Hi guys,

Im building my first freshwater bass rod over the winter months. With most trips averaging 8-10 hours and tons of casting, weight is a priority. I will be tossing Senko style plastics as well as top water up to 5/8oz Jitterbugs.

For this reason i was looking at the 7' MXH High Modulus Gen 2 blank HM-P844-MHX
[www.mudhole.com]

For guides im looking at the Fuji KR Concept series with alconite rings. In this order KL-16H,KL-8H,KL-5.5M, KB- 4.5J, KT-4.5J to the tip
I was using this as my guide:
[anglersresour...e]

I just wanted to get some feedback from some of you veteran builders before i order 150$ worth of materials.

Thanks for any info you can provide.

Have built the exact same rod with the same guide layout, and it performs extremely well. It will throw unweighted senkos and swim worms as far as you want to throw them. It is also a nice rod for soft and hard jerk baits, top water and square bills. Built the first one for a friend he liked it so much he had me build añother. I then built one for myself. Using 10-15 lb braid with a 2500 Shimano Ci14.

Thanks for the reply Norman. This rod will see alot of 6+lb Largemouth and up to 4lb Smallies. Will this blank have any issues with fish of that size? Will it have trouble flinging a 5/8oz Jitterbug?

I caught a 7.5 largemouth and a bunch of 3-4.5 lb bass. No problems. This is an extra fast rod so it has a relatively soft tip but has a lot backbone. I have also caught a lot of good size red fish on this rod with no issues. In addition the softer tip proved to be great for spotted seatrout which have a very soft mouth.
Norm

So overall a good choice for what im looking to do? Have you tried any of the the other Gen 2 blanks?

Also, did u skip the KB guide and go straight from the KL to KT?

Will


I use a CRB IS701M, 7' 1 14-18 line wt 1 - 2 lure wt, Fast action, .453 butt, 6 tip, 2.1 oz wt

If you like a lighter blank checkout the CRB IS701L.

Don't let the low cost of these blanks suggest inferior quality, they are well made and reliable.

The guides I use are Pac Bay Minima 4 guides chrome. They are affordable, lighter than ceramic rings, and sturdy.

I use cork for the grips with a Fuji reel seat.

Don't let the low cost of these components suggest inferior quality,

These components have given me many years of service in both fresh and salt water without issue.

I see you fish 8 to 10 hours, I guess a half days fishing is better than none. Just Kidding.

Good luck

John

That IS701L Is super light! Almost leads me to believe the lure rating is off. Have u built any rods on it?

I would be on the water longer, bu the place i fish has regulations for when u gotta be off the water. =(



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/07/2015 01:46PM by Will Cooper.

I agree with the Pac bay minima 4 guides comment. I have not found a better performing guide for my running guides. 0 fails in 3-4 years of hard tournament fishing with 10-15 different rods. I've had almost every other guide I've tried fail.

I use the Microwave guides for all my spinning set ups. Just the first 2 guides are the American Tackle and the rest are pac bay minima 4s. Phenomenal casting and durability.

Just my 2 cents.

Joe

I used the kbs (2-3) then went to the kts. Have also made casting rods with the HD mb843 & 842 and spinning and casting with the sj843 & 842. All good! The regular mhx blanks are also very nice and its hard to beat the price. I have built rods using blanks from a lot of different blank companies, some very expensive some not so. But all build nice rods; beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Everyone seems to have a different opinion on what is the best, that is the reason there are so many products on the market now. This makes it very hard for the new builder to select a blank and the components to go with it. As John mentioned above quality and functionally are not necessarily related to price. The higher modulus blanks tend to be lighter and feel stiffer in hand but they cost more. As mentioned to me many years, by a famous rod builder, some people have very deep pockets and want to pay the highest price possible regardless of functionality. I think some rod companies cater to this crowd. I have seen this first hand and fly fishermen tend to the most prone to this.

I used the kbs (2-3) then went to the kts. Have also made casting rods with the HD mb843 & 842 and spinning and casting with the sj843 & 842. All good! The regular mhx blanks are also very nice and its hard to beat the price. I have built rods using blanks from a lot of different blank companies, some very expensive some not so. But all build nice rods; beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Everyone seems to have a different opinion on what is the best, that is the reason there are so many products on the market now. This makes it very hard for the new builder to select a blank and the components to go with it. As John mentioned above quality and functionally are not necessarily related to price. The higher modulus blanks tend to be lighter and feel stiffer in hand but they cost more. As mentioned to me many years, by a famous rod builder, some people have very deep pockets and want to pay the highest price possible regardless of functionality. I think some rod companies cater to this crowd. I have seen this first hand and fly fishermen tend to the most prone to this.

I used the kbs (2-3) then went to the kts. Have also made casting rods with the HD mb843 & 842 and spinning and casting with the sj843 & 842. All good! The regular mhx blanks are also very nice and its hard to beat the price. I have built rods using blanks from a lot of different blank companies, some very expensive some not so. But all build nice rods; beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Everyone seems to have a different opinion on what is the best, that is the reason there are so many products on the market now. This makes it very hard for the new builder to select a blank and the components to go with it. As John mentioned above quality and functionally are not necessarily related to price. The higher modulus blanks tend to be lighter and feel stiffer in hand but they cost more. As mentioned to me many years, by a famous rod builder, some people have very deep pockets and want to pay the highest price possible regardless of functionality. I think some rod companies cater to this crowd. I have seen this first hand and fly fishermen tend to the most prone to this.

Sorry for the triple post! My finger is too quick

Was just looking over builds with some of those cheaper blanks. 24$ in shipping from mudhole!! Thats insane!! I will be holding off till they offer free shipping...

If you spend over $149 shipping is free everyday. Does take much to reach that level these days. Get together with a couple of friends and place an order. Not many places that offer free shipping everyday on small orders.

Getbitoutdoors is doing free shipping, im looking at their Liberty P703-USA blank
Anyone familiar with it?
[www.getbitoutdoors.com]

Also anyone use the SK2 reel seat with no grip before or after the reel seat? Would essentially be a split grip setup with no grip before or after the seat. Nor sure how that would feel in hand?



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/07/2015 08:16PM by Will Cooper.

Getbit got my business and i went with the High Mod Liberty P703. Hopefully it can handle what im looking to do with it.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 10/07/2015 08:17PM by Will Cooper.

For an easy guide layout, go with the TidalWave (MicroWave) guides from AMT. Affordable, and extremely versatile.

The new lines of Batson rod blanks are tough to beat.

Couple them with Pac Bay minima guides and you will have a great rod.

Good luck

What sizes do you guys suggest for the guide train using the minima guides. 7ft rod using a 2000/2500 sized reel.

What size line? I use the match guides to regular runners

6# mono or <30# braid 20/12/6/4....... Minima or Fuji FAT top 4.5