JIm, I called Point Blank but they deferred me to you. I am wanting to build a baitcasting rod for rattletraps and one for medium diving crankbaits, 10lb braid with 10lb fluro leader. Prefer 7'3" if possible or 7' if not. I have a PB731MXF that I use for small squarebills, tried the medium divers on that but I think the tip gives too much.Anyone else that has built rods from Point Blank for these purposes please chime in with your results Thank you.

Keith Langford



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/11/2020 10:32AM by Keith Langford.

Keith, I have the PB731MXF and I find it pretty good for everything. I built mine as a cast, not spin. I have built for my son two PB691MXF as casting rods and he loves them. The description says a "faster tip to implement a clean and erratic jerk." He uses it for a lot of stuff, including cranks and hard jerks.

I think to "fix" what you perceive as not quite right on the 731, it will work well. It does seem to be a little "tighter" than the 731. I always say that one cannot have too many rods, so whatever you decide, in the long run, will be more experience, more knowledge, and more rods. For low tip techniques, length is not always your friend.

I'm very interested in Jim's opinion, too.

I’ve got all the 73’s from PB

M and Ml are spinners
Mh and H are casting

What crankbaits do you want to throw ?

I think the Mh would work for lipless. Especially if ripping through grass.

I love PB’s but generally not what I think about when throwing crankbaits and haven’t used them for such

I use my 731 M for cranks all the time. Usually Rapala DT 6's and 10's.

My buddy builds quite a few PBs for bass and uses a lot of the MHXF and HXF blanks. Those may be better suited to the divers. They have a thicker tip section.

Sorry to take so long to chime in, gentlemen, I have been away and decided to get some input from our pro, Kyle Welcher, before answering. He uses the 731MXF for medium divers but tells me for most applications the MH will be the ticket for most anglers. Kyle rates the 731MXF as the most versatile blank in the line up: "This is THE blank if you want to make long casts with all of your traditional bass baits. Medium size jigs, big Shakey Heads, full-sized buzz baits. This is the all-around go-to blank if you love more distance on all casts." For me, the 701MF rates number one most versatile with the 731MXF not far behind. The 731MHXF is about 5 ERN's more powerful than the MXF but the bend is in the lower AA range of XF so it's a little more moderate than the MXF. Spool the MH with Fluoro for a little more cushion and you'll not only feel EVERYTHING, you'll keep fish pinned just fine.

Thank you Jim, appreciate the extra effort and explanations. I am really loving these poin Blanks. I have built 6 so far.