Hi!
I am in the market for an 8wt 9' 4-piece fly rod blank in the up to $150 price range (though the less the better). It will be built into a "one and only" 8wt rod, so it needs to be quite versatile: big trout, steelhead, the occasional salmon (moderately sized mind you) and it may see a bit of saltwater use, though not much.

I was thinking maybe a TFO BVK blank, but then St.Croix 4F908-4 blanks are available for around $100. I had a rod built on an MHX blank and want something else. Another option might be a PacBay Quickline blank I guess.

Fast but not extra fast action is what I am looking for. I would like possibly low swingweight and low overall weight, naturally bearing in mind the limited price I am willing to pay. Good short and medium range performance, though with enough punch to make the odd longer cast.
Any ideas?
Cheers,
Michal

What about the Batson Revelation line? I've been thinking about a 9' 8 wt myself and that one come up often. I've built a couple of the Revelation spinning rods and customers love them. Also Rod Geeks whick I think are built on St Croix tapers. Plus you can get cool colors from Rod Geeks.

I am not saying no, but I realised that the St.Croix SC IV blanks are US made (correct me if I am wrong) and that seems to be giving them an edge over the others. Decisions, decisions ... bloody @#$%& ;-)

Look at the Batson Eternity2 blanks,,,,,,,don't see how you could go wrong.......

I have been really impressed with the PacBay Quickline blanks myself. They are the best bang for the buck in my opinion.

I have built two #8s in the last two months - one was an MHX F908-4 and the other was a Batson REVF908-4. I got the blanks from Mudhole and Utmost who are both sponsors at left, and I am very pleased and impressed with both blanks. They are both in your price point and are both a great value IMHO.

I have also built several 4F908 and 5F908 St. Croix #8s in the past. These are wonderful rods but maybe a touch underpowered in the butt for heavy saltwater use - specifically fighting fish too big for an #8 which sometimes just happens (especially in a kayak). If I'm gonna be chasing jacks and tuna in the kayak I'd lean toward the MHX or Revelation. I'd recommend the St. Croix for freshwater use. Although I did land a 5' Blacktip on a 4F908 from the beach...so they can't be too underpowered. I'll try to post a pic of that one.

Bottom line, you can't go wrong with any of these. It sounds like you are a freshwater guy and I have had great luck with the St. Croixs for sweet water use like salmon and steelhead. It seems like those blanks have the smooth feel most anglers doing that type of fishing are looking for. So ultimately I guess that's what I'd recommend.

Of course, the only way to know for sure is to build all three and see for yourself...which is also good for the economy. Hope this helps. God bless America.

Thanks guys, though more views on the subject will naturally be more than welcome

Haven't fished a custom TFO BVK, but a factory one is one fine 8 weight rod to have around. Light weight, low swing weight, casts well at all distances. Use the same components as the top end rods and it could be a rod as good as factory rods 3 times it's cost IMO.

I've always been partial to Beulah rod blanks and they are in that price range.

Pac Bay Quickline is my favorite, great casting performance, light, beautiful gloss black finish. Shop around, prices seem to vary a lot on Pac Bay. At some sources this can be a real bargain, cost vs. performance.

I've built an 8 wt BVK and i like it very much. You do have to plan on a long butt wrap to cover the ugly logo though. I built it with a carbon fiber grip, Struble salt water seat, Recoil guides and AmTac Titan strippers. It is very light and almost corrosion proof and for not much more money than the factory rod with awful components. I don't know that it is markedly better than some of the other options mentioned but I really like fishing it.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/16/2014 09:29PM by Chris Gappmayer.

Much obliged to all for the input :-)

Compromise is inescapable when selecting a blank. The best-casting blank will not be the best fish-fighting blank, and vice versa. The lightest blank will be the most pleasant to cast but will not be the most durable blank, and vice-versa. Determining what the customer wants the blank to do and what he or she is willing to put up with to satisfy these wants is probably just as important as the quality of the build.

x



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/17/2014 09:35AM by Phil Ewanicki.

Phil Ewanicki Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Compromise is inescapable when selecting a blank.
> The best-casting blank will not be the best
> fish-fighting blank, and vice versa. The lightest
> blank will be the most pleasant to cast but will
> not be the most durable blank, and vice-versa.
> Determining what the customer wants the blank to
> do and what he or she is willing to put up with to
> satisfy these wants is probably just as important
> as the quality of the build.

Exactly! What the customer (that's me) wants remains somewhat obscure. I guess I simply want a Jack of All Trades, Master of All fly blank, for a moderate price on top of that (however impossible this may be).

As to quality of the build (whatever it is, it's going to be satisfactory to say the least) - I will be building it for myself :) so I'll live with it.

Michal,
The best 8 weight I've thrown has been the Sage 230G bluegill.
Even with my old arm it's capable of a full fly line and is great fun for everything you can use an 8 weight for.
Poppers, streamers, weighted nymphs with strike indicators. Capable of fishing light tippett down to 7X.
It is however a little over your price point.

Gene

Here is the blank from RainShadow:
Eternity2 [www.rainshadowrodblanks.com]
Revelation [www.rainshadowrodblanks.com]

Specs:

FlagShip model:
ETEF908-4 Cobalt Blue 9'0" 4 8wt 0.450 4.5 XF 1.9oz. Bonefish/FW Bass/Superb distance casting rod

Intermediate
REVF908-4 Satin Black 9'0" 4 8wt 0.378 4.5 F 2.2oz. Largemouth Bass/Bonefish/Redfish

Pricing is in your range on both!!

R. McBride

Batson Enterprises
BatsonEnterprises.com | RainShadowRodBlanks.com | ALPSForeCast.com | Build2Fish.com



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/23/2014 07:06PM by Ryan McIntosh.

Lots of great responses. I only saltwater fly so I can respond to that part of your question. I love the TFO BVK blanks I cast sinking and intermediate lines without a problem and floating lines long distance. Great blank for a great price. Another blank to think about is ATC matrix. Great price and again have worked very well for me. I've landed large bluefish and stripers on both blanks. That's my two cents... good luck. MH