Custom rod blank for jigs

[angry john]

A question of quality not money. I have been trying to research having my first custom rod built and have been reading a lot on this forum to try and educate myself. This is in an attempt to understand some of the options that are available before i call MATTMAN. Mudhole blanks have been very well reviewed here, and i was looking at the mb784-mhx blank and trying to compare it to the nfo mag bass mb 666-1. I have yet to find out what the codes for hm, im, and sm stand for. Obviously there is a price diffrence, but the codes mean nothing to me. I dont want to select a component that will make me unhappy later, but are they even the same game, or are the nfo blanks the world better. All blanks are 6'6" and have an upper end of 1oz. The plan is to build a jig rod for canoe/yak fishing.

[smalliesteve]

come now, life's not that bad.

HM, IM, and SM stand for High Modulus, Intermediate Modulus and Standard Modulus. Higher modulus increases the possibility of sensitivity and light weight. Doesn't guarantee anything.

I don't have experience with either of these companies yet, but my assumption/impression is that the NFC HM and IM are both higher performance than the MHX HM. I have no idea on the NFC SM comparison to the MHX HM or regular. In general, it seems that the NFC blanks are a little slower than most. How much I care about speed depends on app. More isn't always better, but for jigs I would lean towards a faster blank. Others may have different opinions.

All that said, I have never seen a negative review on either of these rod lines. So quality-wise I don't think you have anything to worry about. The MHX HM are supposed to be very high bang-for-the-buck blanks (also MHX reg). NFC HM is going to be a price-be-damned performance blank.

I don't think either of these blanks is going to disappoint, it's just a matter of finding someone with enough experience to point you to the right model for the application. I would do that if I could, but I can't.

[angry john]

thanks for the heads up, i feel stupid now. I would have never known, but it seems simple enough now that you explained it.

[Bigs|ick]

Rumor has it that NFC blanks are slower tapered. I havent built any, but word on the block says so. I do have a basement full of MHX in both sm and hm models. I really like the MHX product line as a whole although i tend to prefer slower actions in general.


MHX has to be the best value in blanks today, NFC If you're not going to be happy with anything but the best.

According to Mattman's data, the NFC HM, Croix SC5 and Phoenix top end all have similar performance and should be considered in shopping for top tier blanks. The SCV seems like the best deal there.

[angry john]

The information i found on lamiglas blanks seem to have a misprint across the entire net. The im700 784 rod is listed as 3/4-1 and i believe that it should say 3/8-1. This rod blank is very simular in price as the MHX rods at 70 dollars, but is not the magbass style of the other two i mentioned. Is lamiglas worth a look or are they another waste of time. I love the idea of an american blank, and i want a flag and made in america on my rod!!!!!

[Eric Walsh]

Since Mattman will create your masterpiece, why not get him involved from the very start. PM Matt, he
will be able to assist you with much of the difficult questions. Good luck!

[angry john]

I did, and he is on vacation. Looking to learn what the terms mean, and what the diffrent options are. If i spend 10 more bucks on a blank it creates a majorly better rod in the end i want to know what those options are. There are some things that are all the same, like who makes decent blanks and what to look for. Then customize what is a good quality product into what i want. I was supprised that MH blankes are reguarded so highly for the price, which is definately what i was looking for. Now what is the labor price to take a st croix blank and strip it to be black because i want a plain rod. Those are the kinds of things i want to learn. If a SC costs 130 but add 70 for striping the finish, or a NFC makes a better blank for 190 but does not require the extra labor, that is very important to know. I have no doubt that mattman knows a boat load, but i dont want to ask him to educate me on every aspect if i can find out some general info elsewhere.

[jimmyb]

stcroix SCV is my first choice. The green is a pretty muted color. Its actually one of my favorites. Stripped SCV blanks are ugly

[Snyder Rods]

For a jig rod I would recommend a High modulus blank. MHX HM would cost less than something from North Fork. If money is no object get the North Fork.

