Hey guys Happy Holidays! Hope you and your families are having a great holiday season.

Now thats it's full blown winter here in the North East, I need to get back into the lab and get a few more rods designed and built for the coming season. I am planning to replace my swim bait rod for this season, which unfortunately broke during a cast in the middle of the blank, pretty nasty break. I am looking to build a casting rod to throw the following:

Keitech Fat Swing Impact (usually the 4 inch size) both weightless and with swim jig heads from 3/16 - 3/8 most commonly. More often than not I am running open water situations with this bait on a 1/4 jig head for smallmouth up here in the Adirondacks. Don't want something that will overpower the presentation, but I also want something that will be sensitive and allow for good hooksets on long casts. My last build was on an old RDR70 that I had laying around the shop that I think was a ML which was far too light for this application - which I knew going in. The weights just didn't mesh well with this blank, and the torque blew her apart one season in.

Any advice on a nice blank for this application.

I would be looking at Point Blank if within budget.

Lynn had a great suggestion. The design and taper of the PB blank will fit this well. They have good backbone with a thinner sensitive tip and are light.

Nice blanks, but a bit north of my price range for this build. Probably looking to stay around 100 for this blank, I am sure their quite a few mid range blanks that will handle the same job as a Point Blank. Good recommendation though appreciated

I built a rod on a blank that I think would fit your needs perfectly. The Immortal IMMC73ML. It's 7'3" long and is labeled as medium light power, but if you look at the specs, 3/16 - 5/8 oz. and 8 - 17 lb line, it's what most manufactures would label as medium power. And it fishes like a medium power.

I throw the same baits that you mentioned, for smallmouth in the inland lakes around me, and the rod is perfect for them. I will say it's not a rod I'd throw 4" or bigger hollow bodies with big paddle tails though. You could do it, but IMO it's a bit under powered for those baits. But for baits like the Fat Swing Impact, the Easy Shiner, and other similar baits, I think you'd be hard pressed to find a better blank.

It's light, sensitive, and has a very nice crisp action. I paired the rod with a Curado 200 I, and 12# Seaguar Tatsu. I absolutely love it! If you do go with that blank you'll also have an awesome tube jig and light Texas rig rod, to boot.

Oh, and I don't know if you have ever used the Owner Flashy Swimmer, but if you haven't, you may want to give them a try. I rig a 4" Easy Shiner in the Sexy Shad color on a 3/16 oz Flashy Swimmer, and the smallies around here flat out munch it.

I also like the Point Blanks, but if you want something less expensive try a spin jig blank. They have a fast action and a lot of back bone in the mid and butt section of the rod, many different manufacturers and they are all pretty good. Also could try the MHX Mag XF, they are really quite nice, extra fast tip with a lot of backbone. Many of the all around mag bass rods with a fast to extra fast tip will also do a good job. Something with M or MH power for the weights you are casting.
Norm

Thanks David for the info on the Immortal blank it was one I was considering but wasn't sure on the power being a ML as listed, good to hear it fishes as a medium. Definitely want a blank lighter in the tip so this fist the bill in my book, also the Owner Flashy Minnow is something I recently ordered but haven't yet thrown. Thinking it will be killer up here in NY on the smallies.

Immortal. Love Batson blanks.

I like to use MHX blanks good price and light weight with the back bone you need.
I have built 5 different ones fro people and they love them. I have built one for myself
it's 8' and I can throw 4oz lures with it and I have fought 38" bull reds with it and it's still
going strong

I Was Born Without Gills, Therefore I Fish!
Love The Wife! Live Long! Fish Till You Die!

I also think Hydra blanks deserve a little attention!

Point Blank PB701MF.

I also built on the Immortal IMMC73ML for this app (if memory serves also on Davids Recommendation) and am quite happy with it. I paired it with a Shimano Aldebaran 50HG and love throwing it. Its a good bang for the $ blank.

Rick