Many blanks in the $100 range will make a fine fly rod. NFC LMX blanks have very positive reviews. I have made a 5wt rod from an H&H Xi blank and it is a very good rod. When on sale those are a good buy. Go cast a St. Croix Imperial rod and you will basically be testing a Rod Geeks blank. Batson and PacBay blanks in the $100 range offer high quality. In the West you need to be ready to battle wind, so I would get a medium fast to fast rod.

That makes sense I didn’t think about the wind. Thanks for the advice David.

Keep us updated on what blank you go with and how you like it!

All rods are equally accurate. Given the same input they will cast to the same place. Some rods will cast farther than others, but an $85 rod which is double-hauled will cast farther than a $1,200 rod that is not double-hauled. You can't buy casting skill by paying a lot, much like the most expensive (or decorated) golf clubs won't make you a par golfer. It's a poor workman who blames his tools - or tries to buy proficiency.

I find the 4wt Iconoglass to load very well with a Rio Gold 4wt line (=4.5wt). I caught Trout up to 20" with it in large Montana rivers It is easy to cast 60+ feet with a single haul.

I thought I'd follow up for anyone who was curious. Instead of buying a 5 weight I bought a 4 and a 6, I'm going to build 2 to start with and get my feet under me. I looked at everything at least five times went out and wiggled some rods in shops, learned about the local waters a little more and decided I actually wanted a fast 4wt at 8 or 8'6". Also, I told my buddy I was going to build a rod, and he said right away "build 2 I'll buy one." So he's getting a 6 for when he takes his boys to the lakes and I'll roll that reimbursement into the inevitable next one, probably a short 2 or 3 wt for high altitude creeks.

As far as which actual blank I got they're both 102" rainshadow revelations, 2 piece green form Ron Schneider. For shakedown builds I really couldn't turn down less than 50 each for blanks that light. ANd to my delight they are slightly slower than I expected. Slightly. They are very snappy with little residual wiggle, but bend just a little farther back than what I'd consider "fast". Which is great. bear in mind the last few rods I built and fished hard were fast action st croix sc 4 inshore blanks, not fly rods. But anyway I really like what I see in the hour since the mailman dropped them off.

As far 2 piece vs 4 goes I know that 2 is really out of style these days but I'm not going to be the least bit bothered. I'm used to hauling around 5-6 foot rod sections and even 8' one piece. 2 is lighter, less weight in the right places, and there's 67 percent fewer ferrules to get sand in or align.

Anyway, I built a rod wrapper last weekend and get to start playing with layout today. Thanks for all the input, there's definitely more to try than the brain can take in. Looking forward to the next one already.

Just adding this here as it is a continuation of 5 wts.

Any opinions on the Matrix 805 2 piece? Looking for a 5wt for small streamers or foam hoppers and not long distance. Looking for a bit of butt power. Just playing around with this build so not a real pricey blank.

Also echoing an above sentiment, I really like the NFC Iconoglass 4wt for mountain streams.

Tough to beat the NFC LMX when on sale, which was only $75 a week or so ago, and the blank is well worth the $125-$150 price that it seems to be sold for much of the time, but they have lots of sales.

I would not buy a Hook and Hackle Xi blank at this time, as they will be having a new and updated Xi design coming out in the Fall. I have a 9ft. 5 weight Xi, which I got on sale for $50 or so maybe 4 years ago, and it is a quite decent rod. Not the lightest, not the fastest.

The Batson blanks are good for the money. I have an Eternity 2 which is light and pretty fast, but that would cost you $175 on sale or so on sale or on @#$%&. The Revelation series are good blanks or the money, and the Unity blanks are a decent blank for less than $100.

Arctos and AT Matrix blanks are fine, but they are getting a bit old in the tooth. Rod Geeks Carbon 4 fly blanks are basically the same as a St. Croix Imperial. Go throw and Imperial somewhere and if you really like it, Rod Geeks for $125 or so with shipping is a great option.

TFO is out of the blank selling business, but for $250 or so their Blue Ribbon fly rod is very, very good for the money and you get a sleeve and tube, so tough to beat.

If you fish a lot and can afford it, and are not going to get or wrap another rod any time soon, and want a lighter and faster rod, I would go for a higher priced blank than the $100 range, and take a look at CTS, Epic, Eternity 2, NFC Gamma Beta. Such a rod will make you happy for a decade or more, so pretty cheap in the long run.

That's my dos centavos. Have fun.

Thanks,
I have an LMX 8wt and it is a great blank. That is as fast as I care to go anymore as I am finding myself supplanting my fast rods with more moderate ones. Unless I’m in wind over 15, it is just more enjoyable. I do have a cts 7mx coming to give it a shot.
The matrix was tempting for the shorter length and mod-fast. But I agree they seem to be slowly phased out in favor of the newer faster blanks. I reckon I could pick up a faster one and over line it a bit. I have a couple 5wt trout noodles, lol, and I am looking for something with more junk in the trunk.

Any take on the NFC classic?

The right line is just as important as the right rod. Today line "weights" vary widely - beyond the bounds of the "official" weights of lines which match "weights" of rods. You can save grief and $ by borrowing lines or reels with lines of known "weights" and test-casting them. You might need a 6-weight line or heavier to cast a "5wt." rod today.

Well of course lines matter. I have enough lines to chose from to help with testing, looking at the blank options. Distance is also a big consideration in the equation. Bigger flies short distance.

As to a 5-weight fly rod that is not fast, I think you could try the NFC classic. Hook and Hackle Xi rods are rather moderate in action (they say moderate-fast), and the Xe are even a bit slower than the Xi. Batson Unity may be worth a try, also.

Thanks David, I have come close to trying the classic on several occasions. Moderate or fast.

When you get down to 5/6 in a series, I get nervous without feeling one. Just because I like the 8 doesn’t mean the 5 or 6 has any backbone.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/22/2022 06:38PM by Tim Scott.

Jake:
For many years I considered St. Croix rods and blanks the best cost/quality equation in fly rods. Now that the Company is again marketing blanks, they have a Carbon 4 (graphite) model, 4-piece, fast blank, for exactly $100. Interestingly, if you order through the factory you can have the blank custom painted in any of 32 colors! Full disclosure: although I've built probably a dozen St Croix rods, I haven't yet tried the new blanks, but based on the Company's history of quality, I will be doing so soon.
jak