I am new to the forum and new to building. I have only built a couple rods so far. I am looking to build a drop shot rod over the winter but my options in Canada are pretty limited. Ordering from the US gets pretty costly especially when you start talking blanks or rods.

I have a supplier here in ontario who is great to deal with but sometimes his supply can be limited. From what is available right now I have two options. The bushido DS69/4-10 or DS69/8-15, or rainshadow revelation REVS610MXF or REVS610MLXF . The revelation being about $45 Canadian more than the bushido.

I have heard great things about both names but not necessarily these blanks. I tend to fish lightly with drop shot. Mostly 20' and under but sometimes a little deeper. Small hooks and nose hooked baits. I think the lighter power would probably be sufficient.

Are one of these blanks going to excel over the other? Should I contact the supplier and see when the eternal dropshot will be back in stock? It is more money but only about $40 more than the revelation. Is it worth that wait? This is a rod I will hopefully keep a long time and I want to take my time over the winter building it to get it right. Any insight and advice is greatly appreciated

Often when blank makers call their blanks "drop shot" they shift their calibration on the power description down, meaning that a medium power drop shot blank might be quite a bit less powerful than a medium power spin jig blank. I have a medium power drop shot blank that is more like a panfish rod. My "panfish" drop shot rod is not a Revelation or Bushido.

I have no experience with the specific blanks you mention but have a lot of respect for Revelations and Bushidos. All I've built have been very nice blanks and have built into very nice rods. I only say that I would go with the medium powers and not the medium light powers. (DS69 8-15 or REV610MXF)

Thank you Michael for the response. I believe I did read that here in another thread as well. Both are available right now so I would probably go with the medium and see how that one goes. I just have to decide on which blank to go with now.

Ryan,
May I ask what you fish you will be targeting?

Small mouth bass perhaps, or possibly walleye?

Both of the blanks that you mentioned will work well.

Often, when the bite is neutral or negative, one needs to use a pretty light power rod to get the necessary feel, and or tip movement to be able to land these fish.

Best wishes

By the way, I have made a lot of rods for fisher folks who only fish in Canada.

For their needs and uses, I have never built on any blank for use in Canada that was lighter than a medium light rod blank.

All of the folks for whom I have made these rods, have all caughts many many fish on each rod.

Best wishes

The Revelation series of blanks are nice blanks, but they pale in comparison to the Eternity RX10 blanks. If you want a rod you will use and have for a long time, build it on the RX10 Eternity.

As for the Eternity drop shot blank you mention, assuming you are talking about the ETES610MXF blank. I have not built on that particular blank, but I have built on the RX9 version of that blank. The RX9 version of that blank has virtually the same CCS numbers that Batson posts for the RX10 version. IMO it is woefully under powered for anything but pan fish. I personally would not build on that blank.


This supplier you mention? Do they stock a variety of the RX10 blanks, and if so, are they close enough to you to where you could go and actually handle and flex the blanks to check out how they feel? Or would you have to order one and accept the blank because you ordered it?

I've driven 4 hours one way so I could handle a blank before purchasing it. If you can do that, that IMO is the way to go, rather than taking someone else's opinion on a blank. It would be really nice if they had the RX10 ETES610MXF, the ETES72ML, and the ETES76ML blanks in stock that you could compare to each other. Of those three blanks, based on the CCS numbers for the 72ML and the 76ML, I'd probably go with the 72ML. The numbers for the 76ML lead me to believe it has a very light tip. Probably too light for my liking.

Anyhow ....... it would be great if you could go to the supplier and handle the blanks in person.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/27/2023 07:52PM by David Baylor.

If the power is actually Medium as most builders would define it, and the action is extra fast, the tip will be very flexible/light/responsive for feeling/seeing light bites.

Can't speak to the Batson blanks, but the Bushido DS-69 4-10 is a peach. They've been sold out a Mudhole for quite awhile.

roger wilson Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Ryan,
> May I ask what you fish you will be targeting?
>
> Small mouth bass perhaps, or possibly walleye?
>
> Both of the blanks that you mentioned will work
> well.
>
> Often, when the bite is neutral or negative, one
> needs to use a pretty light power rod to get the
> necessary feel, and or tip movement to be able to
> land these fish.
>
> Best wishes

I mostly fish for small mouth and large mouth. Sometimes we get onto a school of jumbo perch that mix in with the bass.

I do think the med extra fast is the way I should go. I do like a soft tip but enough power to bring in bigger fish as well. We see an average of 2-3 pounders but get a 4+ almost everytime we go out as well.

