Goal: Build a night time spinnerbait rod. I'd really like to buy NFC to support an American business and have had good luck with their blanks in the past.

We fish a lot of night tournaments during the summer and I throw a lot of 3/4-1&1/4 oz, big thumping spinnerbaits. I want a 7' rod with some flex to keep fish from throwing a heavy lure and to make semi-accurate roll casts, but it needs to handle a heavy bait on 17lb-20lb fluorocarbon. I've looked at some descriptions and flex pictures on NFC's website trying to decide which blank will suit me best and cannot make up my mind. I only build rods as a hobby and am not familiar with the numerical load specs of blanks that I've seen be used in descriptions on this forum. Can anyone with experience give me a practical description of the mag medium vs. MH as far as applications go? What are you throwing on the mag medium?

Thanks!

For NFC listings think of the last number before the hyphen as a power indicating number. A bass blank that ends in (1) is ultralight (9) is xheavy for example. The MB7108 and 7109 are both flippin sticks and the 7109 has more power. Where the DS 721 is light power.

Medium Heavy will be slightly stronger back bone than Medium mag which is a term loosely used for in between medium and MH. On the board most people don't use those terms because you cannot define "M, MH etc" with any standard.

I would personally suggest the MB 765 x-ray NEO for the application you describe. It has a strong back bone with a tip that will help keep load on the fish with the heavy spinnerbaits. I have made a few just for the parameters you seek.

A.P.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/30/2021 01:26PM by Aaron Petersen.

Mag medium is a term I've seen most on west coast designed rods and blanks. My experiences with them gives me a tip that loads like a medium blank, but more butt power than you'd expect, approaching Med Hvy on some blanks, in other words faster tipped rods. They come in all powers so you can have mag light as well as mag hvy.

NFC ratings are kinda hard to follow sometimes because they group all the rods of a certain construction together. A saltwater medium may be higher power than a bass heavy. I would ignore the medium, MH, mag medium and just look at the lure weight and action. I have a delta SW 764 that I use for smaller musky baits. I've been very happy with it and think it would do well for your intended application.

I'm very familiar with St. Croix's medium heavy power rated blanks and it looks like the closest match for that in the NFC line would be rated heavy . Just a guess of course based on many rating St. Croix blanks as having a bit more power than competitor blanks in the same designation.

I'd take a look at the MB 709 IM blank. NFC calls it mag heavy. It's rated for 3/8 - 2 oz baits with a mod fast action. I have a rod built that blank (soon to be two rods because I have one of those blanks on the way to me as I write this) that I use for flipping and pitching. I've also used it for Carolina rigs, as well as spinnerbaits. Nothing as heavy as you mentioned, but it will definitely handle those kind of weights with no problem at all. I wouldn't hesitate at all to use if for what you're looking to do.

I love the mod fast action, especially when I have a big fish by the boat. I don't feel like I have to rush the fish into the boat because the action is more forgiving when a fish makes a big surge on a short line. Sensitivity isn't what an X ray blank would have, but it's got excellent sensitivity.

You are getting great advice.

I haven't tried the NEO line but they do look more powerful than the non NEO's in same rating. So what Aaron is suggesting is likely perfect.

I'd say the SJ/MB736 is good for 3/4 but 1.25 oz is over the top if I'm casting for distance.

I have the MB7109 Xray. I think it would be a rocket launcher with 1 oz. I bought it for a totally different purpose but I agree with David. Type of blank I'd feel fine casting 1.25 ounce, dragging a 7# bass through salad, and boat flipping him at night with money on the line. I mean heck, I bought it for salt water bottom fishing for 10-20# snapper. It is light in hand and moderate fast in action.

Russ in Hollywood, FL.

Much appreciated to all. I have a NEO that I love for big cranks but was hoping for something a little shorter for more accurate casting. I'd considered cutting 3" off the tip and 3 more inches off the butt of a NEO to shorten to 7' but I like the idea of that moderate action David Baylor mentioned above. May give the MB709 a try... need to buy a plain ticket, fly across the country and get my hands on all of these blanks before making a purchase.

Jason Haney Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Much appreciated to all. I have a NEO that I love
> for big cranks but was hoping for something a
> little shorter for more accurate casting. I'd
> considered cutting 3" off the tip and 3 more
> inches off the butt of a NEO to shorten to 7' but
> I like the idea of that moderate action David
> Baylor mentioned above. May give the MB709 a
> try... need to buy a plain ticket, fly across the
> country and get my hands on all of these blanks
> before making a purchase.

The NEO can be cut down to the length you desire without losing properties. It is straight taper after 6'6" IIRC. Cutting down to 7' won't even get close to the start of the taper. My heavy spinnerbait rod is 6'10" all cut from the butt. No need to take any from the tip.

A.P.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/02/2021 08:00AM by Aaron Petersen.

If CCS numbers mean anything to you as far as equating numbers to power and action, I did CCS tests on the rod built on the MB 709 blank. IP: 1045 grams. AA" 69 - 70. As I mentioned above, my primary use of the rod is flipping and pitching for bass in heavy cover.

I normally fish baits that probably total somewhere around 3/8 oz. That would be for the bullet weight I use, and the bait combined. With those kind of weights the tip doesn't load particularly well, so it's more your pitching ability and reel set up, than it is help from the tip loading.

The sweet spot pitching wise, would be a 3/8 oz weedless jig, with a chunk trailer. That's about where the tip starts loading really well. It casts baits that size and heavier, very well. But what I really love about it, along with the more forgiving action for fish at the boat, is its' power. As the CCS numbers show, it's got some serious power.