Building Super Low Mass Mod action Rods: Blanks 2024

Paul Roberts reply :

What's good out there in the Mod action blanks? I'm looking for the finished rods coming in around 6'6".

Second question: Mod action blanks tend to be of lower modulus materials. Seems all the HM blanks are F or XF. Would it be feasible to start with a longer HM F blank and cut it back? The idea is to get as light weight a blank as possible. Seems many LM blanks are fairly light too. Would there even be much of a difference?

Thanks.

MickD reply :

Look at the Rainshadow Immortal ( RX8 ) series of inshore popping rods (getbitoutdoors.com) for a series of MF action high modulus blanks. Rainshadows never disappoint, and are good values. I will argue that the Revelation ( RX7) series of inshore popping rods will perform like they were higher modulus than RX7 probably due to excellent design.

.ghoti. reply :

Technically speaking, trimming a fast action blank, from either end, will result in a slower action. But, you are never going to start with a fast blank and end up with a moderate blank. Trimming slows the action, but it can be difficult to really discern the change. You can always get away with trimming from the butt end. You end up with a shorter, lighter, and very slightly slower blank. I would never recommend trimming the tip end. Unless, of course, you have a heavy power blank, and would like to have a pool cue in it’s place.

Tell us what you want, specifically.

I recently built a crankbait rod, on an MHX blank. 6’6” medium power, mod-fast action, 3/16 - 5/8oz lure weight. It would easily cast a 1/8oz bait. The blank weighs 1.4oz there will be other options available.

Paul Roberts reply :

Rainshadow has an RX7 6'6" Mod "Med" power (8-14lb) at 1.4oz. But I'd like something in the MH range say, 10-20. The RX7, and other, MH's go to a Mod-F action, apparently to gain that power.

What I'm wanting to do is experiment with full Mod actions, even Mod to Slow, but with power -at the tip. Moderate to Slow action with power all the way out. Thus I am thinking of cutting off some tip. Or, going longer yet and cutting off some butt. Dunno. Another option could be to go to a LM material, cut off some of that wimpy tip, and let it be over-powered.

Here's what I'm after: I have some older, ok old, thick-walled pencil-thin graphites (Skyline and a Sigma Boron) that feel somewhat pool cue like, but when loaded take on a Mod to nearly S action. They are my most accurate casters and are great at fighting fish. I'd like that kind of action in modern lightweight materials to add some serious sensitivity to the bucket list. Kistler is making use of this with their immensely popular H-MOD flipping stick, which people are saying they are finding lots of uses for. For starters, I want to replace my dime-accurate skipping rod with something more sensitive. Moderate to Slow action with power all the way out.

J Francho reply :

Just get a SC Avid 7' medium/moderate and be done.

Paul Roberts reply :

On 12/21/2019 at 12:26 AM, J Francho said:

Just get a SC Avid 7' medium/moderate and be done.

The only Med Mod in Avid they list is an UL. The rest are F.

J Francho reply :

No, there's a production model, or you can get the blank: https://stcroixrods.com/collections/freshwater/products/avid-series-casting

Paul Roberts reply :

I see it. I was looking in spinning. So... what if I cut 6" off of it?

6 off the butt?

4 off the butt, 2 off the tip?

Or, the Med power and cut the tip?

See... get's risky.

J Francho reply :

Don't cut it off the tip. Just deal with the 6". It's an AWESOME rod.

Paul Roberts reply :

I want to stay short. My current skipping rod is a 6ft.

This is a narrow road I'm not sure I want to take. :))

I just know I don't want no wimpy tip rods.

J Francho reply :

1994 called, it wants it short rods back

Paul Roberts reply :

'94! That new fangled stuff? Mine are a decade older yet.

Bottom line, easier to be accurate with shorter rods. Hey, ever seen the super accurate Japanese guy using Ambassador reels and super short super soft rods? That's accuracy, but I wouldn't want to actually fish with one of those rigs, esp for bass.

PourMyOwn reply :

On 12/21/2019 at 12:53 AM, J Francho said:

1994 called, it wants it short rods back

I remember when I took the plunge and bought my first 6' casting rod. I wasn't sure if I'd ever need anything other than the 5'6"!

