Just finished watching the Peach Bowl with my neighbor, whom wants a new top water rod. A little info, he loves throwing top water rods, everything from Skitter Pops, to Prop Baits to Whopper Ploppers. He's a short guy so I am okay with cutting a blank to get the desired length needed. That being said I am kinda of torn on where to start with him for a blank. We do a lot of Smallmouth fishing so I want a rod that will have some power in the butt section, but softer tip. I am leaning towards a fast action Blank that can recover quickly while working a cadence. Power is where I am struggling, I was leaning towards MH on this build, but again I want something that will be easy to cast but fit from a power standpoint. Any advice on a blank?

Looking to stay under 100 for the blank itself

Try the MHX MB813XF a really nice top water rod for the money. [www.mudhole.com]
Norm

You have a lot of choices here that are within this dollar amount. A few questions: What length are you thinking, what kind of line and test, casting or spinning. Small mouth bass are fairly small do you really need a MH, I was thinking M or ML.casting 7'2" to 7'4"rated for 8-17# mono (20-40# Braid). Typically a softer tip will 5/64 to 4/64 in thickness in this range of rods.
Brands: Phenix Bass Recon II / Batson Rainshadow Immortal, Revelation, RX8 / MHX bass blanks. I have built similar ML rods on theses blanks. I really like the Batson Eternity, North Fork or Fuji blanks because of their tapers but they are out of your price window.

Good question, casting rod teamed with a Ardent Apex Elite and 12 pound monofilament. As for the small mouth they run 2-3 pounds on avg, size sure they are not all that massive but they fight more than a 5 pound large mouth and have a tendency for the ariel flare. Only thing I fear with a ML is being too light in power. Don't want him to feel under powered throwing a plug, or exhausted from having to over work his cadence because the tip is too light. Maybe a medium is a good compromise.

The length I am leaning towards 6'8 with a short rear grip to eliminate the butt hitting clothing etc...

This is a great blank for what you have described. [hydrafishing.com]

I throw alot of topwater in the saltwater for trout, pups, and rockfish. My go to blank for top water is the American Tackle Bushido MB68/10-17. I throw spooks, chug bugs, and skitter walks with this blank and have fantastic results. Give it a shoot, you will no be disappointed.

Capt. Craig Freeman
Grading Scales Sportfishing and Back River Rods

I prefer a fast action short rod for throwing top water. The MHX MB812XF is the way I'd go for the perfect action and power for smallmouth.

Everyone has suggested some great blanks. You may want to check out the carbon 4s from Rodgeeks. They are very similar to the SCIVs offered from St. Croix and for an extra $15 you can choose from a variety of colors.

I personally would't choose a medium heavy power, fast action blank for topwater lures unless I was modifying the blank. They have treble hooks, and fast action rods with that kind of power are IMO a recipe for lost fish. Especially when you are talking about fish that jump. And fish that seem to jump even more when they are hitting on topwater baits.

As far as blanks go, yeah you want a light blank, but it doesn't necessarily need to be a blank with outstanding sensitivity. After all, topwater strikes are visual. You don't need to feel the fish gently suck in a bait before you set the hook. No real need for an Immortal or SCiV class blank. I'd be looking at a blank in the Revelation series from Rainshadow, or something similar from other manufacturers.

I'd also go a different route. I'd go with the fast action, medium heavy power blank, but I'd buy a blank at least 6" longer (8 - 10" longer would probably be better) and I'd trim from the butt. Doing so will slow the action, and take some of the power out of the blank. The rod will cast and work baits like a fast action rod will, but under the load of a fish, it will act more mod fast, or moderate action blank, which is going to be a huge plus with treble hooked baits.

I built a jerkbait rod using the above formula and it works beautifully. It casts great, works a jerkbait as hard or as soft as I want to, and has a nice bend into the mid section of the blank with a fish on. The rod doubles as my secondary topwater rod. I use it for light baits like Pop R's or Tiny Torpedos.

My primary topwater rod is a rod I built on a medium heavy power, mod fast action crankbait blank, and it is an awesome topwater rod. It won't throw the light baits real well, but it will work the heck out of a spook. You mentioned whopper plopper, I'm assuming the 130? Anyhow, I have yet to throw one of those, but when I do it will be on the aforementioned crankbait rod.

Anyhow ..... I want something with bend into the mid section of the rod when using treble hooked baits.

Just something to think about.