Looking for decent blank for my first rod build. Looking at either an MHX or Rodgeeks blank. Most of my fishing has been dry flies on lakes and reservoirs fishing for stocked rainbow trout out of a kayak. I’m hoping to do some wading and stream fishing this season as well. Most likely both opportunities will target fish in the 9-15” range.

With only a couple of seasons worth of fly fishing under my belt I may not be skilled to notice the difference, but I’m wondering if anyone has any practical head to head experience with these blanks?

Thanks!

They are both fine blanks, My preference is the MHX, due to it's action! I also find Mudhole excellent to deal with and they can supply all the additional items you will need to complete the build.

An MHX 5wt is my "go-to" rod for most of my trout fishing.

Call Mud Hole and ask to talk to some one that does a lot of fly fishing , they have some body to help you.

Call Mud Hole and ask to talk to some one that does a lot of fly fishing , they have some body to help you.

Phil Erickson Wrote:
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> They are both fine blanks, My preference is the
> MHX, due to it's action! I also find Mudhole
> excellent to deal with and they can supply all the
> additional items you will need to complete the
> build.
>
> An MHX 5wt is my "go-to" rod for most of my trout
> fishing.

Thanks for the feedback. Any experience with the Rodgeeks blank in a head to head comparison? I've heard good things about both but haven't been able to find anyone with a detailed comparison review.

No, not head to head. My rod geeks are heavier weights. What are you looking for in a head to head?

Phil Erickson Wrote:
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> No, not head to head. My rod geeks are heavier
> weights. What are you looking for in a head to
> head?

I guess I'm just looking for an overall comparison of performance. As I mentioned I'm relatively new to fly fishing so my ability to distinguish one rod from the next may not be significant enough to justify my request, but I will likely hold on to this rod for a while since I'm building it for myself. Being a Wisconsin native I was somewhat intrigued by Rodgeeks connection to St. Croix and their design input but my loyalty apparently doesn't go deep enough for me to consider buying the genuine article...

Thanks!

Anglers with different levels of fly-casting proficiency usually prefer rods with different actions. If there is a fly-fishing club in your area the members are usually willing to let you try casting their rods to see which you prefer. Seek cooperation from a competent caster who has matched his line to his rod. All too often rods are rejected because they are matched with too heavy or too light a line.

The MHX 4wt gets my nod and I built one that was fished on the Davidson back in December by a guy who was new to the sport. He fished it with the Rio Mainstream 4wt as that line is a 1/2 weight heavier and he did very well with it. That trip was pretty much all indicator fishing with approx 10ft-12ft leaders down to 6x. I do not have any experience with the rodgeeks but there is just something I like about that MHX 9' 4wt. I also have the 8'6 4wt as well.

The MHX 4wt gets my nod and I built one that was fished on the Davidson back in December by a guy who was new to the sport. He fished it with the Rio Mainstream 4wt as that line is a 1/2 weight heavier and he did very well with it. That trip was pretty much all indicator fishing with approx 10ft-12ft leaders down to 6x. I do not have any experience with the rodgeeks but there is just something I like about that MHX 9' 4wt. I also have the 8'6 4wt as well.

chris adams Wrote:
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> The MHX 4wt gets my nod and I built one that was
> fished on the Davidson back in December by a guy
> who was new to the sport. He fished it with the
> Rio Mainstream 4wt as that line is a 1/2 weight
> heavier and he did very well with it. That trip
> was pretty much all indicator fishing with approx
> 10ft-12ft leaders down to 6x. I do not have any
> experience with the rodgeeks but there is just
> something I like about that MHX 9' 4wt. I also
> have the 8'6 4wt as well.

Thanks for the feedback guys. Unfortunately due to my stubborn and anti-social nature, I'll probably just try the MHX and see how it goes (rather than reaching out to a fly-fishing club).

As for the guides, in order to keep things light and simple, I'm leaning towards the SF REC Recoil in size 1 for the running guides, and considering using an American Tackle single foot NIRLF-10 for the stripping guide. I like the idea of all single foot to keep the wrapping scheme consistent. Any concerns about using a low profile single foot stripper like this on a 4 wt? I had also considered using a single foot spinning guide but I'm not sure that the height off the blank is necessary and it would seem to be more vulnerable to getting caught or damaged.

Thoughts?

Andrew,
I see no issue with using the NIRLF-10 as a stripper. In fact when measured side by side the NIRLF-10 is the exact same height as the NIRLC-10 so there is no difference. No need to use the spinning guide. Should be a good looking stick with a single foot stripper down to single foot wire runners.

Andrew,
I see no issue with using the NIRLF-10 as a stripper. In fact when measured side by side the NIRLF-10 is the exact same height as the NIRLC-10 so there is no difference. No need to use the spinning guide. Should be a good looking stick with a single foot stripper down to single foot wire runners.