Your opion on St Croix SC II rod blanks

[joshimoto son]

I'm finally discusted with the fact I can't find a flipping stik I like.
So I thought that maybe I'll make one.
I want it to be light in weight with A LOT of backbone.
NO cork, just the reel seat and butt cap.

I found a 7'-6"  heavy SC II blank at Jan's for $99.
I wanna put the Rec guides on it with a different tip top and use it for flipping 3/4 to 1-1/2 oz tungsten weights.

What I don't know, is just how heavy, this blank is. The only rod I've found that has the back bone I'm looking for is the Tommy Biffle Sgnature series by Quantum, but it's just too heavy.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,

joshimoto son

[motocross269]

Josh aren't you afraid you will blister your hands like crazy using a straight blank??? It's been along time since I have done alot of flipping, but I do remember the inside of my thumbs getting blistered pretty good.....Just curious...

[Cheetam]

If by "heavy" you mean the weight of the blank, try here:

http://stcroixrods.com/blanks/default.asp?blank=51&section=builder

Click the blank, get the weight...

[Lightningboy]

Can't advise you on a blank, it's hard to say what will be heavy enough for your needs.

But maybe reconsider the lack of cork.  By all means ditch the foregrip & saw off any extra threads from the seat.  Split the rear cork, three rings behind the seat, two rings + cork butt ring for a knob.  Turn them down to a taper that fits your hands well.

They won't add much appreciable weight to the rod, but it will be added behind the seat.  This should adjust the balance closer to your hand so it "feels" lighter at the end of the day.

For real weight reduction, wrap it revolver style.  You can use smaller single foot guides, spaced 4-5 inches apart.  Really reduces the tip weight.

[Cy]

I have never built a rod on a St Croix blank.  However, I have a St Croix Legend Tournament Bass 7' MH that I use for pitching 1 oz weights.  That rod is made from a SCIV blank and it is a tough mother.  It is the stiffest and most rigid MH I have ever fished with.  After looking at the link provided by Cheetam, the SCIV is lighter in weight then the SCII.  If it were me I would be concerned about the lack of sensitivity in the SCII blank.  That is St Croix's low end.  You can get into the SCIII for about $20 more and the SCIV is a lot more due to the telescopic handle.  I have heard a lot of good things about Batson Rainshadow blanks.

Cy

[Waterfoul]

The SCII blanks are what Croix makes their Triumph (around $60) and their Premier (around $100) from.  I own a 6'6" Triumph medium spinning rod and a 6'6" Premier medium light spinning rod, and while they are a decent rod for the money, they in no way compares to the SCIII Avid and is no where near the rod that a Tournament Legend is.  It is the heaviest (in weight) blank Croix makes.  My 6'6" Triumph weighs more than my 7'2" Legend buy quite a bit.

Shoot a message to thedude on this site... he's been building some rods lately and I'd bet he can reccomend the rod blank you want for your flipping application.

[MBell]

It will obviously be heavier than all the higher end st. croix blanks, but tougher and more durable.   I have a jerkbait rod built on an SCII that I've beat up for the last 3 years, no way an SCV would have made it through the same.  I actually use a 7' HVY St. Croix triumph for flipping, which is a SCII blank made in china.  If your going to be flipping all day go with a SCIII blank for the lighter weight, it's a tough blank as well just a little lighter.  IMO the SCIV and SCV will only last a few years if you really beat them up with heavy line.  Be careful not to put too little cork on the rod, if your hand is directly on the blank you'll usually get blisters.  I've have electrical tape wrapped on some of my store bought split grips for that reason.
-Matt     

[joshimoto son]

that's the type of info I'm looking for.

First of all, I should do more shopping around than just looking at Jann's, They really didn't have a lot in terms of selection for the flippin blanks.

Regarding no cork, I need to rethink that, I figured since my hand is always gripping my real, I wouldn't need anything besides a decent reel seat with a trigger. Thanks.