[angry john]

is there a good list out there that i can use to estimate cost. If the blank is around 200, and then the ring cost, is unknown as well. Obviously there is an upper limit, and i was looking to keep it at or around 500. I tried to use kistlers site to give me a rough guess and it spit out a number around 535 for what i was looking for, but they have elivated rates on everything, but no published labor cost. 300 bucks for a blank is way out of the box, but if that is 200 for the blank and 100 for labor, that works out just fine. Seems like the rest of the costs are a little higher as well. I think that site hides costs insted of just comming out with them, i wish it was a little more transparent. But so do most of the people who watch the stock market....

[craigrbns]

is there a good list out there that i can use to estimate cost. If the blank is around 200, and then the ring cost, is unknown as well. Obviously there is an upper limit, and i was looking to keep it at or around 500. I tried to use kistlers site to give me a rough guess and it spit out a number around 535 for what i was looking for, but they have elivated rates on everything, but no published labor cost. 300 bucks for a blank is way out of the box, but if that is 200 for the blank and 100 for labor, that works out just fine. Seems like the rest of the costs are a little higher as well. I think that site hides costs insted of just comming out with them, i wish it was a little more transparent. But so do most of the people who watch the stock market....

Go to a user friendly rod building component website like www.mudhole.com and get a feel for the pricing of the blanks and components you are interested in. You can get an idea of the retail price of the blank and components you like pretty quickly. Builders have several ways to charge for a final product. Some charge retail plus a labor fee. Some may pass on wholesale pricing plus a labor fee which can save some pretty big $'s when youre talking about top end components and blanks (assuming their labor rate is fair). Just make sure you understand how the builder you choose charges for components and labor to make sure pricing is fair. The only other factor will be shipping of the blank/components to the builder from the vendor and then shipping the completed rod to you. You shouldn't have a problem keeping a top notch build under $500 IMO unless you are really interested in a high labor handle/grip design or excessive threadwork.

As suggested earlier - If Mattman will create your finished product, wait on him to get back to you and he'll explain the whole process. Answering questions will be part of his job to help you get the most out of the build and your available $'s.

[angry john]

he has gotten back to me and i can say he is very good. There are a lot of questions he has asked that i dont have the best answer for. I have fished a lot of low end "junk" and i am better at answering what i hate, than what i really want. My experence with "quality" equipment is lacking. The most common rods for comparison are loomis, and i am trying to go with custom instead of droping the same kind of cash on a mass built rod. Some of the easier questions are lengh and lure size. Length is limited, due to transportation, to around 6'8" or less, and jigs 3/8ths to 1/2 with trailers. Part of my issue most likely is the lack of casting rod use. I have a lot of time on the handle of a spinning rod, 5 days a week for the last year, but only a few hours with a bait caster setup. "my wife is not so happy about it, but all skills take dedication right?" I am trying to grow my fishing experence by learning a new style. I spent the cash on a daiwa advantage reel because i love the spinning version, and the reviews on this site and round the net say its a great reel. Almost any hobbie is more fun and eaiser with good equipment, i know scuba is. In my latest email i proposed getting an avid to play with for comparison. Hoping that this may help my situation. And give me some better information to pass on.

[craigrbns]

he has gotten back to me and i can say he is very good. There are a lot of questions he has asked that i dont have the best answer for. I have fished a lot of low end "junk" and i am better at answering what i hate, than what i really want. My experence with "quality" equipment is lacking. The most common rods for comparison are loomis, and i am trying to go with custom instead of droping the same kind of cash on a mass built rod. Some of the easier questions are lengh and lure size. Length is limited, due to transportation, to around 6'8" or less, and jigs 3/8ths to 1/2 with trailers. Part of my issue most likely is the lack of casting rod use. I have a lot of time on the handle of a spinning rod, 5 days a week for the last year, but only a few hours with a bait caster setup. "my wife is not so happy about it, but all skills take dedication right?" I am trying to grow my fishing experence by learning a new style. I spent the cash on a daiwa advantage reel because i love the spinning version, and the reviews on this site and round the net say its a great reel. Almost any hobbie is more fun and eaiser with good equipment, i know scuba is. In my latest email i proposed getting an avid to play with for comparison. Hoping that this may help my situation. And give me some better information to pass on.