David Baylor Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The Revelation series of blanks are nice blanks,
> but they pale in comparison to the Eternity RX10
> blanks. If you want a rod you will use and have
> for a long time, build it on the RX10 Eternity.
>
> As for the Eternity drop shot blank you mention,
> assuming you are talking about the ETES610MXF
> blank. I have not built on that particular blank,
> but I have built on the RX19 version of that
> blank. The RX9 version of that blank has virtually
> the same CCS numbers that Batson posts for the
> RX10 version. IMO it is woefully under powered for
> anything but pan fish. I personally would not
> build on that blank.
>
>
> This supplier you mention? Do they stock a
> variety of the RX10 blanks, and if so, are they
> close enough to you to where you could go and
> actually handle and flex the blanks to check out
> how they feel? Or would you have to order one and
> accept the blank because you ordered it?
>
> I've driven 4 hours one way so I could handle a
> blank before purchasing it. If you can do that,
> that IMO is the way to go, rather than taking
> someone else's opinion on a blank. It would be
> really nice if they had the RX10 ETES610MXF, the
> ETES72ML, and the ETES76ML blanks in stock that
> you could compare to each other. Of those three
> blanks, based on the CCS numbers for the 72ML and
> the 76ML, I'd probably go with the 72ML. The
> numbers for the 76ML lead me to believe it has a
> very light tip. Probably too light for my liking.
>
> Anyhow ....... it would be great if you could go
> to the supplier and handle the blanks in peson.


Unfortunately traveling to the supplier is not an option. They are about 6-7 hours away. There is not a lot of options that I have found in ontario for supplies. There is a builder only an hour from me but I have emailed him and received no responses and his website does not show what kind of inventory he carries or can get.

I have emailed the supplier I have been dealing with about the possibility of ordering in a Eternity or if he only orders when he has to restock large amounts. I would think it is not very profitable for him to order small quantities either because of shipping across the border. It is the holidays so I am not expecting a response right away but he does always get back to me when I have a question so I'm sure he will respond.

Ryan, it's a shame that you can't go and actually check the blanks out in person. If you go with the RX10 ETES610MXF blank, I can guarantee one thing ........ you will absolutely love how sensitive the blank will be.

David Baylor Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Ryan, it's a shame that you can't go and actually
> check the blanks out in person. If you go with the
> RX10 ETES610MXF blank, I can guarantee one thing
> ........ you will absolutely love how sensitive
> the blank will be.

I do agree that that would be the best way to pick a blank but it is what it is and there's not much I can do about that. I think that if the ETES610MXF becomes available in the next while I am going to go with that blank. I know that some say it is under powered but I like a soft sensitive tip and the sensitivity would be more important to me. I am not tournament fishing and I enjoy the fight. It will certainly be far superior to what I am using now.

If it will not be available then I may pull the trigger on one of the other two options I have available.

Now to just make up my mind on a handle and seat. Been looking at the g2 carbon fiber as an option. I am a cork guy and will be hard to shift from cork but those carbon fiber handles do look pretty cool to.

The supplier I deal with had a sale on starting in January buy 1 in stock rainshadow blank and get a second one half price. While most of the blanks I was really after were not available I thought at the discount I would give this a try.

I ended up ordering a ETEC68M-SS and a REVS610MXF. The revelation is not where I wanted to go with my dropshot build but at the price it came out to I'm going to try it and see what happens. I have a fuji titanium guide train ready to go for it as well as a handful of top flor cork to build a nice handle.

Again I am new to the rod building world so this will only be my second open water build (first is still in progress) so even tho it's not top of the line I'm sure I can build it better than what I have been using. I am just going for simplicity and light weight in this build and hopefully a decent amount of sensitivity.

Eventually I will likely build on a higher end blank at which point I will hand this one down to my son but I am hoping at the price point right now I will satisfied with the performance of the revelation

Ryan, what is it that makes the REVS610MXF blank not where you wanted to go with your drop shot build? The reason I ask is this .......earlier in this thread I spoke about building a rod on the RX9 Eternity version of that blank. Like you, I ordered a set of Fuji T2 black titanium SIC rings guides for the build, as well as a full length CFX rear grip for it. When I got the rod I wasn't happy with the power of the blank, but I went ahead and built it with the components I bought for it, in hopes that it would fish differently than it felt.

Well ......... it didn't, so I stripped the guides off of it, didn't attempt taking the grip off, as I would have surely damaged it, and put on a set of Fuji BC grey SS frames with Alconite rings. As I said earlier, it's my pan fish rod, and still fishes quite nicely.

Anyhow ...... I just make the suggestion of rethinking using the titanium guides on a rod that doesn't seem like you'll be happy with. The Revelations for their price point, are very nice blanks. I think they perform quite a bit over their price point.

