RipHair

Thanks - I do have an Aldebaran BFS for my BFS rod, sounds like I will use the MGL for the lighter stuff. TBH I'm not a huge fan of the DC noise...

I have both MGL and Scorpion DC and from what I can see they're pretty much the same specs. I think MGL has slightly higher braking power but is like 20% lighter. One rod will be fitted with 20lb braid and another 12lb FC. 12lb FC will be for wacky, texas rigs, etc.. and the 20lb braid for crankbaits, spinners, etc.. Question is, is the DC best for the lighter application to help with wind or does it really matter? Unsure which to use for which and I don't plan on buying a new reel either.

Yeah it seems it's that - I just wish it was made clear or communicated by either Batson when I called to inquire or by my distributor but I take responsibility as the weight rating probably should have been a red flag to me. I'm going to try to return all 3 of these and I'm just gonna go to the EXPO in Feb to get a feel in person for the blanks I want. I think for 3pc travel rods my only real other options here are NFC and CTS Air but they're expensive and I prefer to not have any more surprises.

Just curious if anyone has compared the RX6 vs RX7 material and have any opinion? I just ordered a few 7'2 RX7 travel rods that are spec'd similarly except in weight to some RX6's I have. Comparing both side by side, my personal feeling is that the RX6 feels way lighter, more crisp, more premium and just better overall. It's a bit curious because I was told the RX7 "is almost the same but with higher modulus compared to the RX6" but my impression is that they are very different. Since I only build travel rods, I don't have much experience with other blanks other than MHX, Batson and American Tackle. I attached spec sheets for 2 such blanks. Sadly Batson doesn't provide CCS figures so I had to take a chance in ordering it and I don't know how I can safely measure CCS numbers on them without a glued tiptop or invalidating any chance of exchange.

Same here, most of my rods are 7'0 and I would even say my musky rods aren't even very powerful. I wonder now if it's even worth building a 9'4 rod for ocean surf fishing using a regular bass reel.

I do some shore fishing every once in a while and I generally throw up to 1oz blades or jigs for Snook, Redfish, etc.. I'm currently using my SB843-3 MH 7'0 rod with a dying Abu Revo STX reel with 20lb test power pro braid. I plan on building this rod https://batsonenterprises.com/rainshadow-rod-blanks/revelation-rx7-4-piece-multipurpose-travel-revelation-rx7-4-piece-multipurpose-travel to do a bit better with my surf fishing and also maybe consider using it for musky and pike on lakes if it makes sense. All of my reels are basically Shimano Curado DC/Scorpion except for this Abu. Just curious if I can get away with running another Curado DC or similar (actually I don't like the DC sound, I guess the M or K is the one I should consider?). Some people like the Tranx and that might be worth considering for this particular build but curious to hear y'alls recommendation here!

Thanks the store had the VMC drop shot hooks and I picked up a pack. I didn't know these existed and totally make sense. I guess I was trying to use my hammock line tying knots to rig something up but in the end it's indeed simpler to buy specialized hardware for the job. I also got some strong plastics that I can indeed hook though the mouth like you would a minnow. Will give this a go for the next few days and hopefully get some big smallies and walleye.

I only started drop shot fishing where you tie a palomar to the hook from main line then that sinching drop shot weight below it last year but I don't think I had any luck. I was curious if it was the palomar to hook cuz it seems a bit close to the main line and unsure if the bait is really doing its justice rigged that way. I'm on Day 7 of 12 of straight fishing and I think I'll make it a point of trying drop shop mainly tomorrow whether for smallies or walleye. Been having lots of luck on everything and will be a good opportunity to learn this technique.

Sorry for the delay to reply, have been out fishing the past few days day and night with limited connectivity. Apologies if my post created confusion - I won't be going the multiple hook route as it'll probably just get tangled and I don't really want to pour in the time to research if it's legal in this province or not. The comment about it being illegal to have weights below the hook got my attention though and I'll need to double check that here for Ontario. I only use braid on my frog stick, rest is FC. Some great replies on rigs that I'll be using to make some more drop shot rigs (leaders if you want to call it that) and indeed this is for walleye which are a bit toothy compared to bass. My initial post was to see if I could build such a rig using just leader line without any extra hardware (especially hw I don't have on hand).

I find they have the best prices on plastics and I've ordered a ton from them the past few years. I generally load up my cart there first then only fallback to TWH for anything Midway doesn't carry.

I generally use a palomar knot to hook 2-3' up my line then use one of those dropshot weights that attach to the end of the line. The problem I have with this is when I switch this out from pickerel fishing or drop shotting I'm losing 2-3' of line. My main line is 6-12lb FC and I have a spool of 20lb FC sitting around so I thought about making a rig: Cut off 3-4' of it, tie a bowline to make a loop at one end (not sure how a bowline will hold up on fishing line). Then for tying the hook, I could do a palomar knot again but was curious if maybe having the hook come off the main line a bit more would give it more action and better hookups. My idea is to tie an alpine butterfly knot at one or 2 spots in this rig which I could then tie on hooks with 6"-12" line segments so they trail off the main line. I'm fairly new to this type of rigging so apologies if I'm way off the mark here. Quite interested in hearing what you folks think might work best without eating up my main line. I plan to use this for walleye and bass fishing with keitech, small worms hanging off it.

Just measured an IP of 1143g, ERN of 32.1 and AA of 68.1. I don't think I will build this rod.

American Tackle N AT844-3 100 933.4 60 28.18 rodbuilders.org has the above measurements, 933.4 IP, 60AA and 28.18 ERN. They also for some reason list 100" which is incorrect for a 7' rod. I ordered this rod since the AT843-3 was out of stock pretty much everywhere including the Rainshadow equivalent. I'm worried it may be a bit too heavy for throwing 1/4oz-1/2oz stuff like mepps musky killers, some crankbaits, top water I guess should be fine like jitterbugs but maybe not buzz baits. Not even sure if a weightless wacky 5" would work (I think it's total weight is like 1/2oz IIRC). The highest IP rod I built so far is the Rainshadow 843-3 and I measured it to be somewhere around 650 IP. It's to me, the perfect weight for this stuff but is definitely more fast than I'd like for mainly crankbaits. This rod seems much more moderate which is what I wanted. Anyone ideas if it should be OK for my target applications? Unfortunately, I'm leaving this Friday so I don't really have time to order a new blank and build it in time but I need a spinning rod for this upcoming trip. I'll try to measure it myself later tonight to see if my numbers agree but let's pretend the above are correct - the rod definitely feels much heavier than my Rainshadow 843-3

Thanks again for all the replies, it was a last minute decision to build and I had to pick something quick and order that same day to allow for delivery time then build time before I leave on the trip to meet him. I think he'll be happy with the VSS uplocking config and this AT844-3 blank considering he's coming from an Ugly Stik ?‍? Will re-read all of the replies if I end up building a second spinning rod - which I may actually do after I get back or if he ends up not liking this one.

First time for everything: 1. First ever spook (replaced trebles with Owner ST-36BC #2 and #2 Spro Power Split Rings, I think some threads said #3 but #2 seems good enough) 2. First ever poppers except for my good ol' trusted hula popper collection. Pop-r and Ima popper finesse (I have a Lobina Rico Black Beauty en-route as well) 3. First ever jerkbait. Lucky Craft Pointer 78DD Jerkbait Aurora Black