DinkaDunk

[so haaad]

Hey DinkaDunk,

It's rodcrafting season again.

I’m looking to build a lightweight spinning rod. I’m just curious if you have any recommendations on rod blanks? I’m looking for:

Rod Length: 5’6” … or 6’?

Line wt: 2-6 lb

Cost: $20-50 range

Uses: Spinning/jigging for crappies, bass on the upper St. Croix.

Any recommendations?

My first thoughts:

Rainshadow RX6

SP661-2 (5'6", 2-6lb., $22.53)

SP721-2 (6'0", 2-6lb., $23.88)

Rainshadow RX7

IS661F (5'6", 2-6lb., $44.89)

IS721F (6’, 2-6lb., $47.95)

[DinkADunk]

Those sound pretty good. Since I build rods for myself and not for sale, I don't go through a bunch of blanks (can't afford to) but the Batson Enterprises blanks (Rainshadow, etc) are generally very good. I usualy ask these questions on Tom Kirkman's rod building web site (ends with .org if you do a search). It's all rod building, all the time, and has a bunch of builders on it. I built my "light" rod on a St. Croix Legend blank (green model) that was being closed out and was %40 off at Thorne Brothers. That brought the price of the total rod down into the range that makes it worth building on a factory blank. Equally or more important is your selection of guides and their placement on the blank. As you get lighter (and or longer) you'll notice weight on the end of the rod more than on a heavy weight club. So, on a 5' or 6' light rod I would spend a bit more on guides and go as light as I can afford. I would also go as small (in the running and tip guides) as I could (say a 6 or smaller) in order to keep the weight down and keep the rod as sensitive as it can be. On the other hand, if I was building a rod for pulling bass out of the weeds or pike (say a heavy or extra heavy) and it wasn't too long, then I would go with a less expensive and heavier guide as the weight isn't as much of an issue.

Another thought, if you typically place a wrap and epoxy finish at your rod tip you might want to forgo doing so and just have the rod tip installed without decoration - it will reduce weight. I'm modifying a 6wt fly rod I built to make the tip smaller and am going to leave it naked in order to save weight (it's just ever so slightly tip heavy).

[so haaad]

Thank you sir. Very good input. I've been building rods just for myself so far, although I've gifted an ice rod to a friend and two more to my parents (Gudebrod HT Metallic Fuchsia wraps for mom!). So you picked up a St. Croix Legend blank from Thorne Bros? I bet that's about the same time that I purchased my "green" 9' 4wt fly blank from Thorne Bros.

Hey, have you ever used the Fuji Alconite Concept Guides? They are supposed to be pretty light, so I thought about trying them on my ultralight rod. Thoughts?

Thanks again for your help and insight.