MHX MagBass Recommendations?

[BigSkyBasser]

Building my first MHX Mag Bass and wondering if anyone has had experience with these blanks yet?

 

I'm not doing the traditional kit with Winn Grips. Going with CRB two-tone split grip handle kit, and FUJU FMGK Micro casting guide set.

 

Planning on this being my go-to frog/flipping rod.

 

I will post pics upon completion.

[spoonplugger1]

The blank's have been well received for over a decade and have been used to win tournaments.

[MickD]

AmTak Bushido Mag bass blanks are very nice, also at a very good price.

 

I'm sure the guide train will work, but if I were doing it I would buy the Fuji RV 6mm reverse casting guide, no transition guide necessary, but won't hurt, so if you want it, do it, then buy the right number of KB and KT tangle free guides to make the number of guides right.  I would use KT's near the tip, where the tip diameter is small, and the rest of the running guides, KB (bigger foot, stronger).  If you do the transition guide, it would be a KB.

 

The issue with the LN is that it is about 4 mm lower than the Fuji recommended guide height for the first guide.  And the KB's are more tangle-free than the L's.  

 

If you prefer dark guides, use the T2 RV guide and if you prefer bright guides the regular titanium RV , which works well with bright stainless guides.  The T2 is not yet shown in the Fuji catalog, at least I've not found it, but vendors have it.  The Fuji Fazlite ring with their new corrosion control stainless frame is a very high performing, inexpensive guide.  I would use a SIC tiptop for max grooving resistance.  ONly a buck or two more.

 

It's obvious I'm a Fuji devotee', but I really like the RV, KB, KT combination for cast.

[BigSkyBasser]

19 minutes ago, MickD said:

AmTak Bushido Mag bass blanks are very nice, also at a very good price.

 

I will keep that in mind. My supplier is very fond of AmTak blanks and components as well.

[ww2farmer]

I have two rods built on MHX Mag bass blanks

 

A 7' MH/F on the MB843-MHX blank

 

And a 7'3" H/F on the MB874-MHX blank

 

I had both built with Pac-Bay Minima casting reel seats, split grip cork handles (patterned off St Croix Mojo bass rods for thickness, taper, length, etc...), no fore grip, drop shot style hook keepers, and Pac-Bay SS insert-less Minima guides. I had my  builder use double foot guides for the first two up from the reel, and single foot from there to the tip. Sizes escape me....I think #6 on the double footed guides and the singles are #5's with the last one and the tip a #4.

 

Components aside, here is what I think of those two blanks.

 

I have had both since 2015, so I have lots of time on the water with them.

 

The MB843 is on the softer side of a MH/F rod. It's less powerful than a MH St Croix, Abu, but more powerful than those brands M/F rods. Built the way I wanted, it's light "enough", balances well with 7-8oz reels, and I would put sensitivity on par with most $100-$150  factory rods. Because of the flex in the tip, this is my dock skipping baitcasting rod. It's an absolute phenom for this. I even had the handle/reel seat placed closer to the end of the blank so that I don't have a long handle getting in my way when I am roll casting/side arm skipping/etc...baits under docks. I basically took what most people look for in a jerkbait/top water rods rear grip for length, and wanted that on a jig/plastics rod. It fishes 3/16-3/8's oz jigs and plastics really really well. Anything above 1/2 is pushing it. When I am not fishing docks with this rod it is my go-to heavy wacky jig rod, and makes for a good swim jig and chatterbait rod as well.

 

The MB874 is a pool que....but it's lighter, and way better balanced they way I had it built than most off the shelf 7'3" broomsticks. This is my heavy flipping rod. 1/2-1 oz stuff lives on this rod year round. I don't like casting techniques with this rod, it's purely a short pitch/flip hand to hand combat stick. For being so stiff, it's scary accurate in tight spots. I can drop a 3/4 oz jig back three dock posts with out so much as making a sound with this rod and have power to spare when a 5-6lber bites me under there. This rod can boat flip 4+ lbers like they are bluegills. I do not care for fishing frogs with this rod....it's too much rod for anything other than dragging frogs over thick thick mats.

 

I don't like the power gap between the 3 and 4 power rods in this series of blanks, but luckily for me I found a factory rod that bridges that gap very well in the Dobyns Fury 735c

[MickD]

14 hours ago, BigSkyBasser said:

 

I will keep that in mind. My supplier is very fond of AmTak blanks and components as well.

My experience with their blanks has been all positive.  Not so much with their guides.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

I build a lot of both and concur with ww2 for the most part. I don't find the 4 to be a pool cue however it is powerful. 

[ww2farmer]

14 hours ago, Delaware Valley Tackle said:

I build a lot of both and concur with ww2 for the most part. I don't find the 4 to be a pool cue however it is powerful. 

 DVT is right.... "pool cue" might be overstating it, but it is a very stout rod and the best way I could describe it off the cuff. But it's no where near as stiff, at least in the upper 1/3 of the blank as say a St Croix H/F blank.....but it's pretty beefy in the lower 2/3's