I need another rod. Well not really but want to build another lure specific trout rod. Here is the situation. Stream trout probable 12 to 15 inch fish but potential of a 24 plus brown. Getting into the bigger bait bigger fish mindset and fishing non traditional stream baits. Looking to get into using more small crankbaits and swimbaits. Baits up to about 3/8 ounce three to four inches. I have some 7 foot range med light rods that work ok but are a little longer than I like for the overgrowth of the streams. They are also faster action. I am thinking something ml six foot range will be running 8 pound braid 2000 series spinning reel unsure what yet. Never fished alot of crank baits unsure of the best action rod to use. Don't have a budget but don't want to break the bank. Like rainshadow but they seem to run a little heavier power than specs. Only hard requirement is I won't use a Northfork blank. Thanks.

Check out the Jann Netcraft blanks.

Rainshadow_REVS62M-SB Fast 0.455 6'2" 8-14 1/4-5/8 1 M 5 Dock Skipping rod/General fishing 1.66 Satin Black oversize_fee_06 REVS62M-SB

Revelations are nice blanks, I wouldn't shy from a fast action as you don't want the rod to go too deep into a bend before the power kicks in. (When fishing in a small environment like you describe) The blank below is a little lower power, might be a better choice.

Rainshadow_REVS62ML-SB Fast 0.425 6'2" 6-12 1/8-3/8 1 ML 5 Finesse/Tubes/Small Crankbaits 1.42 Satin Black oversize_fee_06 REVS62ML-SB

CTS AIR - 1/16 - 1/4Oz
[ctsfishing.com]

Herb
CTS

What you are doing is an excellent idea in the slower, low gradient, non-stone bottomed stream of the midwest, or elsewhere. When I was stationed there in the early 80's I was amazed by the miles of good fishing I had to myself, everyone was in the rivers and lakes.

Herb do you think I could lose six inches off the butt of the CTS blank without too much impact. Six foot is about the most I want to go, even that is a little tight in some of the streams I fish.

Michael any hands on experience with the Rainshadow? Even the lighter one is a little more power than I was thinking. Also I have yet to build a Rainshadow recently that did not seems to run heavier power than advertised.

Not a lot of 6’ blanks out there, as you have probably noticed. Could take a 6’6” Blank and cut it down, this would make the blank less powerful and slow down the action. A sort of fine tuning for what you want. MHX does sell 6’ shooter blanks, and one of those might work well. I have made a number of them over the years, and they make into nice rods. The CS721 would certainly handle 3/8 oz, as would the CS722.
[mudhole.com]
Norm

Spencer that's my main reason for turning to this type of fishing. Not about the fish as much these days. More about getting lost.

Any thoughts on some of fiberglass blanks or high content glass blends.

Michael,
I'm so sorry - I jumped on your thread without totally reading it.
First dimension I saw was 7'. Not realizing that you had a limit of 6'.
I emailed the CTS factory to see if there are any blanks that would fit tour bill .
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No problem I do the same with numbers, easy to flip them. The 6 6 air looks real nice. Maybe a touch heavy on the power, but I have never run one of their blanks so unsure exactly what to expect from their ratings. If they got something similar to that or touch lighter in 6 foot it would be just the ticket.

I would use a blank a little slower than the Rainshadows suggested above, especially with braid. A little slower rod provides the cushion that I like in close quarters with big fish, braid, and treble hooks. I've caught quite a few big browns on a #11 rapala and ten pound braid. My go to rod is a loomis GL3 6'6" medium. It's less powerful and slower than say a St. Croix or Rainshadow medium fast. I think if i were to build a rod for that purpose I would consider a CRB blank from Mudhole, maybe the 6 foot medium. Light weight, durable, slower action but good backbone. For moving baits and trout sensitivity is not needed. Yeah, they are low cost blanks, but I've really liked the couple I built for my kids. Plus walking through the tangled brush that trout fishing generally requires makes me think about not using a high end/high cost blank. I see that Rainshadow has an RX6 in 6' med and ML. Also a great option. I'd probably go ML with that one.

How does this sound? From Schneiders Rod Shop "hot specials".

6' M/L Batson RX7 Graphite Spin/Universal Blank,
4-8# Line, 1/8-3/8 Oz, .515 B, 5.0 T, Fast Action
1 Pc, Dark Green Gloss Finish, Part # RS-ISJ721-PG, Sale $ 25.00, 1 Only

It is a spin-jig but all the 6' crank bait ones he has listed seem a bit too powerful for your needs. This would be my next choice in what he has, but it is 6'6".

6 1/2' Light Cast/Universal, Batson RX7 Graphite, Mod/Fast Crankbait Action,
6-10# Line, 1/8-3/8 Oz Lure, .565 B,5.5 T, 1 Pc Gloss Black,
P# CB66L-B Sale $ 28.00, 1 Only, Discontinued

Russ in Hollywood, FL.

