Going to do another build for speckled trout. Will be for a light weight baitcaster with 10 lb braid. Almost exclusively for 1/8 oz jig head with soft plastics working over oyster shell in 3-5 feet of water in the bay. 7’ rod — not for wading. Was looking at a CTS Air A02. Also looking at Rodgeeks Carbon 5. C570MLF and the C570MLF2. Anyone have input on these blanks? What’s the difference between the two Rodgeeks models since they look close to identical on tech details?

As background, I have Point Blank 701 MLF. I use that when larger redfish are in the mix. PB a little too fast for next build-very easy to snag oyster. Also built an NFC P703. Power is about right but it’s a touch slow.

Thanks in advance.

I own the C570MLF and haven’t fished the rest. The C570MLF2 is its two piece sibling. I have the parallel to that rod from twenty-five or so years ago when C3 was the top dog. I’ve got the 6’6” single piece equivalent from when C4 was the top technology level. The C570MLF has a really nice action. It’s fast, but bends in a smooth curve. It casts better than lots of fast action rods in this range. The Integrated Poly Curve (IPC) tapers of St. Croix/Rod Geeks seem like the real deal and not marketing hype. St. Croix has been a master of the medium light range for a few decades. They’ve been one of the best rod makers in the world for a long time and sit in medium light Mecca. Them not nailing this is like a North Carolina race car shop building cars that can’t turn left.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/04/2024 12:01AM by Kendall Cikanek.

Thanks Kendall. How does it cast at low end of the rating around 1/8? Usually I’m looking for distance and trying to canvass as much area as I can while drifting boat.

Mitch,
I hope you give the CTS AIR another look.
Contact me for my special pricing for RB.Org Members.
Herb
CTS Rep

Herb - i don’t know this platform very well. Is there a way to private message you? Would really like more info about the A02.

Just email me;
hladen@hotmail.com

Casting a rod at its minimum weight rating is something I try not to do. There has to be that nexus (like you have) of light being the best lure/bait weight and hard fighting or larger fish. I haven’t done it a lot on this particular rod as I have the light rod in the same series. There is little vegetation around here so I can max out a rod on a fish in open water (just got beat doing this somewhere different). I’ve casted minimum weight more on the medium rod in the series, and it does it fairly well. The action of this series tends to be put more length of blank in play than most fast action rods. They are still fast in flex ratio, but don’t seem to have as hard of a shut-off. That tends to help on the light casting end. This series is more about consistent action and increments in power and “speed” than meeting oddball techniques. They do more of that in other lines. There are advantages and disadvantages to both approaches.

The only other blanks besides the C570MLF I would consider building on and owning for your use would be either the appropriate CTS or the Eternity ETES72ML-SS. I have a quite a bit of curiosity and positive impressions regarding CTS. It seems like they also pay quite a bit of attention to really dialing in tapers. I find the Eternity’s to be strong, straight, light, and well designed. I’ve got several brands of contemporary blanks in heavier and longer rods, but just St. Croix, with the exceptions of one Eternity and one United Composite, in the light through medium weight range. The Eternity is a drop shot special and the UC is for standing up to large Alaskan Coho. If it’s in this range without an extreme parameter, St. Croix has kind of been a no brainer for a long time.