What are your GO TO rods for your FAVORITE kinds of fishing? I'm curious what some of the best rod builders and fishermen on this forum reach for first.
New to rod building and don't have lots of rods yet? Chime in with what you do have and why you like it.
Have a couple favorites for the same category?
Freshwater and/or Saltwater?
Fly, Spin, Cast? Go for it!

Also, I thought it might be helpful to note your fishery.

I learn so much from all of you, and put a lot of confidence in your experiences and knowledge.

My Fishery: Midwest Reservoirs (Kansas and Missouri) .
Casting Rods:
* Smallmouth Finesse Jig and Tube (3/16 to 3/8 oz.): St. Croix SCV610MXF (extended to 7'4"): or NCF SJ736 X-Ray.
* Largemouth Flipping Jigs and T-Rigs (1/4 to 1/2 oz.): NFC SJ706 Delta: or MHX NMB753XF
Spinning Rod:
* Crappie All-Rounder (winter vertical jig or spring casting): St. Croix 3S63MLXF

Favorite fish smallmouth bass, favorite water, Saginaw Bay. Cranks, finesse, some spinnerbaits, mostly tubes, neds, small swimbaits, blades late in the season. Favorite casting rod is Point Blank 731MXF, favorite spinning rod Point Blank 701MLF.

Favorite fish largemouth
Low land reservoirs and tidal rivers
St croix medium light fast tip 7ft for finesse fishing
Ned rig,, drop shot .
St croix medium xfast tip 5ft 10 for skipping under docks and shoreline brush wacky rig up to about a 1/4 ounce

I have three fisheries I concentrate on, spinning for local Trout, Fly Fishing for local Trout, and inshore bottom fishing for rockfish and Ling Cod off the Oregon Coast.

For my spin fishing, my favorite is a 2-piece rod made from the Bushido blank (by American Tackle) It is rated for line from 4lb to 8lb and It excels in casting spoons for the Trout. I have several versions, including some I set up with split grips, they all do very well.

For my fly fishing, I have numerous options ranging from a 2-wt up through a 12-wt. I love my TFO BVK blank in the 8' 6" 4-wt for smaller streams, and a NFC 6-wt for streamers, but my all-around rod is a 4-piece 5-wt Matrix from American Tackle. I have them all set up using guides and reel seats from Snake Brand.

My go to inshore rod is actually a group, not one specific rod. I have three different versions of American Tackle's Bushido series; the Slow Load, The Extreme, and the Ultra Load. Each is slightly different, but they all perform flawlessly whether set up for a conventional (either normal or spiral wrapped) or as a spinning rod. I have had exceptional days on the water with these rods, and still have fish in my freezer because of them!

Steelhead drift fishing casting rod: Sage Gear Rod blank, GIIISH 290B.

Favorite summer steelhead blank: NFC ST962x-2 (HM) years ago I thought Gary had it right with the ST 1141 at G Loomis, this is better.

If I could have only one salmon/steelhead: Probably the Rainshadow XST 1144F-TC. Many years ago, it would have been the G Loomis ST 1025-2 IMX.

Looks like Rainshadow quit making that blank, they have been thinning out their lineup that doesn't sell as well, mostly price point problems I hear, due to price alone their IST blanks were outselling many XST models 10 to 1. That means all my favorite MH salmon/steelhead blanks are no longer made and most of my medium power steelhead blanks. NFC is looking better all the time. Personally, all my salmon/steelhead needs were built when there were more great choices from suppliers.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/22/2022 03:03PM by Spencer Phipps.

Bass fisherman. Flatland and hill land reservoirs, occasionally Lake Erie. Hard to choose which type of bass I prefer most.

I catch most of my largemouth pitching and flipping to heavy cover. For that I use 3 rods. 1 built on an Immortal IMMC72MH blank, and the other 2 built on NFC MB 709 IM blanks. The Immortal blank rod is a flat out fish mover on the hook set. The NFC blanks are great at keeping a big fish hooked up on a short line. The first one I usually reach for is one of the NFC MB 709 rods.

My favorite way to catch largemouth is on a hollow bodied frog. If I am dragging a frog over matted vegetation I use the rod I built on the Immortal blank mentioned above. It's an awesome frog rod. If I am walking a frog in light to moderate cover I reach for an old 6'6" Shimano Speed Master fighting rod I have in heavy power. Love that old rod.

For smallmouth, the first spinning rod I reach of is a rod I built on a RX10 Eternity ETEC72M blank. I fish tube jigs and shaky head jigs with it. More shaky heads than tube jigs though. It may be the finest and most sensitive rod I own. For a casting rod for smallmouth it's the 2 rods I have built on NFC SJ736 X ray blanks. One of them always has a football jig tied on the line. Either 3/8 or 1/2 oz. The other usually has a tube jig tied on. Anywhere from 3/16 - 3/8 oz. I also use them for lighter Texas rigged baits for both largemouth and smallmouth.And the SJ 736 makes an awesome weightless Senko rod.


