Hello rod builders and rod enthusiasts!

Iam looking for a blank with a soft tip. Right now i mostly use a St.Croix 5S76MF-B which is an amazing rod blank (build a couple of them, unfortunately not available anymore in the netherlands) but i find the tip a little too hard for what i want.
My goal is being able to lift, making the lure 'jump' or 'shoot' away without it being a jerky motion. I mainly do seabass fishing and i have noticed that sometimes when the rod tip is too 'hard' the catch rate goes down significantly, i believe this is due to unnatural movement of the lure, mainly it being jerky.
I notice this most when i use an CTS Elite SD 10-30gr (for wrecks, deeper water, heavier lures), while this rod is super sensitive and light it is difficult to actually catch Seabass with it. The St.Croix 5S76MF-B just always out fishes it.
The backbone of the St.Croix 5S76MF-B is perfect though. So i want a rod with a softer tip but the same power. The rodhouse blank comparison tool is amazing but unfortunately i used to build everything on St.Croix (V) and a lot of CTS and those are not in that tool so i have nothing to compare to.

I have an old first series Savage Gear predator 7-21gr (custom series rod) as backup and that one just has such a nice tip only the backbone just isnt enough.
I was thinking maybe a dropshot blank? But the new rainshadow RX10 dropshot rods CCS Intrinsic Power is just too low to turn a decent seabass with. The ETES72ML is looking good but iam afraid it will be too similair to my 5S76MF.
Or should i go lower modulus carbon rods? I believe the japanese add a % of glass to their blanks which sounds great to me, that Tenryu injection is amazing although i dont know how they make that particular blank.
Maybe it could be solved by added more guides to the tip.

Pointblank is difficult to source in europe. X-ray's are just super expensive (250eur/290dollar eeh). Phenix has some nice blanks. Rainshadow RX10's look affordable.

Ah and i also like a little length compared to the american tooth pick rods. 250cm (8feet) from the boat is just fine. Most of the time i solve this by lengthening the rod by putting a old piece of blank in the butt underneath the handle.

Jasper,
Consider the use of a crank bait rod.

The general specifications of a crank bait rod, typically give you exactly what you wish. i.e. a stiffer back bone, but a softer tip that allows a big fish to do its thing without having the hooks ripped out of its mouth.

Consider looking at one of these blanks - in the length, power, and action you prefer:

[www.rainshadowrodblanks.com]

Try one of the American Tackle Nanophene ultra load blanks. Its only 7 foot long, light and very strong, with a moderate action, but great sensitivity. Look at the Bushido BNUL701ML-150 for starts.

"5S76MF-B is perfect though. So i want a rod with a softer tip but the same power."

To get the softest tip go with the fastest action in the power level you want. And the lighter the power in XF action rods, the lighter/less powerful the tip will be. But this can be taken too far and the XF rod can be unable to accelerate the jig properly because the tip is not powerful enough.

I really think you are talking about power more than action. I like to snap 4-5 inch swimbaits with 3/16-1/4 oz jigs off the bottom for bass and walleyes, and I know what you mean by being too jerky, and not a smooth acceleration. I found an inshore popping rod, which has a moderate fast action in a medium light power description to work very well. I think that might be the best bet for you, something with moderate fast action but a lower power than the rod you don't like. I don't know if it would be available, but if the 5S76MF came in a 5S76ML-F it would do what you want.

"Maybe it could be solved by added more guides to the tip." This is not the answer. More guides will not appreciably change either power or action.

I do agree with Michael on his suggestion to use a popping rod.

In particular, I sell a lot of rods based on the Rain Shadow popping rod blank in the 7 to 7-6 inch length for use with live bait - catching walleyes.

Take care

jasper,
CTS has a dedicated Slo-Jigging blank. The "Slow Motion" blank. [ctsfishing.com]
I have a customer who specializes in these blanks. CTS has made him a 7'6" model as a special order. A substantial design fee was paid for this blank.
Once CTS has built it though, there is no longer a design fee required.
My customer has agreed to help you dial-in the appropriate power/lure rating. His opinion is that the CTS ratings are too light. So, please email me you are interested.
Regards,
Herb
CTS Rep

Consider a HS9600 or HS9000

Jason, Does the 6 ft 8 in St Croix Med XF spinning rod have the right tip?

Jasper, i had the same pproblem fishing for l argemouth bass and got around it by following a friends suggestion by using a light powered ugly stick and sanding the solid glass tip to make it very soft which made easier for the fish to suck the lure in deeper..the glass tip of the ugly stick allows you to customize the tip flex.

Thank you all for the replies!

I had not thought of using a crank bait rod yet. Good idea. I have an 5C78MHM-B laying around which indeed has a very tin soft tip and moderate action. I like to use it for jerkbaits from shore as the pike here like to take the lure in front of your feet and it wont rip the hooks out so fast.

Michael, that is what i was thinking too. Just take a less powerful rod and the tip will be lighter and softer under the weight. Only problem is that also the lifting power of the overall rod normally goes down (CCS Intrinsic Power i believe). I was hoping to catch that by getting some version of a XF rod, little swingy tip and a backbone to lift.

Hi, Herb. Thank for the reply and offer! I have already tried that. I have an, i think, 5-15gr slow motion but it is terrible for what i wanted. Same result as with the elite SD. The blanks are beautifully tin and have a nice smooth bend to them but the tip just doesnt let a fish inhale the lure, it doesnt 'give'. Also the backbone on this particular rod is no where near powerful enough for seabass, it is fun for our version of walleyes though.

I will try the crankbait blank and consider a rainshadow poppingblank or HS9000.

graphite is just too fast when recovering and pulls the lure out of their mouth or doesn,t allow it too go in as far..i really think you need glass as part of the answer..i find this to be true especially as the water gets colder.