I've searched archives and it gave some ideas, but I'd like to see if anyone has experience with the blanks below, given the following requirements-

The blank has to be light (< 3 oz). They hold the rod 100% of the time and are ready to cast in a heart beat so weight is a factor. Some days are no casts, some 100 casts when the pods are thick.

Outfitted with a Daiwa Capricorn 4500sa (15.2 oz, line capacity 180 yards 20#) with 20# braided powerpro.

Cast a 1 ounce lure a reasonable distance for 100% sight fishing. They throw a specific lure almost exclusively and it's always 1 ounce.

Seven foot roughly, & one piece.

Be able to wrestle a #150 tarpon to the boat in 30 minutes or less without breaking the rod or the angler.

1) Graphite USA BSW70LM (Saltwater Game series) - 3.03 oz

2) Allstar B847MS-IM10X (Musky Blank) 2.88 oz

3) G. Loomis PS84-20 (Saltwater Obsidian, Graphite/Glass) ? oz

4) G. Loomis CB847GL3 (butt may be too light for application) ? oz

Any other suggestions or comments are greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Bob Hesser
Home of the Common Cents Rod Data site:
[www.superbob.org]

I've only used Sage rplxi's for Tarpon and I don't know those rods, but the one thing I would want is a very flexible tip to take the shock of the jumps and head shake.

Christian "forgets to bow to the king" Brink

My two favorite Tarpon spinning rods are the now discontinued Loomis SW90-25 and the Shikari BB765. I use either a Stradic 6000 or a 4500 Baitrunner loaded w/ 30# PowerPro. That said, I can also easily see using a Rainshadow SW 70M or even a 70MH with no problems whatsoever. In fact, the softer tip on the Rainshadow may work better with a superbraid line as a quasi- "shock absorber."

The GUSA SW70LM is rated for 8-17# line and makes a good rod for larger redfish. I'd consider going up 1 step for your Tarpon with the SW70M rated 12-25# and only 1/10th ounce heavier.

Loomis L904 or L905. Don't know how much they weigh, however.

......

I'd suggest less concern over blank weight and more concern on the blanks ability to do the job. A few ounces here or there will matter little. I fish the surf where I live and we sometimes luck into days where we not only cast over 100 times (more like 1000) but can catch over 100 bluefish (sometimes in the 10-15lb class) per person. Granted, my arms feel like soft putty by the end of the day and we stop fishing... Well, maybe one more cast {:-)
p.s. 100 shots at tarpon per day?
Can we come visit?

Shorter rods reduce the leverage advantage which all rods give to the fish. But longer rods, within reason, can generally be cast farther.

Like everything else we do in rod building, the optimum length for any rod is always a bit of a compromise.

.........

The one item that I didn't explain indepth is the boat... These guys are fishing from kayaks. So weight from fatigue does come into to play after you've been towed a mile offshore by an angry tarpon. They still need to have some energy left to paddle back home.

Here are a couple of links to pictures of these guys catching fish...

[www.paddle-fishing.com]

[www.paddle-fishing.com]

[www.paddle-fishing.com]

When the migration is in full swing, it would indeed be a good day to site cast at 100 tarpon a day, but those days happen. In a kayak you can silently follow the pods for a couple of miles if they don't get harassed by powerboaters.

Bob

Don't forget about the guy in the canoe!!
[paddle-fishing.com]

The rainshadow SWS70MH is NOT enough rod. Nor is the 967 which I truely love, but it's just not up to the task. Something like the Breakaway 968 for an 8' would do nicely from a yak.

I would not be happy with a 7 foot rod. My personal tarpon rod for use from a kayak is an 8 foot St Croix, G180XhXF, 15-40 lb line, 3/4 to 3 ounce lure. The blank weight listed is 3.7 ounces. My rod is spiral wrapped and I use an Accurate 270 Boss reel loaded with 30 lb Power Pro. I used a shorter than normal rear grip because of the space limitations in the cockpit of my 16 foot kayak. Bob you are going to have to rethink boating a 150 lb tarpon from a kayak in 30 minutes unless the kayak is anchored and then you are going to need a reel that is holding a half mile of line. The fellow on paddle-fishing.com - DaveR - need an hour and forty minutes for a 120 lb poon and was taken for a 3 mile sleigh ride. But it had to be a great ride. Please, can I take the ride at least once!

Frank that's the blank I am currently building for the upcoming season. I think it's going to be a great setup. Btw, the reason why it took Dave an hour and forty minutes to boat that tarpon was that he hooked it on a casting setup that was too light. Typically, it takes less than thirty minutes with a med/hvy spinning combo. It only took me twent minutes or so to boat mine (the guy in the canoe)...the sliegh rides the best part!!!

Two people I fish with already use that blank. It's definitely a tarpon slayer, but they feel from experience that it's too heavy for all day casting and paddling. Hence the search for a lighter & slightly shorter alternative.

Drift chutes are required accessories to land a big fish and to put enough pressure on them to bring them boatside for release.

PS - Noles, sorry I forgot about the (often ignored amongst the kayaks) canoeist in the bunch!

Bob

I will agree with Frank. I built one rod for a customer with the St Croix rod and when the word spread around it seems as if everyone wants this rod for Tarpon fighting. I think it is a little heavy for casting all day but its worth it when you hook a big poon.

Fish hard, Tom