Paul Roberts reply :

I started with a 5'6" Skyline pistol grip. Still have it. A Berkley Rep then gave me a 6' MH Bionix (pistol grip). I found my wrist couldn't support hook-sets on larger bass, so I cut the handle off a short downrigger rod and replaced that blank-thru pistol grip. The first long handle casting rod I'd seen. I loved it. And I still love it. It gets regular use.

J Francho reply :

I remember my first 6' pistol grip rod. It seemed giant.

MickD reply :

"Moderate to slow action with power all the way out." How much power? You have not mentioned the weight of lure you're planning to cast. One of the most important characteristics of a rod is to load properly for the cast.

If you are really looking for power "all the way out" , it won't matter what the action is. The tip will be very stiff. A broomstick has "power all the way out" and is a slow action. Problem solved. Sorry for the sarcasm, but I think this is a case of a not being able to describe what you want but you'll be able to recognize it if you ever see it. Or feel it.

https://getbitoutdoors.com/batson-gaff-blanks/

Paul Roberts reply :

On 12/21/2019 at 6:09 AM, MickD said:

"Moderate to slow action with power all the way out." How much power? You have not mentioned the weight of lure you're planning to cast. One of the most important characteristics of a rod is to load properly for the cast.

If you are really looking for power "all the way out" , it won't matter what the action is. The tip will be very stiff. A broomstick has "power all the way out" and is a slow action. Problem solved. Sorry for the sarcasm, but I think this is a case of a not being able to describe what you want but you'll be able to recognize it if you ever see it. Or feel it.

https://getbitoutdoors.com/batson-gaff-blanks/

MH 10-20lb Moderate 6'6", one way or another.

WRB reply :

I use popping rod Loomis PR845C 7' rod that isn't anything close to what is being requested with the exception it cast light weight 3/16 oz lures and enough power for 1 oz structure spoons.

The original response to consider a popping rod blank appears to be on target to me. Looking for a parabolic bend without a slow tip is tall pole to climb.

Tom

Paul Roberts reply :

On 12/21/2019 at 9:41 AM, WRB said:

I use popping rod Loomis PR845C 7' rod that isn't anything close to what is being requested with the exception it cast light weight 3/16 oz lures and enough power for 1 oz structure spoons.

The original response to consider a popping rod blank appears to be on target to me. Looking for a parabolic bend without a slow tip is tall pole to climb.

Tom

Thanks, Tom. I've since been looking into popping blanks.

"Looking for a parabolic bend without a slow tip is tall pole to climb."

Ah, that's why I've been considering pruning the tip!

WRB reply :

Simple, close it in a car door.

Tom

.ghoti. reply :

On 12/21/2019 at 12:34 AM, J Francho said:

No, there's a production model, or you can get the blank: https://stcroixrods.com/collections/freshwater/products/avid-series-casting

You can no longer buy St Croix blanks. You can buy Rodgeeks blanks, but they are not always the same thing.

Paul, you have posed an intriguing question. Wish I had an answer for you.

The rainshadow blank you mentioned may come close. I have built quite a few rainshadow blanks, and, in my opinion, they are under-rated, in terms of power. There medium power blanks are a lot closer the MH.

You might consider posting the question here

https://www.rodbuilding.org/list.php?2

A whole bunch of very experienced rod builders hang out there.

Paul Roberts reply :

@.ghoti. Thanks. I was hoping you'd pipe back in. I found the Rodgeeks blanks on the St.Croix site, without the blank John suggested.

That RS blank looks to be the closest. Or the 7fter trimmed. Nice to know their blanks are a bit underrated in terms of power. Something to try anyway, as they won't break the bank either. I built a small stream dry fly rod from a Batson blank, RS I believe. I was looking for something special then too. I wanted a short XF 4wt. Batson was the only outfit that made such a beast. Talk about tight loops, and bow-n-arrow casting!

Anyway, thanks for the advice. I suspect that strong Mod rods -along the lines of Kistler's H-Mod- could be popular workhorses with modern materials. I'm not likely going to be the one to do that work though.

Delaware Valley Tackle reply :

You’re too hung up on the High Modulus aspect. Just because a blank isn’t marketed as HM doesn’t make it a dead stick. You’ve gotten some good suggestions. There are sooo many blank options nowadays I rarely if ever chop anything any more.

Paul Roberts reply :

Thanks, DVT. I see that the lower mod blanks are pretty darn light in weight as it is.

spoonplugger1 reply :

St. Croix AVC66MHM is about as close as I can think of. 3C66MHM is the blank, Rod Geeks may not make either the 6' 6", or 7' blanks.

