I am looking at tossing predominately 1/2oz or 2/3oz spinners, and every now and then a 3/4 buzz bomb for Puget Sound early coho (4-7lbs) and was wondering between these two blanks as I love the feel of glass. I have been told either would do what I am looking for. Others that have built on these blanks what are your suggestions?

Likely I would add about 4"-6" for a handle and to allow more of the rod to be used in casting from the beach.

Does one behave much differently than the other? Any input is greatly appreciated.

Thank you!
Dave

Nice topic!

I, too, want to hear what others have to say!

Your input was very useful Les. I’m sort of thinking that the 745 is more my rod after you said the 744 is noticeably softer. Plus as you noted, I’ll be trying to huck the lure as far as possible. The 745 will probably give me a little more distance on a 1/2oz lure.

I think the 5 power is overkill to be honest, based off of the CCS data . If you want distance, get something longer. For spinner and spoon fishing a 3 power or 4 power is more applicable.

A 5 glass blank is nothing like a carbon blank, the low end lure rating and the AA of those blanks would have me moving to the 786, I fear the tip may be to soft, I've always preferred a MH blank for jigging anyway. Been a while since I have heard someone "huck" a lure, thanks for the memory of a good collegue.

IDK. I fish the 0 power as a Ultralight BFS setup alot. It handles up to a quarter ounce incredible well. The 5 plus power on these are bordering on Jetty sticks. I fish 2/3 oz spoons with 6-12 Okuma rods with CCS under 300 IP and launch 7/8ths Flying Cs on my st905 (which is nowhere near the 5 power APFG) The 5 power might have a fast tip, but it's super heavy for a 7 ft and few inch blank and has heavy duty power. Like I said, I'd go longer if you want distance. Otherwise, stick with a 3 or 4 power.

I actually went with the 742 as the 744 felt too stout. The 742 is a night and day difference in action, much more flexible. I will be extending the rod 4-6" to get a little more out of the taper and distance.

When I was at the shop I noted its for north sound coho and there is always a chance a king takes hold. One of the employees put my worries to ease with past experiences with the rod.

Dove into the KR Concept method and this will be my first rod using it. Looking forward to the build. Probably will pick up another APFG next month.

David,

I envy the fact you can go handle blanks at the NFC factory!? Ahhhhh, such a dream situation. Do they have much foot-traffic there from local customers?

Glad you found the blank you like best for your purposes. You will soon have your own experiences to consider when choosing your next build.

I have been playing around with both the 16-H and 20-H guide groups (4-guide specification) and have learned a lot from it. You will like the performance of this concept, I think.