the spinnerbait I'd be looking for a fast action blank rated 1/4 - 3/4 oz lures. Length is a matter of personal choice. I myself have 2 rods for spinnerbaits. One is an old 5'6" Shimano Speedmaster Fighting Rod with a pistol grip. I use that for short casts, usually 30' or less, and for when I need accuracy. My other rod is a 6'6" two handed casting rod, again another old Shimano Speedmaster Fighting Rod. I use it for longer casts in open water, where pin point accuracy isn't as key.

For the buzzbait I'd be looking at a blank with the same lure weight ratings as the spinnerbait rod, but I'd be looking for a moderate fast action. Lengths would follow suit with what I use for spinnerbaits. I don't throw buzzbaits a whole bunch, but when I do I use a 6' long rod that I built for throwing squarebills into wood cover. I built it on a 6'6" long medium heavy power crankbait blank that I trimmed down to 6'. I works really well.

I also echo the stripping of an existing rod and starting there. Don't get me wrong, starting with a blank is great BUT stripping an existing rod you have will show you how the retail shops put rods together. Think of it as breaking down an engine and putting it back together.