I have a RX6 travel rod. It is the SB720-4. Actually built two of them. Like them for what they are. They are however a very heavy feeling blank and way more power than the rating and faster. A 1pc SB720 might be a touch slower but really think I want a bit more moderate action. The other option in RX6 is the SP721. This blank give me the mod action but other the power ratings fall under what I am looking for. But with rainshadows tending to be a little heavier than spec in my experience it might be an option as I would not be going too much over their ratings. Also looked over the SPG 721. E glass version of the SP721 whcih is speced just a touch more than the carbon version and falls about exactly into what I am thinking.
Been about thirty years since I used a glass rod what should I know about current glass blanks? Hard to wrap my head around building on a 20 dollar blank that is not the latest greatest material.lol

Was hoping someone built something similar and was totally happy with it so I did not have to overthink this. Appreciate all the ideas keep them coming.

Russ typing same time as you. Tempted by the RX7. Just wonder if fast action is a good idea with cranks and swimbaits. But for 25 bucks it might be worth trying. Other one is leaning heavier than I want.

Michael, sometimes you just have to try something and see how it works out. Used to be we adapted to the tool at hand. I think the whole idea that we need a slower action rod for treble hooks is because some can't keep from over reacting.

One of my favorite small/light crank bait rods is an extra fast action (mhx sj7600-2). Mostly because it has a tip that lets me cast light offerings and see the lure work. But yes, if I get overly aggressive on setting the hook on a close bite I can break the line. Just need to learn discipline.

At one point the RX7 was one notch below the best they offered. The few I have are darn nice blanks by any standard. I'd buy both and see what the slower action "crank bait" specific blank brings to the table. Not much difference in power, just an extra 6" in length. Heck, you cut 6" from the butt and get an even slower action as an experiment. Think Pac Bay Minimas for budget and a Tennessee handle to play with balance points. Minimal investment to perhaps gain experience/answer many questions.

I envy you being at a point in life where "more about getting lost" is a viable reality on a regular basis.

Russ in Hollywood, FL.

I am thinking for the money I can't go wrong trying the RX7.Russ unfortunately "getting lost" does not happen on a regular enough basis. But I do my best to make in a priority when time allows. Just glad I have figured out how important it is to me. Minimas are my go to guides. I am fairly picky about balance point. I will build the rod to the reel and get the balance perfect from the beginning. I know exactly what I want and build all my rods to the same balance point. I am leaning towards something more hand filling like a Fuji IPS reelseat. I have all components on hand except the blank so this will be budget friendly.

Michael,

Check out the American Tackle Matrix MA-SJ6/6-12 Spin Jig blank. It is 6' and can hancle lures 1/8 - 3/8 and line rating is 6 to 12. It is a "Fast" action, but should be perfect for what you want to do.

Rich

Michael,

Check out the American Tackle Matrix MA-SJ6/6-12 Spin Jig blank. It is 6' and can hancle lures 1/8 - 3/8 and line rating is 6 to 12. It is a "Fast" action, but should be perfect for what you want to do.

Rich

Some time ago, I got an email with new product listings for the 2022 Rainshadow line, and there was a new walleye blank the REVS59L 5'9" L powered blank that could be a winner. I bet if you asked nicely, the folks at Batson may be kind enough to provide some CCS numbers to compare with the SJ720-4, which is a fantastic travel blank, but as you mentioned is quite powerful for its specs, likely due to the aggressive taper that is needed to get 4 sections in a 6' rod.

Ideally, I prefer a moderate to moderate fast action for crank baits. The slower response time helps prevent pulling the treble hooks out of a lightly hooked fish, and the longer unloading time makes it tougher for jumping fish to throw slack into the line. Spin jig blanks offer up a very nice compromise by having a soft tip, progressively loading midsection and a stout butt. Personally, based on what you are looking for, something like the old RX7 ISJ781 would be just about perfect for what you are doing, except it's a tad longer than you want. Most of the power comes from the butt, so you might be able to get by chopping 2"-3" from the butt for your application without losing much, but I doubt you could get by chopping a full 6". You would definitely want to mock up the rod before cutting. Maybe take a look at something like an MHX SJ781.

For what it's worth, I built my ISJ781 as a casting rod for throwing small weightless plastics for bass (The SJ720-4, despite similar line/lure specs, has no problem whatsoever in this department.). It turned out to be just a bit underpowered for that task, but is nice when I want to throw smaller cranks up to 3/8oz. and for casting jigs and grubs with 1/8-1/4oz. of lead.

In terms of the slower action for me it's not about the hook set, I'm not about to break 10 lb power pro (which is more like 20 pound) setting the hook on a 3 pound trout. However, I have pulled hooks out of fish as well as broken some hooks. The slower action gives you and the drag a bit of extra time to respond to sudden runs without pulling hard enough to pull hooks or break stuff. For what it's worth I just went out and fiddled with the 6' M crb I made, and I do think it is a bit too powerful for what you want. Very light weight and nice mod fast action though. I have a rod geeks 7' medium s glass blank I built as casting rod. Best glass blank I've ever felt, and great for small cranks. Too slow and not enough backbone for big stream trout, to me anyway. If you shorten it those traits would only get worse. If I were you I'd go with the rx7 on sale at Schneider's, it a great blank, great price, from a great place, and I think the lighter tip will help with at least some of the things you want from a slower rod.