Considering a custom rod...

[LakeWinni]

3 part question here, appreciate the help. 

 

1. first I'll just see if anyone can suggest an off the shelf rod (6'8 - 7 spinning) - I like light gear during the fight but the max suggested weight for many med lights is 3/8 and can barley handle that. I'd really like a rod that will feel med light when fighting a fish but can handle up to a 3/8 more easily. Like in between a med light and medium, anything come to mind? I'm looking to splurge so anything goes. Would be for some 3/8 lures, wacky, various stuff.

 

2. On custom rods, The big rod companies use some proprietary tech and by going custom I would not be able to get that. If you want the best, is a downside to custom, being limited in materials to an extent? I've seen G loomis advertise some special resin but there are other examples, what do you all think of this and any other downsides to custom?

 

3. Lastly, anyone recommend an amazing custom rod builder?

[MN Fisher]

On 5/30/2021 at 12:35 PM, LakeWinni said:

1. first I'll just see if anyone can suggest an off the shelf rod (6'8 - 7 spinning) - I like light gear during the fight but the max suggested weight for many med lights is 3/8 and can barley handle that. I'd really like a rod that will feel med light when fighting a fish but can handle up to a 3/8 more easily. Like in between a med light and medium, anything come to mind? I'm looking to splurge so anything goes. Would be for some 3/8 lures, wacky, various stuff.

I have this in ML/MF which is rated up to 5/8oz and it's been a bang-up rod for light lipless/shallow cranks. It'd also make a pretty good finesse rod

https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/catpage-OKUMARDS.html?from=basres

On 5/30/2021 at 12:35 PM, LakeWinni said:

3. Lastly, anyone recommend an amazing custom rod builder?

Our own Delaware Valley Tackle - he does custom rods in addition to reel maintenance/repair.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

Don’t buy the marketing re “proprietary” materials. There’s no production rid that can not be matched or surpassed performance and quality wise. 
 

I used to use a blank labeled as mag med lite. It’s not made anymore but they have one similar that might fit the bill. If you’d like a quote email me. 

[spoonplugger1]

Those magic resins and materials have ben around for over a decade and lots of blank companies use them. G Loomis NRX material is 12+ years old, same resins came out in Lamiglas Si blanks and St. Croix SCV at the same time. Nothing new and modern that any blank manufacturer couldn't get if they wanted it. The original 3M resin was signed over exclusivey to Pure Fishing a long time ago, but I haven't noticed much usage and there were similar resins out there that the others went to. Everything out there in use is an industrial material used in industry and aviation, we use very little of the total production of materials so no one could afford the R&D and production costs of a one off graphite. The industry is very good at blowing smoke rings up people's posteriors.

[LakeWinni]

Thanks, it is a rods power that has the most to do with making a small fish feel big right? 

 

So when you see the word mag added it's basically in between in listed power and the next power up?

[spoonplugger1]

Look at the St Croix 5S, or 5CMXF in your length. Very light tip, better butt than a ML and you get the fancy graphite and resins. Tackletour and others have reviewed them, the blanks don't care how you build yhem so use the slightly more powerful cast blank if you want.

[spoonplugger1]

Length makes fish feel bigger, get to light and the big bend in the rod make your hand feel like you are holding a shorter rod as the tip gets closer to your hand when bent. To stiff and you lose the versatility of lure selection and lure weight. There is no concrete answer, everything has a few compromises, set your priorities and work down the list the best you can, a good custom builder has used alot of stuff and knows where your gem may be hidden.

[S Hovanec]

2 hours ago, spoonplugger1 said:

The original 3M resin was signed over exclusivey to Pure Fishing a long time ago, but I haven't noticed much usage and there were similar resins out there that the others went to.

 

I remember when that went down.  Jason Brunner from St. Croix talked about it in a seminar at the ICRBE.  They were using the 3M nanoresin a year before they advertised it was in their blanks. 3M wanted Croix to print their logo on the rods and they refused.  Then the Pure fishing deal happened and Croix came up with another resin system 

[Michigander]

So I was out in the kayak a couple hours ago, having a great day jig fishing with the first custom rod I built myself. Hadn't actually caught fish on it before today. It was an MHX kit rod discounted for the holidays. It looks like crap because I had no idea what I was doing. However, looks aside, I would put it up against my much more expensive off the shelf jig rod any day. And the rods I have built since totally blow that one out of the water in both looks and performance.

 

Long story short, you aren't sacrificing performance by going custom. Honestly, it's probably the other way around most of the time. I'm probably never buying another off the shelf rod ever again.

[Deephaven]

The sole reason for going custom is to gain performance.  In your case the trick is to define what performance you want to gain.  

On 5/30/2021 at 2:35 PM, LakeWinni said:

I like light gear during the fight 

 

Go longer.  Short sticks never feel that way unless they are underpowered.

On 5/30/2021 at 2:35 PM, LakeWinni said:

I'd really like a rod that will feel med light when fighting a fish but can handle up to a 3/8 more easily. 

 

That isn't a ML, but again I think you are confusing things.  A longer stick rated for the weight of the baits you want to throw is what you are defining so far.  That being said you aren't giving us all a ton to go on.

[kayaking_kev]

I built a custom X-Ray MB-733 Medium Light as a Spinning Rod and it's rated up to 3/8 oz., but I've been throwing Wacky Rigs, both weightless & Neko Rigged, which weigh 1/2 oz. or more. 

 

It has a light tip and it's pretty fast for a ML spinning rod. The butt section has a diameter that's just as big or even a little bigger than my MB-736 & SJ-736, which are MH and H powers. This thing is like 3 times thicker than the Dobyns Xtasy 755c Mag Heavy.

 

As far as the performance in custom builds, there are also a lot of good blanks that aren't available as stock models. Though, I would love to see a custom blank that is similar to a Shimano's Spiral-X/Hi-Power technology.

 

But, with custom you can also get a St.Croix or Phenix blank and build it with better components than their stock version, like I did with the Phenix X-10.

  

[spoonplugger1]

Butt diameter has a huge effect on a blank's power, a blank with twice the diameter in the butt, with the same amount of graphite used, will be 9 times stiffer. So the MB 733 mentioned above simply increased the diameter to get the power they wanted without adding a bit of additional weight. Since the tip is the same diameter as any other blank in it's class it has very little change in the lower limit the blank can throw. This is why an XF blank of the same power as a less fast blank many times has identical upper lure limits, but can throw a lighter lower weight, it's right there in their catalogs.