The SJ 736 is a very versatile blank. It does a lot of things extremely well.

Leslie,
I fish and love both freshwater and ocean fishing, but if I was only allowed to fish one of them, it would definitely be freshwater mountain streams and lakes, especially backcountry hike-to venues; the majestic beauty, pristine environment and exploring nature is pretty dang hard to beat.
As for freshwater, being from SoCal, I frequent the Eastern Sierra but the Rockies in Montana, Idaho and Colorado are almost as impressive. While it is all basically trout fishing, there is no bigger thrill than catching a true Golden Trout, especially the Volcano Creek variety.
As for saltwater, I typically fish from Catalina Island (26 miles west of Long Beach [LA]) south into Mexico. North of Catalina is basically bottom fishing but I prefer the topwater sportfish to the south (BFT, YFT, Yellowtail, Dorado).
As for freshwater rods / blanks, everyone knows of my love-affair with vintage FG Conolons. I still build on CF blanks if requested by a customer and I think that the vast majority of them are very good. I have never built on a Point Blank, but due to the praises from so many, I would like to; unfortunately, they do not offer anything in UL (trout) or XXH (tuna). I have a lot of praise for anything that Batson sells. Nonetheless and in my personal opinion, nothing beats the Fish Fighting Fun Factor of a vintage Conolon!!!
As for Saltwater rods / blanks, I trust the ol’ tried-and-true Calstar, Seeker or United Composites as long as they are (predominantly) FG. I live in the mecca where stout FG deepsea blanks / rods were developed and manufactured and see no reason to change.

Mark Talmo
FISHING IS NOT AN ESCAPE FROM LIFE BUT RATHER A DEEPER IMMERSION INTO IT!!! BUILDING YOUR OWN SIMPLY ENHANCES THE EXPERIENCE.

Being a fly fisherman only, my proffered fish are trout and Steelhead.

For trout my go-to rod is a CTS 9' 5wt, for steelhead, an old Sage RPLXI 9' 6" 8wt

I love fishing for striped bass in the Sacramento and Feather rivers in NorCal. I always have a NFC MB705. I use it any time after sunset and before sunrise to throw Texas rigged worms, black with a white tail. After the sun comes up, i use it to drift live minnows. I always take at least two rods and the second one is usually the SJ736 x-ray because it's so versatile. I use it for small swimbaits, 1/2 oz bucktail jigs, 3/4 oz rat-l-traps and also Texas rigged worms if I don't want to re-tie the mb705 since i like that one better for live bait.. For glide baits and larger swimbaits, I use the NFC SWB807.

For salmon in the same area I use the BB806 for sardine wrapped kwik fish and HS822-1 for trolling in-line spinners that I make myself.

All my rods are casting by the way.

Great lists! Thank you all!

I am greedy for "Best of the Best" kinds of information with fishing related subjects, especially when backed up with the experiences of the people who are in love with the sport and the craft.

For walleye my new go to rod is a st croix legend extreme mlxf
For pike I use a GLoomis imx pro 906c swimbait rod, it’s a medium/mod fast
For lake sturgeon I use a Shimano Technium 10’6 medium/mod fast

I do have custom rods being built for me, but at this time this is what I use.

FISH: Largemouth, Smallmouth & Spotted Bass
FAVORITE ROD/BLANKS: Northfork Composits SJ 705-1 (IM) with carbon fiber grips and MB 735 -1 with carbon fiver grips to name two.
FISHERY: Ohio River

I am co-owner of Sterling Gray Outfitters and build all of my own rods. I design them for the techniques that I utilize, such as spinnerbaits, jigs and topwater.

I'm primarily a bass fisherman and fish with a 6'2" Immortal for lake fishing and the same rod cut to 5'6" for river fishing with a spinning reel and a finesse worm. I use a 6' MHX rod for baitcasting a larger worm.

I fish the coast of Savannah Georgia. I love inshore and offshore fishing. My favorite is fishing inshore for redfish with artificial baits. I love my 7' 8" Lamiglas casting rod with medium strength and fast tip. It was my first build using quality components. I have built many rods since on quality blanks and components, but this is still my favorite.

Inshore North Carolina trout and drum(redfish) and some striped bass:

-IMMWS72ML w/ Fuji KR/KL-H
-American Tackle CB72 6-12 built as a spinning rod with the same style guides

Delaware and Points north for spring run striped bass from the surf and rock lined back bay:

-NFC MB 808-1 (IM) w/Fuji KR/KL-H Titanium Torzite.

I fish mostly inshore saltwater along the Texas upper and mid coast for Trout, Redfish and Flounder. My current main rod is:
Fuji Point Blank 6'9" Medium Light Power (PB691MLXF), Extra Fast Action Blank. Fuji Torzite Guides in a Spiral wrap; 1-RV 6mm, 1-KB 5mm, 4-KB 4mm and 3-KT 4mm and a 4.5mm Tip Top. This rod will do it all artificial from Top Waters to plastic Jigs to 1/8 oz. Total rod weight: 3.1 oz. Made for the Shimano Curado DC (Digital Control) baitcaster reel.

