Can anyone help me find comparable blanks, so I can build my first rod? The faster I make my selection, the sooner I can get into the game!!!

I'm looking for short, ultra light powered rods, that I can fish small in-line spinner-baits, and small spoons, small floating minnows and small jerk baits, for small bass, (big - hopefully) crappies, and (big - hopefully) sunfish, on 4-8 lb mono (or maybe fluorocarbon) line.

Also questions for the book "advanced custom rod building":
--Do I need to modify the blanks? (trim them/shave them)?
--Do I need to be concerned with straight vs compound taper?

Specs:
-Spinner rod
-2 Piece
-These are fast/moderate. I'm thinking I want more moderate/medium action. Thoughts? I'm thinking the slower action will be better for spinners/spoons and the faster action will be better for the small floating minnows/jerk baits. Or maybe it doesn't matter that much.

I own and like these rods, so I'm looking for something similar:
[www.basspro.com]
Model: FM5610LS
(1 piece)

[www.fieldandstreamshop.com]
Model: FEHJWS56UL
5-6
(2 piece)

Thanks!

Cory Lowe
Man of 10,000 Lakes

That book was printed in the 80's a whole different time than now. Are you trying to build a BFS?

My 2 cents.

I think you want a light rather than UL blank. UL are more in the 2-4# range.

Why do you want such a short blank? A longer one will cast farther, set the hook better, and make the fish feel bigger.

I would suggest the fast action for single hook offerings (or inline spinners) and moderate for treble hook lures.

Awhile back I bought a few of the NFC freshwater blanks when they were on sale. I really like the FW 702-2 (IM). Very nice and crisp in a traditional spin/jig type blank. The Fw 741-2 (HM) is a buggy whip and too light in power for your needs IMHO.

Blanks in the zero power popping style to one power spin/jig should match your needs. I wouldn't be concerned with taper nor trimming a blank. 2 piece and 5'6" will limit your choices a lot.

Russ in Hollywood, FL.

Hello Spincer.

My copy was published on 30 November 1977.

I use mostly Phenix blanks for ultra-light, but I mostly do saltwater rods and I use my ultra-light rods for catching bait from 3" glass minnows to 2-3 lb bluefish and anything in-between (like pinfish-small jacks...).

Good Luck.


Tight Wraps & Tighter Lines.

Bob,

New Bern, NC.

Spencer, I purchased a high-rated book on Amazon. I'm new, so I don't know which resources are the best. If you have a better book, please share.

Cory Lowe
Man of 10,000 Lakes

Russell,

What are the different power levels? You are rating them by recommended line size?

Would a longer rod work better? I am trying to fish with small lures (1/8 - 1/4 oz). I was thinking that a longer rod would use/require heavier lures, as it would take more force/weight to load/unload it. Is this correct? My longer light rods had difficulty casting small lures. I thought they would go further, but they required heavier lures to load/unload.

Wont a moderate/slower rod cast further, as it is loading/unloading the lure's weight? I was thinking the fast action rods were more for jigging/worms, where swimming type baits, you would want a slower rod, to keep force on the rod, as you reel.

Also, I need help finding the vendors/SKUs. I'm new.

Thanks!

Cory Lowe
Man of 10,000 Lakes

MHX S721...its a 6' blank and is about $50.
6'0" 1 2-6 1/32 - 3/16 oz. MF UL 4.0 .299" .8 oz.
[mudhole.com]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/23/2022 01:00PM by Chris Catignani.

The NFC P700 or CB701 will work well for light lures and smaller bass. These are the lightest I have built in a while and I ordered the CB701 by mistake (704) so take it for what it is worth. The 701 has a softer tip. I fished the 700 yesterday with 4gram lures and it did quite well. I cut 6” off each for their specific usage.

Are you wanting something with a more parabolic bend?

Tim,

I think so. I haven't decided. I guess that's a reason I am getting into rod building.

I would think with reaction cast baits, I could either get something more parabolic and/or get a longer rod, that's stiffer. Although sunny fish/crappies don't need/can't have a big hook set. Also, I'm planning to take off my trouble hooks and replace with single ones (better for the fish, and easier to unhook), so maybe I need more hook setting power. Not sure how much the hook type affects the rod style I need.)

Also things like spinner baits and spoons, I don't impart much action, but something like a top water, I would want to twitch. I am guessing ultimately, I will want 2 different rods. One faster and one slower in action.

It's a "matrix" problem. short-medium/long/fast-moderate-slow, eventually, you have too many rods.

Cory Lowe
Man of 10,000 Lakes

For a first rod I would strongly recommend a Rainshadow RX6. High quality at a good price. If you want a more moderate action the popping blanks are nice, otherwise the regular spinning blanks are fine. Agree that you want a "light" powered blank in this series rather than "ultralight." You will not have to modify these blanks at all, and frankly modifying blanks is a much more advanced skill that can go very badly. Advanced custom rod building is a great book and I still reference it once in a while. However, technology, especially in blanks and guides, has changed greatly since the book was written.

Just going off of Peter’s comment, look at the Batson Rain shadow RX6 inshore popping just as a reference

Slight change of heart. Thanks everyone for your feedback. I went out, after church, to incorporate your feedback and do some test casts.