Alex from GA reply :

Heavier guides soften the action also.

MickD reply :

True, any weight will slow the action. Just tape some lead to the blank. Or, get the right blank in the first place. In this case, I think the blanks made from unobtainium are in order. ????

Paul Roberts reply :

On 12/21/2019 at 6:09 AM, MickD said:

"Moderate to slow action with power all the way out." How much power? You have not mentioned the weight of lure you're planning to cast. One of the most important characteristics of a rod is to load properly for the cast.

If you are really looking for power "all the way out" , it won't matter what the action is. The tip will be very stiff. A broomstick has "power all the way out" and is a slow action. Problem solved. Sorry for the sarcasm, but I think this is a case of a not being able to describe what you want but you'll be able to recognize it if you ever see it. Or feel it.

https://getbitoutdoors.com/batson-gaff-blanks/

On 12/21/2019 at 10:42 AM, WRB said:

Simple, close it in a car door.

Tom

On 12/26/2019 at 4:40 AM, MickD said:

True, any weight will slow the action. Just tape some lead to the blank. Or, get the right blank in the first place. In this case, I think the blanks made from unobtainium are in order. ????

Apparently, cabin fever is setting in. Happy holidays all.

spoonplugger1 reply :

Weight won't slow the action, it will slow the REACTION,not the same thing, not even close. Additional weight deadens the sensitivity big time. X Fast action can be built from any material, reaction time will not be the same, weight won't be the same, it won't fish the same, but the way the rod bends will always be the same.

MickD reply :

It could be that some of us are talking dynamics while others are talking statics. By the CCS definition of "slow", measured as the angle to vertical that the tip makes when the rod is loaded, weight will not affect action. But adding a couple oz a foot down fro the tip, sure seems to slow it down. Regardless, I think I picked the right material.

J Francho reply :

This reminds me of conversations about skateboard sizes. People go on and on about the difference between an 8.0 width deck and an 8.125, lol. I skate an 8.25, 8.125, and a 9. I can pretty much do all the things I can do on all of them, as long as I have wheels on the ground (or most of the time, anyway). Really the more important stat is wheelbase. It's like that with rods - it's all about the bend. I'd buy that AVC70MM off the shelf, and be done with it. Mine is probably more than a decade old now, still catches, and works for so many things that are cranky.

.ghoti. reply :

Chiming in again, because I just finished a build for my brother. He asked for a 7’, two piece, 5wt, fiberglass fly rod. I asked, why?. He said because I don’t have one, and nobody makes one. Fair enough, so I stated looking for blanks. He was right. Nobody makes one. I should qualify that. They are out there, but the couple I found were from low volume custom fab shops, and were way too expensive.

I tested a lot of blanks, looking for an alternative. And found one. Seeker s-glas two piece fiberglass UL spinning rod blank. CCS tested right in the middle of the 5wt range. Faster in action than a conventional glass fly rod, but still what I would call moderate action. It is extremely light weight for a glass blank. Under load, it flexes a long way down the blank. It casts a weight forward 5wt line nicely.

I took it out in the gravel road in front of my cabin with a spinning reel mounted and tested it out. Used an 1/8oz jighead and drug it through the rocks and gravel. Surprisingly sensitive for a glass rod.

This one was an UL, but it is not the only model they make. I can do a little more research and see what they have that would fit your needs. Give me a weight range you would cast.

Paul Roberts reply :

@.ghoti. Sounds wonderful. I bet he'll be happy with that one.

I'm playing around with an idea I'd like to try. And I think I'll stick with graphite for it. But thanks!

spoonplugger1 reply :

Statics can be measured and are repeatable, what a particular manufacturer calls MH, a certain line weight, or lure weight is all subjective, there is no industry standard. That's why the Common Cents System is so importanr, not because it gives you a dyed in the wool value you can set all things to, it gives you a repeatable comparision value so you can produce the same thing over and over again, or at least know why it isn"t. Just like if you need to cut two boards identical by using a yardstick, tape measure whatever. To get the best result you use the same measuring device, you don't measure the work at the site than use a different measuring device to cut it, compared devices side by side lately?

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Building Super Low Mass Mod action Rods: Blanks 2024

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