Holy cow batman!!!

[cuke]

tried to post pics, but it says file is too big and yes they have the texture- gonna pitch some jigs tomorrow, if the finish is dry enough

[jimmyb]

you can easily resize the pic to get it below 100k. try resizing to 600x600 and that should do it

[cuke]

still no luck- now it says file is invalid- i tried

[jimmyb]

here are the pics that cuke sent me. Hopefully he will add his explaination

[cuke]

the phenix t46's are the first two and the next two are nfc hm's they are all 7-6 and extra fast and range in weight from 2.3 ounces for the medium lite phenix to 2.85 something for the hm's. big john made the one reelseat out of a block of stabilized wood that he got from reelseatblanks .com and its actually a burl wood infused with epoxy i think. it was kind of heavy so he made it small but it shouldn't split like some of his other creations have. all of his rods he makes have wooden triggers. i haven't fished them yet but will give a full report when.

[cuke]

finally fished the t 46 rods from shore for a couple hours today an caught a 3 and almost a 2lb er on a daiwa jerkbait and missed a couple more. the rods are stiffer than i'm used to even the ml -maybe because of the design on them. if you like stiff rods you have to get one. teamed up with 103hl steezes they are light as a feather, as they were under 8ounces each. i threw rattle baits, spinner baits but they wanted a jerkbait today. i think they are gonna be awesome jig rods and maybe good for throwing a hollow swimbait

[falcon]

Those blanks remind me of the falcon experts that came out two years ago.

[rglabach]

Stiff rod blanks are exactly what I am looking for! What is the action on the blank - fast? Extra-fast?

Any idea when they might hit the market?

Thanks for any info,
rick

[cuke]

i would say they are extra fast and stiff but lighter than anything i've ever had. i think the guy said they would be available around june. the only question is their durability but since i have 4 tourneys in april, i should know by then. will keep you guys posted. the only problem is you need to use a light magnesium reel with them because a heavy reel would defeat the purpose and now i need more reels. the high temp is around 32 this weekend and that sucks

[Drewbass]

IMO Weight in hand is not as important as weight that is distributed along the rod.

i would say they are extra fast and stiff but lighter than anything i've ever had. i think the guy said they would be available around june. the only question is their durability but since i have 4 tourneys in april, i should know by then. will keep you guys posted. the only problem is you need to use a light magnesium reel with them because a heavy reel would defeat the purpose and now i need more reels. the high temp is around 32 this weekend and that sucks

[cuke]

okay here are the final weights on the T46 rods after i sanded down the handles. 7-6 medium 2.28 ounces and 7-6 med heavy 2.42 ounces

[jimmyb]

that is crazy light! i just hope they dont end up like the infamous shikari PSB704!

[jm529]

that is crazy light! i just hope they dont end up like the infamous shikari PSB704!

just reminded me, still have a few of those psb704's that weighed in at 1.7oz. those shx blanks were great if you babied them.

[cuke]

ok i'll bite - tell me the story about the shikari' 704's. i always heard it was the shxi blanks that were too high of a modulus and brittle. hey jmd 529, do you have any more shx blanks cuz i might need some new rods if i happen to break these.

[jm529]

i don't think the shxi blanks ever went into full production because of the breakage issues. the shx blank was a great blank but also had some breakage issues because of the thin walled high modulus graphite used to make it a light weight and super sensitive blank. i do have a few that i built about 8 or 9 yrs ago that are still fished every year and holding up great so it depends on how rough you are with your equipment.

with the advancements in blank building technology and the new resins, your new phenix blanks should be okay. i do have a bunch of shx blanks along with other shikari blanks that i bought when shikari was closing up but they are not for sale.