I decided I want to rebuild my bass spinning rod, that I just purchased about a month ago. It's already a really good rod, so I will need to make it better. I like the specs on this rod, and it can try to duplicate them with the new blank.

[www.amazon.com]

Specs from rod:
-7 Feet
-2 Piece
- Fast Action
-1/4 - 5/8 OZ lure recommendation
-8/14 lb weight line (I assume this is Mono based?)

Either a specific blank recommendation would be good, and/or, if you recommend the blank materials I should target, that would be helpful. Is there a blank weight I should target? I see they range dramatically in price, so that's where I need help. I should probably get a pretty sensitive rod, or else I won't get a performance improvement on what I already have. If I know what materials to target, I can browse the sponsors sites, and sort, based on materials.

Also, can someone elaborate on how the recommended lure size is selected? Its based on a percentage of the full load? Like the common sense testing article I was reading. I'm wondering if I will eventually need several rods, based on the different weights. I have different weighted spinners/crank baits/spoons, that I could throw with these rods.

Thanks!

Cory Lowe
Man of 10,000 Lakes

Not to insult Berkley (my favorite rods as a kid) but virtually any blank you buy will be better than the one used in your current rod. As above, I think the rainshadow rx6 is a great value. No need to look higher than "standard modulus" graphite for your first build. The mudhole CRB blanks are also a good value, but having built on their medium power blanks I find them to be to stiff and unforgiving.

Recommended lure size is made up. It bears some relationship to how powerful the rod it, but there is no calculation. Line weight is also made up. Yes generally it is mono line strength, but if you want to put 20 pound braid on the rod above it will be no problem (what might be a problem is 14 pound mono on a 2000-3000 series spinning reel. That is not going to handle well).

"Medium power" blanks range from a rating of about 1/8-3/8 oz all the way to your ratings of 1/4-5/8 oz. Unfortunately to compare blanks in any objective manner, you need to use Common Cents as you stated. I've seen medium blanks range from under 300 grams of power to over 500 grams of power.

If I were in your shoes trying to match that lightning rod I would get a rainshadow RX6 SB842-CG. Hmm, just looked and those cost 80 bucks now. Who knew. The Pacific Bay Arctos is also a very nice series, actually higher modulus than the RX6, and the ASJ873 can be had for $60. Only downside is they are either 6'9" or 7'3" but for some reason 7'3" is my favorite rod length so it works for me.

Just saw your other post about guides. I am also a Fuji guy. I can also see where microwave/airwave guides might be a bit more simple, but I have never felt the need to try them. For the blanks I listed above I would do Fuji KLH fazlite in 20H, 10H, and 5.5M set according to the Fuji KL GPS. For runners I would do size 5, unless you run braid to leader and tie big connection knots. I think I put 9 total guides on the last 7'3" medium arctos I built. You will have to decide placement of the runners yourself by looking at how the line runs through the guides with the rod flexed. You don't want flat spots, you want a smooth curve. Rods with a faster action need more guides to achieve this, rods with a slower action need fewer, which is why there are no hard and fast rules. For runners you I would do a couple of the larger foot KBs after the reduction guides and the rest KTs. You could probably do all KTs without issue.

Thanks Peter!

Cory Lowe
Man of 10,000 Lakes

Peter, the rods you mentioned are all 1 piece. I'm guessing the reason is the sensitivity lost?

I'm hoping for a 2 piece rod. I break my rods down and store them in a bag.

Also, to clarify, can you elaborate on the Mudhole rods being stiff? I thought that was the point, to transmit vibration (sensitivity). Maybe you mean not smooth bending or something?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/23/2022 09:03PM by Cory Lowe.

Have you looked at the two-piece bass spinning blanks in RX7 at Rainshadow? I think MHX may have some also. Rainshadow offers a description of what they think each blank will work for on each blank listed.

You mention "short" ultra light rods. I used to use these but had LOTS of trouble with hook sets. I really think that short ultra lights are not a good choice. As others have mentioned longer rods yield longer casts and better hook sets. There are plenty of good blanks at reasonable prices that would be a good starter build for you. Both one and two piece. I personally like 7 foot rods and would not go below 6 1/2 feet. Someone mentioned Rainshadow RX6, and I have a great rod with RX6, a 3 piece travel rod, but it's more powerful than you are looking for. Not ultra light or even light. But it is sensitive. I would not shy away from RX6. Of course the RX7's by Rainshadow are very fine blanks and come in a multitude of models. As mentioned before.

You mentioned that one piece rods may be a reason for reduced sensitivity? Most would argue the other way, that one piece would probably have higher sensitivity, but with modern ferrules I doubt if one could feel a significant difference. Go with what you think best for length, power , and action. Since drop shot and Ned techniques are similar in power, I think if you find blanks that are recommended for them you won't be far off.

The power and action subjective descriptions of manufacturers leave a lot to be desired; they often are all over the place. I think the best indicators of power are the line ratings and the lure weight recommendations. Try to find a blank whose lure numbers best fit what you plan to cast and which is recommended for drop shot and/or Ned.

Thanks!

Cory Lowe
Man of 10,000 Lakes

Cory,
I think Tom Kirkman's book is better, more pictures, newer info, more centered on the info a new rod builder need.