Hi there, looking to build a drop shot spinning rod for Great Lake smallmouth.
I don't want to spend a fortune on the blank but am looking for something light weight and strong. This set up will use braided line to a fluorocarbon leader.
I appreciate any suggestions.

Thanks
Nick

Top Dawg my in book I use [www.getbitoutdoors.com], Next would be [www.getbitoutdoors.com], These light blanks while designed for dropshot, Will also cast a smaller lure or jig a country mile, With a light tip with a nice Backbone for a great hookset also. So keep that in mind they are versable. I have the imms610mxf-tc and have used the revs610mxf as well . Their are others by MHX and Bushido That I can't comment on as I have never used them-yet. Jaa

Check out the Bushido DS69/4-10 or the DS69/8-15

As you saw in a post last week the many who use the Bushido become huge fans right away.

_______________________________
God Bless, Don Morse

800-516-1750 ext. 1207 / don@americantackle.us

Rod Building..... It's What We Do.

Get bit still shows the rx6 sb822.5 also for around 40.00 dollars. not as sensitive as some but still a good blank

Bushido DS69/4-10 is the perfect blank for Big Lake, clear water Smallies. I run 10 lb test Bushido Braid to 6lb fluorocarbon on my drop shot rods. Straight, strong, and very quick tip make running a drop shot sweet. I run a lot of light jigs, and really like the Bushido 72/4-8 for that kind of fishing. Both blanks are impressive.

Get Bit sells the Liberty DS 700-USA is a good drop shot blank and is made in the good old USA, 66 dollars and change. Try it you won't be sorry. Kevin and crew are good people to deal with.

The Batson SB822.5 in all it's forms is a dandy blank.

Braided line is the great equalizer when it comes to selecting a rod blank. Its use allows a builder to use a less sensitive blank, and still achieve the sensitivity of a more sensitive blank, using a different line type.

With that said, imagine the sensitivity of braided line on an extremely sensitive blank?

I don't know what your definition of spending a fortune on a blank is, but if a little either side of $100 is acceptable, I think you'd be hard pressed to find a blank better than a blank from Rainshadow's Immortal series of blanks. Either an IMMC73ML, or an IMMS72M. As you can see by the lettering, one of the blanks is from their C (casting) line of blanks, the other from there (S) spinning line of blanks.

Both blanks are rated very close to one another as far as lure weight, and line size are concerned. I've not built on the spinning blank mentioned, but I have built on the casting blank I mentioned. The IMMC73ML blank is phenomenal and IMO would make an awesome spinning rod blank or a finesse casting rod blank, which is what I built on it.

It has plenty of power for setting the hook in deep water, and is incredibly sensitive with a nice light tip at the same time. I use 12# Seaguar Tatsu fluorocarbon line on the rod I built on it, and I can pretty much count pebbles with it in 15' - 20" of water using a 3/16 oz. shaky head jig. Not being a fan of braid, I haven't tried it on the rod yet, but I could probably count grains of sand if I did.

It really is an awesome blank.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/21/2016 07:56AM by David Baylor.

Spencer Phipps Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The Batson SB822.5 in all it's forms is a dandy
> blank.

I second this suggestion. An outstanding D/S Blank!

Don Campbell
don@sensorfishingrods.com



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/21/2016 10:46AM by Donald R Campbell.

I agree with Don and Spencer. I am building one now on the Batson SB822.5. I have built a bunch of DS rods on this blank and they are outstanding.

J.B.Hunt
Bowling Green, KY

If I recall, I believe that Mr. Gardner is also a fan of those blanks for DS'ing I do think that he preferred the RX8+ version but I am not sure which one in the current lineup will align with that previous model. Maybe Batson will bring out a new blank even above the level of the current offerings that would be off the charts!!

Tom

The new IMMS610MXF Replaced the old XSB822.5 witch was RX8