Looking to build a swimbait rod for hard baits up to 2 oz. Has anyone built this rod specifically for swimbait fishing? I'll be using a Shimano Curado 300 EJ reel on it.

Thanks

Ron B.

I would take a serious look at the Northfork saltwater delta 764. I really like point blank but it’s overkill IMO for this application.

Thanks. I'm really looking for a 1-3 oz blank for smaller swimbaits. PB does not have anything...

Why not just buy a swimbait blank? For instance, the NFC 806-1, other companies make them also. I own a United Composites DHX model, I went this way because the extra durability lets me use it for more varieties of fish and larger fish. All of them are very versatile and deserve to be used for many presentations and species.

Definite agreement with Thomas on the NFC SW 764 Delta. That's the blank I built my smaller glide bait / hard swimbait rod on, and I really like it. Most of the baits I throw with it are in the 1 1/2 - 2 1/4 oz range, but I also throw a 3 1/8 oz Storm Arashi Glide with it, and it casts and fishes it beautifully.

The SW 764 with an IP of 941 grams, has plenty of power. And with an AA of 65.7 it has a nice moderate action that keeps fished pinned pretty dang good. As I use it as a bass rod, I have a Curado 200 K with 20# Shimano Mastiff fluorocarbon line, on mine


Since I wasn't sure of the blank I was going to need, I also picked up an SW 765 Delta when I picked up the SW 764. I've yet to build on the 765, but with an IP of 1,218 grams, it's a much stouter blank than the 764. Way too much power for the size bass I catch here in northeast Ohio, so I'll be building a musky rod on the 765.

Anyhow ..... for the price of $35, you can't beat SW 764 or 765 Delta. They perform way above their price point.

It’s worth considering that hard swimbaits and glidebaits are moving lures with treble hooks. The 1-3 ounce ones often use 2/0 hooks that are just a size larger than the 4/0’s common on 1/2 to 1 ounce crainkbaits. Moderate-fast actions cast really well and give some valuable cushioning relative to fast and extra-fast blanks. The DHX rods Spencer recommended (UC711M) would be my choice in this range.

I have built this blank as a traditional casting rod. Thus far I have used it primarily for throwing deep diving crankbaits. It works really well for that application. You can cast your DT20's, Dredgers, and XD6 or XD8 type cranks a long way and you have good feel when retrieving the bait. Even with the fast action it seems to keep fish pinned well.

I don't think you'd have trouble casting upto 2 oz with the PB 801MXF but I think I'd want a bit more power for hard swimbaits to get hooked fish into the boat quick before they have a chance to thrash around with larger baits.