Hi All,

Was hoping someone here has experience fishing/building for the south Texas speckled trout scene. I’ve not fished there but want to build a rod for a friend. Seems strange in that they seem to use pretty light action rods but are throwing pretty heavy baits such as Paul Brown Fat Boys. Does anyone have a recommendation as to a good blank to build on?

Best,
David

My son lives in Harlingen, hope I spelled it right, he says the Rainshadow SP blanks are pretty popular down there.

I live on the central Gulf coast of Texas and fish all the bay systems. I personally use a 6'9" medium light power and fast action rod that can cast 1/8 oz plastics to a Top Dog (or a Zara Spook). The Fat boys are somewhere in between that. My preferred blank is a North Fork Composites (NFC) P 703-1 (HM/LMX). It is a 7' blank that I will cut down to 6' 8.75" to net a 6'9" finished rod. These are incredible blanks; I flipped my kayak in really shallow water, totally upside down in a rod holder that puts it in an almost straight up position and to my surprise it did not break. That was 3 years ago and I heavily fish that rod. There are a lot of other good blanks and I would say one of the most popular blanks used down here is the Batson Rainshadow SP842 and the SP843 these are both good blanks. The Revelation and Immortal blanks are also good but little more costly. The main thing is medium light or medium power and fast action on the blank. I have also found that the younger guys prefer shorter rods (6'4" to 6'9") and the older ones like up to 7'6". The butt section of the rod needs to be shorter for a wading rod, usually about 3" to 4" from the elbow when holding it in a reeling in position. Mine are 9"-9.5" from the tip of the butt to the rear anchor point on the reel seat. These are all baitcaster rods made for low profile baitcasters like a Shimano Core or Curado 50mg (13 Fishing A type or Lews BB1, Pro Ti).

Thanks for the input. I’ve decided to try the Revelation 842. I will also cut down to 6’8.75” to end up with a 6’9 as mentioned above. Looking at the specs, I’m not sure I can find a ECSM reel seat to fit . Looks like they make them down to a 9.5 size and I will need someone in 8.5 or smaller.

[myharlingen.us]

[myharlingen.us]

Most use blanks that are rated to cast 1/8 or 1/4 oz to 5/8 or 3/4 oz lures. Some a little lighter, some a little heavier. I throw 1/8 oz jig heads to 3/4 oz spoons and everything in between. Topwater's in the 1/2 to 5/8 oz range are the most fun for me, but I catch more numbers pm the soft plastics. Most any rod that fits the budget can me made to work effectively. I go with the best that the budget allows.
I am one of those older waders and like a 7' 6" rod. I like a shorter cork handle with a palm swell. I use some 9" handles but prefer a 7" handle.
Wading for specks often requires long casts, especially for bigger fish and that is better accomplished with a longer rod. The shorter handle also allows more of the rod length to effectively lengthen casts.

Thanks John, what blank do you prefer?