Dave you talked me right into the NFC MB 709 IM. What with the sale, free shipping, and them owning the forum and all.... Lol My question is this. Did you use any double foot guides on yours, and if so, how many? I'm starting with a KW-10 and would like to follow it with with a KW7 and a KW5.5 before going to single foot runners. I may use just 2 KW's. Not all that concerned about weight in front of the reel. If it's tip heavy I got a lb. of lead here. Lol

Lynn, if your not opposed to a smaller guidetrain, try an RV6, followed by a single 5 then 4.0s to the tip or 3.5’s. I have three HM’ MB 709’s set up like this and they are great.

Tom

Lynn, I used LN and L guides on both of the rods I've built on that blank. They both have the same guide strains on them. An LN 10, LN 8, and LN 6, follow by 4.5 L guides. I have 11 guides plus tip top on both rods.

I'll be interested in if you find it tip heavy or not. I have the same model reel on both rods. The first version of the Shimano Castaic. It is a heavy reel. If I remember right I think it weighs 8.4 oz. so if you're using a lighter reel, it's going to be more tip heavy.

I have a full length carbon fiber grip on the one that I made from the CFX kit that Mud Hole sells. I added 2 oz to the butt of that rod to get the balance that I like. The other one I have a full length grip that I made. Don't know if you saw a picture of the latest grip I made, but its the heavy one I was talking about in the form versus function thread. I added 1 oz to the butt of that rod. I have no idea how much the CFX grip I made weighs. I wasn't weighing stuff back then. lol But the grip I have on the one I just finished, weighs 1.35 oz. So the weight of the grip I made is most definitely responsible for not needing to add as much weight. Both grips are 9 1/2" long.

You are going to love that rod. Awesome rod for flipping and pitching.

Thomas, thx but I already have the 3 guides I mentioned. And Dave, thx as well. The rod's actually for my son, he doesn't know it yet, but he doesn't have a moderate casting rod and should. In other words I felt like building it. Lol



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/28/2022 08:32PM by Lynn Behler.

lol Lynn, you have a lucky son. If he is going to use it for flipping and pitching he is going to love it. I've used mine for Carolina rigs, and it fishes them really well. I've also thrown heavier chatterbaits with it and it fishes them really good as well. I haven't used it for anything else but it's probably great for bigger spinnerbaits as well.

For me, it's about as good as you can get for flipping and pitching. And that is because of its' action. I'm trying to think if I have ever lost a fish that I've had hooked on it when flipping and pitching, and I can only think of one. I just couldn't get it out of the tree I hooked it in. And that was more my fault than the fault of the rod. I had it pinned against a branch and dropped the rod tip to give it some line in hopes of getting it up and over the branch, and it went the wrong way. lol Pulled it back up against the branch and it pulled off.

Would have tried to get the boat in there but as far back in the tree as it was, that wasn't going to happen.

Anyhow ....... happy building my friend !!!