I also use a fly rod for redfish to site cast to:
North Fork Composites LMX (Lamda Beta) 9' 8wt / F-890-4. 10 guides; Used Seaguide 16 RS Ti frame (80"), 10 RS Ti frame (68"), REC Double foot snakes #5 (57 7/8”), #4 (48), #4 (38 ½”), #4 (30 1/8”), #4 (22 ½”), #2 (15 ¼”), #2 (9 3/16”) and #2 (4 ¼”). I did this spacing to have 4 guides on the tip section and used #2 to lighten that section, you could just do #4s to the tip. With a natural cork grip and fighting butt with a burl bottom ring. The weight came out to 4.1 oz total rod weight.

I also fly fish for Trout in rivers / streams and lakes in Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, Chile and Argentina. I use these when I travel all 4 pc.:
TFO BVK 5wt 8'6", Fuji SIC KW Ti Frame strippers, REC TiCr snakes and a REC ABS uploading reel seat with a Curly Koa insert. Used Pearsall Naples silk thread for the wraps and Gudebrod Silver for accents. The grip is natural cork half Wells with a burl piece at the insert, shaped for my big hand. Total weight 3.3 oz. Rod really casts great at distance (75'+) and into the wind but is a bit too stiff for a short delicate 20' cast. I will also go up a line size to a 6wt line with this rod when needed to cast heavy streamers.

TFO Mangrove 9' 5wt built similar to the BVK but with the last of the TI framed Fuji L single foot guides for runners (12 guides total) and REC solid polished Aluminum reel seat. 3.75 oz total weight. This rod makes a delicate presentation for shorter cast but can also get out there when needed.

MHX 9' 3wt blank with a KW 10 SS Alconite stripper, L frame SS Alconite 7 mm, and 10 L frame SS Alconite 5 mm running train (12 guides total) and a 6 mm Alconite tip top. The reel seat is a no name brand made from aluminum that is very light. The total weight is 3.25 oz. It can cast the 3wt WF F line 80' with no effort and make an extremely delicate short cast. I did not expect that out of a Chinese made MHX blank. I really like this rod.

I'm really liking all my Point Blank rods for largemouth, smallmouth, and pike fishing. Here are my favorites;
PB701LXF - Love this rod!! Loves 1/4 oz lures
PB691MLXF dropshot rod spinning rod
PB691MXF - multipurpose spinning rod
PB76MHXF - baitcasting flip/pitch & frog rod

However, I grew up in the Ultralight world fishing small lures for hungry NY trout. Last year, Norm helped with my Wintertime rod build - a 5'6" Phenix Elixir using the same Fugi KR concept I have used for all my PB RODS. Matched with Seaguide guides, Okuma 500 size reel and 2 lb mono, this little guy will sling a 1/16 oz spoon across town. Definitely my "Go-To" rod for summertime trout fishing when the water is low and clear.

The finished rod weighs in at 2.5 oz...

Thanks Norm!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/18/2022 02:04PM by Ron Beloff.

Fisheries: (1) Elkhorn Creek, Kentucky
(2) Multiple creeks within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Species: (1) Smallmouth & Spotted Bass
(2) Brook Trout

Rods: (1) 5 weight, 7 1/2' tri-hex
(2) 2 weight, 7' 3", TFO Finesse

For most other freshwater venues, a 6 weight, 9', Epic 690G

For the salt, a 9', 9 weight, TFO model TFB09904P

Hello All.

My Favorite would be Mahi-Mahi


MAKE: Shikari.
MODEL: FS764X W/Butt Removed.
LINE: 12-25#
LURE: 1/4-1oz.
ACTION: Medium
POWER: N/L.
LENGTH/WEIGHT: 6'7" / N/L.
BUTT DIA: 0.460
TIP DIA: 6.5
CENTS:
ERN:
AA:

GUIDES:
FUJI TYSG-4.5J.
TYSG-8J.
TYSG-10J.
TYSG-12J.


TIP TOP:
FUJI TFST6-6.0

REEL SEAT:
FUJI DNPSM-18 ($5.19) W/KDPS-18.


Tight Wraps & Tighter Lines.

Bob,

New Bern, NC.

I'm in Minnesota, smallmouth junkie, largemouth, walleye and crappie fisherman. I'm normally fishing a river if possible.

Smallmouth would have to be the MHX NEPS81MXF (spinning), covers every spinning application (small tubes, soft jerkbaits, wacky worm, drop shot, shaky head, ned rig along with small swimbaits, poppers, jerkbaits, even little cranks it can do okay.

Largemouth would be the MHX NMB873.5 (casting) all bottom contact, jigs up to 1/2 oz, tubes, ever can throw a chatterbait, buzzbait and spinnerbait well. Topwater in a pinch, i prefer something shorter.

Panfish/crappie is the MHX S721 (spinning) all day, hooks them and pins them. can throw almost anything i need to throw from panfish.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/18/2022 05:59PM by Patrick Noll.