regarding: "NFC has a blank that length and spec in the catalog." What length and spec, ERN and AA? Model number for NFC?

I appreciate your disicpline on this issue, sticking to the objective facts as best we can determine them. "ML, UL, Mod'Fast, etc, just doesn't cut it."

I agree that most dropshot rods, as I mentioned earlier, are way over for ERN the "magic" 5.7 ERN. And most if not all ultra-lights are short and way too slow in action.

I must have missed something? When did a rod or blank with an ERN of 5.7 become the recommended power for a BFS rod?

An ERN of 5.7 means the rod has an IP of 125 grams. Just what would you fish for with a rod like that? Creek Chubs? 6 - 7" smallmouth bass?

When you're casting light weights with bait casting gear, you have to have a blank with a tip that loads easily. The drop shot rods I've built, IP of 275 grams and 343 grams respectively, both have tips light enough to fit that need perfectly.

Michael: NFC SB 540-1 looks like a direct copy of my first dropshot rod built to original recommendations out of Japan when the technique returned to the US. That G Loomis blank was the SJ 6400, ERN: 11.6, AA: 80 deg. My G Loomis SJ 700 is ever so slightly more powerful, but a considerably slower tip, AA: 72 Deg. if I remember right.

David, it bacame the "magic" rod when on another forum it was presented as being a very good BFS rod. After that everyone has been trying to find other blanks, and most are using the subjective descriptors to recommend them. Consequently, there is very little true understanding about what has made for good BFS rods. Most rods recommended based on subjective descriptors like "hot shot," "drop shot," etc, are too powerful, well over 10. I expect most "hot shot" rods are higher than 15.

I expect that rods about 10 will work fairly well, but the one person who had an actual measured rod that worked well found the blank to be 5.7ERN-65 degrees.

Keep in mind that the lures being thrown are very light and the objective is to get a rod that loads properly on the cast with those very light lures. My only experience in that area is the use of a 3 weight (ERN a little under 4) fly blank for very small cranks. I have caught mid-size bass and walleyes on it, so it can be done. An IP of about 300 grams is an ERN over 12. Probably will work, but might be too powerful to be optimum.