Angry John,

I normally am more of a passive forum user, browsing it to learn from others questions and answers, unless I have a specific question of my own to ask. Typically, I dont try to pretend to be an expert and offer answers since there are so many knowledgeable people on here that can provide them. However, I feel I can definitely relate to your statements and current predicament, so here goes my opinion!

I was right were you are now about 7-8 years ago. I grew up throwing a zebco 33 and figured out spinning tackle in college. It wasnt until after college that I finally picked up and decided to try bait casters. My first caster was a Curado and I learned to be comfortable with it throwing 1/2 ounce to 3/4 ounce lures on a med heavy St. Croix Premier rod. I hate to admit it, but I had to have a buddy actually set the brakes on the reel the first time out. I quickly learned that the casting reel was a joy to fish with these lures and that it was a joy to fish vs spinning reels. I quickly decided spinning reels were not for me unless I absolutely had to use them.

As I started to have more of a disposable income to dedicate to fishing tackle, I started upgrading my casting reel arsenal to reels such as an upgraded Daiwa Sol and Calcutta TE 50 for lighter lures, an Antares DC and upgraded Zillion for lures in the 1/2 ounce range, etc, etc. I also started upgrading from St Croix Premier rods to top end blanks like SCV St Croixs that I built myself.

Point being, Ive been through the progression of crap, to semi crap, to decent, to close to top end in my fishing career in both rod and reels. I dont blame you at all for considering custom rods early on vs top end manufactured blanks. In my personal experience, some properly built "lesser" blanks can out perform factory Croixs and Loomis blanks, plus they will be built exactly the way you want them, with the components you want. Custom built top end blanks will blow away their factory counterparts, and if a builder passes on whole sale costs, the build may not cost as many more $'s as you may think. You chose well in contacting Mattman given all of the recommendations Ive seen on this sight. He's passed on tons of info to myself as a learning rod builder, and he would be who I would choose if I was paying someone my $'s to build a rod.

To get back to my personal opinion and overall point... - As I progressed through the stages of rod and reel quality, I can say that I definitely think a top end reel is more important than a top end blank. In my opinion, if you are looking to spend $500 and do not currently own reels in that caliber/price range, you may not be utilizing your $'s in the best manner. My old Curado on a St Croix SCV rod, is still a Curado and only capable of so much. The rod helps, but not the way a top end reel will help when it comes to casting ease and distance. Id take my upgraded Zillion or Sol, Calcutta TE 50 or 100, or my DC reels on a St Croix Premier blank (low end) over my Curado on a top end SCV St Croix blank any day. Again, just my opinion, but your skill, confidence, and success with baitcasters will be helped more with upper end reels than with upper end rods. The upper end rods will provide better sensitivity, casting distance, and more efficient power, but the lure has to hit the water first.

To bluntly sum up my wordy opinion, Id put a $300-$500 reel on a $100 rod any day before I would but a $150 reel on a $500 rod if I had limited $'s to spend. Youre right when you said any hobby is more fun and easier with good equipment. In my opinion, the higher end reels make it much easier and as a result, more fun. Good luck! - Craig

[Tokugawa]

The information i found on lamiglas blanks seem to have a misprint across the entire net. The im700 784 rod is listed as 3/4-1 and i believe that it should say 3/8-1. This rod blank is very simular in price as the MHX rods at 70 dollars, but is not the magbass style of the other two i mentioned. Is lamiglas worth a look or are they another waste of time. I love the idea of an american blank, and i want a flag and made in america on my rod!!!!!

Lami makes an excellent blank...I have several. For jigs, I'd steer you toward the XMG50 line of blanks.

As to your original question, the NFC will be "better", but a lot more expensive. My advice to you would be this - buy the HM MHX for your first custom. Learn on the cheaper blank about what you really like in a rod. It will still be the best performing rod you've ever handled. I guarantee you there will be decisions you make about the rod that you will want to change later. After you have learned a bit about your preferences, then go for the NFC if you want to.