It's been a few years since I've built a rod, although prior to that, I'd roll up ~5 a year. I'm not at all familiar with most of the current blanks save for MHX, from I built a few 6wts a couple of years ago, so I'm looking for some recommendations.

I recently organized my rod collection, and came across a rod that I built ~15 years ago, a Dan Craft 8'9" 4wt. I think was his Sig IV series, I can't recall - it has the exterior spiral wrap, so is unsanded. Handsome in my opinion. I hadn't really fished the rod after making it, but this spring I took it out and was extremely pleased with it. It worked best with a 5wt line, so needed a slight overlining. No problem putting out ~60-65 feet, which made it a fun dry fly rod for lake fishing. I have a bunch of the Dan Craft Five Rivers blanks that I built up into rods at that time - some were a bit clubby, but this 8'9" 4wt was an absolute gem. Light, crisp, quick recovery, but without being too stiff. Great fun to fight a 4-5lb trout on too.

I'd like to build a similar rod for a buddy who I think would really like the action, so I'm looking for a blank with a similar action to the DC, and would love to hear suggestions!

Thanks!

Troy,
You're probably not getting any responses because there is really noblanks similar.
I think hey were 3 piece. It was the first blank I built on - and the first rod (a #10) that gave me shoulder tendonitis. It was a horrible blank - IMO.
The Five Rivers - on the other hand - while being way underrated in line weight - is a great casting rod. I need to use the #7 rod with a #9 line.
If I remember - the Sig5 is not a particularly fast rod. Certainly not as fast as the Five Rivers.

Anyway - some 9'0" options:
CTS Affinity-X #4. Very fast.
CTS Affinity-M #5. Med fast

Herb
CTS

The only raw blanks that I ever seen that were that length were the Sig V blanks and they had an ERN in the 5.5 range, an AA of 65 - 66 degrees and they dampened very quickly while casting, high 57 - 58 modulus and light in the hand. I own four Sig V rods. My Sig IV 905 5 pc. was lost by overstressing the blank to the point it broke off the female ferrule clean exactly where the male blank ended. I was chasing a hot 32" trout on the Kvichak River near Igiugig, AK. Caught something in my reel and before I could react, Boom. I banked and released the fish, thank you 12 lb. fluorocarbon. Usually I bring heavier rods, but this was set up to be a light rod trip, nothing over a five weight, I wasn't the only one who blew up rods that trip, only one 3 wt. survived and that's only because the owner tied a crappy line to backing knot.

Yeah - forgot that about the Sig. 5 blanks - brittle.
Herb

It was a Sig IV, 5 pc. My Sig Vs have been just fine.