All, I'm looking for recommendations/experience with shorter blanks for trolling for salmon. My dad asked me to build two rods to be used trolling for salmon on Lake Ontario, and using downriggers and/or dipsy divers to get the spoons down.

In my search for blanks, most everything I've seen recommended is over 8' 6", and I've been asked to keep to a 7' max to fit in the boat. I've tried recommending longer two piece rods with no success.

With all that said, I see the Rainshadow RDR70L-GB, RDR70M-GB, and MHX DR845 as potential options. Does anyone here have experience with those blanks and thoughts on if they'll work for this application?

Thanks in advance

Hi Nick,
The shorter, lighter RDR blanks are by far our most popular for Kokanee trolling etc. The SWB70 and SWB80 models are the go-to option for Great Lakes trolling builds. See all the available models here: [batsonenterprises.com]

-The Batson TEAM
BatsonEnterprises.com

Geoff, thank you very much. These seem to be exactly what I was looking for. I'll reach out via phone to discuss which power would be best.

I've built quite a few shorter Great Lakes rods in the last couple of years. I'll share what I think works well. The MHX DR845 is a good down rigger rod. I just built a Batson SPG845 to use as a downrigger rod, but have not used it yet. The SPG845 has a little more power than MHX.

For divers, I cut down a Lamiglas XCC 932, cutting 3 inches off the tip and butt. This rod made a great wire diver rod, caught a bunch of kings on this rod last week.
I also built some wire diver rods on the NFC 360 Pro 804-1. I cut 4 inches off the tip and it's made a great wire diver rod.

Hope this helps.

The Lamiglas MB 841E was what they were using last I was in that area; they wanted enough tip to pull the line tight upon release.

Matt and Spencer, thank you for the recommendations. This is my first foray into trolling rods so I feel like I'm learning all over again.

What do you guys recommend for reel seat size? I'm assuming something like an 18 or 20, but I'm not 100% sure. I'm going to try to get a hold of one of the reels if I can to make sure everything fits properly before gluing up the handle.

An 18 mm seat is about 0.71 inches ID and the blank is around 0.775 inches OD so I bet it will fit depending on rear grip length, I wouldn't be afraid to touch it up with a reamer if you were close to your position, and I like that style reel seat better. Reel foot sizes from different reels shouldn't be an issue either. My stepdad has used the HCCB845M Lamiglas as a flatline plug rod for salmon and steelhead, Flatfish style plugs mostly, for at least 10 years now, it was developed to troll or cast for Stripers, both these rods are excellent casters the MB841 is a respected LMB crankbait rod blank.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/23/2024 09:30PM by Spencer Phipps.

Geoff gave you good advice. You can check the Batson website for complete build suggestion sheets for any of their blanks