I built on the ETES610MXF and use it as a dropshot rod. I’ve pulled several smallmouth over 3.5 to near 4lbs up from over 40 feet down with it (same point drop off). This was working vertically, in upper 50 degree water conditions, with some very nice fighting fish. I didn’t get to a 90 degree rod bend (close, though) on a drag set properly for 8lb fluorocarbon leader. Under this definition, the rod is not under-powered and is near perfectly powered. I see this as one of those special blanks that fulfills its intended use especially well. This is not a power lifting rod, but that would be contrary to sensitive drop shot work.

David Baylor Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Ryan, what is it that makes the REVS610MXF blank
> not where you wanted to go with your drop shot
> build? The reason I ask is this .......earlier in
> this thread I spoke about building a rod on the
> RX9 Eternity version of that blank. Like you, I
> ordered a set of Fuji T2 black titanium SIC rings
> guides for the build, as well as a full length CFX
> rear grip for it. When I got the rod I wasn't
> happy with the power of the blank, but I went
> ahead and built it with the components I bought
> for it, in hopes that it would fish differently
> than it felt.
>
> Well ......... it didn't, so I stripped the guides
> off of it, didn't attempt taking the grip off, as
> I would have surely damaged it, and put on a set
> of Fuji BC grey SS frames with Alconite rings. As
> I said earlier, it's my pan fish rod, and still
> fishes quite nicely.
>
> Anyhow ...... I just make the suggestion of
> rethinking using the titanium guides on a rod that
> doesn't seem like you'll be happy with. The
> Revelations for their price point, are very nice
> blanks. I think they perform quite a bit over
> their price point.

David, the only reason I said that is because I had really hoped to get the Eternity or an immortal blank. I realize that alot of people yourself included feel the ETES610MXF is under powered. I enjoy fishing with as light of weight as I can get away with and the smallest baits and hooks. I think I might be happy with the performance of the ETES610MXF as Kendall above is claiming he is.

I'm not disappointed with the choice of the revelation and who knows maybe when I get it I will love the feel of it. My options are limited and I do hear good things about the revelation line as well I just haven't seen any info on this particular blank so far. When I get it in my hands I will decide if I like the feel of it enough to build it with the components I have already and if I feel I might not be satisfied with it then I will order some different components and change my plan a little.

Either way I am hoping it builds into a nice rod. I have read that they do perform above their price range and also have the durability side as well so I am hopeful that I will love it. Without the experience or the option to put my hands on blanks or other components before buying I really have to rely on people's experiences that I can read about here. And there is certainly a wealth of knowledge here.

The supplier I deal with can now get anything that mudhole has listed on their site as well so I had considered ordering a point blank but at the price point right now this made much more sense for me and maybe in the future I might be able to try some other manufacturers as well.

Kendall, you're right, drop shot rods are not power lifting rods. When I built on my first blank with a DS designation before the blanks length and named power rating, I was a bit surprised by it's power. That blank was an NFC DS 6107 IM blank. It's rated for 1/8 - 3/8 oz, 4 - 8# line, and has a named power of mag light. It's CCS numbers (and I just rechecked them) IP 353 grams, AA 77. I find it fine for the type of vertical fishing you mentioned on the inland lakes I fish. But not if I am casting and dragging the rig. And definitely not when I go up to Lake Erie. Up there it's even sketchy for vertical fishing.

The RX9 version of the ETES610MXF I built on has an IP of 321 grams. with an AA of 79. 31 grams less power than my 6107. And you don't need CCS numbers to verify it. You can feel it. According to Batson, the RX 10 ETES610MXF has an IP of 272 grams.

If you go back to my first post, you will see that the opinion I offered is based on CCS numbers. With the Rx10 IP numbers being 50 grams less than my RX9 version blank, and 80 grams less than my DS 6107, I am certainly going to think the a blank with an IP of 272 grams is woefully under powered. I know this .... the way a 2 - 2 1/2 lb smallmouth felt on my RX9 ETES610MXF rod, I couldn't imagine having a 3 - 4 lb smallmouth hooked up on it. That had to be one heck of a battle in those kind of depths.

Curious? Pulling one up from that deep, do you find you need to fizz the fish before letting them go?

Ryan, ahh ok. I thought you had the blank in hand. And I can understand the disappointment of not being able to get the RX10 version, but the Revelation blank I built on is very nice. And is pretty darned sensitive. My jerkbait rod is built on a Revelation REVS68ML and I can feel the tick of a fish taking a jerkbait as it sits there suspended, or slowly sinking. Plus the blank finish really allows a wide choice of thread colors.

And I think I have mentioned to you before how I have really been trying to shy away from recommending blanks for certain things. Rod power preferences are just like color preferences for guide wraps. Some people like the same thing, some people don't.

Ryan, I have only handled a few Bushido gear rods, one the 4/10 dropshot, but many more of the discontinued Bushido fly blanks, I wholeheartedly agree that they are blanks that bunch well above their price point, you won't be disappointed.