I'll check out some other sites and see if I can find something. My feeling is I probably would be better off just buying one. It looks like it might be cheaper.

[MBell]

mudhole dot com   No one has a better selection, they carry blanks no one else has.
-Matt

[joshimoto son]

Thanks Matt,

I may pick a few and come back on here and wak you what your thoughts are.

[Lightningboy]

Get in contact with George Roth:

http://www.georgescustomrods.com/index.html

He can build you an outstanding rod, extremely low weight, as much bling as you want, even balance to your needs with whatever reel you choose.  If you can picture it, George can do it.

He can also give you some great advice on choosing a blank to fit your needs if you e-mail him.  He's been kind enough to give me advice several times even though I've never bought a rod from him.  You can tell him KenB from BFHP sent you there; he's an incredibly helpful guy.

[thedude]

batson makes a nice stick and they have a lifetime warranty. i've built 2 spinning rods on the RX7 series and 1 baitcasting on an older Excel (now RX8). the RX7 is comperable to what you might get from a B&R or older (pre-shakespere) allstar. The lighter you get with the blank, will mean high-modulus graphite.. which is not always better. Like others have said, if the SV+ are light but rigid and won't take a beating with heavy line then drop down to an IM7 or IM8.. get a little slower taper to absorb the hookset or snag when using heavy line.

if you go batson - buy from www.customtacklesuppy.com (Bob). he's the man and has the best prices on batson around. Mudhole takes about 7 days to get to MI - bob will get it to you in 3 and his customer service is top knotch. (actually got some follow up calls to make sure the stuff i got was ok)

[Cy]

It's www.customtackle.com

[thedude]

oops. my bad - thanks cy

[fishinfiend]

I own a St. Croix Premier and was personally unimpressed with the sensitivity it provided me.  I got a Shimano Crucial for slightly more and was more impressed with the sensitivity.

[GotstaFish]

Shimano Crucials are very nice  I just picked up a new St. Croix Legend Tournament Big Gulp thats 7'11" Heavy. I'll give you a report this week from Lake Fork 

[joshimoto son]

I'm hoping to get a chance to talk to Boyde Duckett today and see if he brought any of his Carrot Stix with him.
That's just about the last manufacture I need to check out before I make a desicion, with the exception of getting with Cheetam and looking at the Kistlers and what available in my price range.

I have checked out the rainshadows, it seems that I might be able to make one in my price range.

I really apreciate all the help everyones been giving me so far.

joshimoto son

[thedude]

Josh - i had bookmarked this thread as it had several blanks listed for the same application that i wanted to follow up on when i went to tackle a new flippin rod:
http://www.rodbuilding.org/read.php?2,259089

might be a couple new options in there for you.

[joshimoto son]

Dude,
That's pretty good reading, I just have to finish it when I get the time.
I ended up buying a Quantum PT tour edition rod for $89.
It's a 7'-6" Heavy with extra fast tip. 64 million modulous and is one piece (not telescoping).
I really liked the back bone and tip this rod had. It's a little tip heavy, but definately workable. I realize that I'm going to get some of that with what I'm looking for. I also talked with Ross with Quantum and he gave me a VIF form. I wanted to buy a couple of the new PT Super Lights, but they're not on the form.

So the first thing I did when I got home with it is take the guides off except the tip top and am going to purchase some of the REC guides to put on.

Although I think I won't help my self out much in terms of balance, as I found that the fulcrum had only moved two inches with no guides.

I do think that I'll increase the sensativity though. I found that Quantum double wraps all their single footed guides. That is, they put a wrap down first and then the guide with another wrap over it.

I figure the REC guides wrapped directly on the blank should increase my sensitivity.

Who makes the Quantum blanks and where can I buy them?

Do you see any problems with this so for?

joshimoto son

[Cheetam]

Josh, if you're worried about balance, look into a balancing kit.  It will add some weight, but can definitely be worth it.  A well-balanced rod can definitely increase the feel and control of your bait....