I'm wanting to build a light rod for bottom-fishing on NC headboats for snapper, grouper, amberjack. I'm using a Penn 345 GTI reel with 80lb. Berkley Fireline. Have been considering a Calstar GF700H blank. Would like to use ring guides rather than rollers for sensetivity. Has anyone had any experience with this blank or any recommendations for another blank? Weight is a majar consideration. I'm currently using a Penn Special Senator 9/0 with all Aftco roller guides and its just too heavy to fish comfortably on extended trips (18-24 hrs.) Any recommendations on guides? Thanks, Lynn

Out on the Left Coast, I would suggest the shorter Calstar GF765L with the AFTCO lite weight roller guides if you are concerned with the weight. Of course the ulitimate would be CLRLG ringed guides wrapped in the no-rock, no-torque spiral wrap!
I would suggest the HD S/W Fuji DPSH series and at least a 14"-16" hypalon foregrip.
The big thing out West is the rail rod fishing the larger units of Yellowfin and Bluefin tuna (150 - 300#). Simplistically this is where you fish with the foregrip to rail and you reel up the fish. Its more complex than that but I'm no expert at the technique.
My 2 cents. . .
Jim

Been there and done that. I've found that it really depends on your style of fishing. Do you fight with the rod tucked under your arm or in your belt? That really determines how you build the handle. I recently built a rod just for fishing the Miss Hatteras out of Hatteras, NC. Great boat by the way.

My rod:

Graphite USA 70MH, 7' rated 15-30#, though it was a tossup to go with the 70H, 7' rated 20-40#. These are the strongest/lightest blanks, all-graphite and nigh to indestructable.

I wrapped it in an O'Quinn spiral. If you haven't tried a spiral wrap, you're missing out on the incredible stability that this offers. I wrap all my rods under 50# and under with a spiral.

The 70MH gets Fuji HNSGs for the transition (5 guides) and Fuji TLNSGs (4 guides) for the rest with an MNST tip. The handle, since I fish with the rod tucked under my right arm is a 12" tapered hypalon, FUJI DPS20 reel seat and another 7" tapered hypalon in front. This thing rocks. I used a similar but lighter setup (GUSA bass rod 12-30#, Daiwa CV-Z300a) to winch up a 130# sand shark.

I use a Trinidad 20 for it's 6.2:1 ratio which is great when you have to check your bait in 200' of water. It's fully loaded with 65# Powerpro for instant bite detection in 200' of blue blue gulfstream water.