Angry John

I would throw a sv103 on that rod and just be done with it. The last of those reels are around and if your a lefty they had the 6.3 version on sale for 185 at TW. Its a sweet reel and at the price point i dont believe it can be touched.

I love the duo jerks and the even habe a jerk/cranks that run deep for there size. Great for hump shallow ledge action. https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/catpage-DUORHRDBT.html?from=basres the smaller version is good to. The clear gill slams them for me as does the crome gill. The others work but those are my favorites.

Wow look at that paint. Wish I had those skills.

They have CCS numbers on there site now. Seems good....

So as with many new things i have yet to see many reviews of the new "point blanks". This is the same experience i had with MHX. They are supposed to have a different kind of taper which is unique to that brand. I fish a ton of st croix, regular and custom builds on there blanks. First looking on any information or feedback on the brand, and second a comparison to any other major brand. I am most familiar with croix and dobyns. I am looking at the XXHMF for the purpose of 10xd's umbrella rigs, and small swimbaits like mattlures hard gills. Also interested about any huddelston fish caught on this blank...

That happens a lot and one of the rods I sent in for repair had it on almost every guide. They only repaired one with a chunk out of the thread epoxy. Failure must be almost none if that's what they do.

So your problem could be solved a little easier by adding a second locking nut. You may have to still do some work to the rear of the rod but not even close to the full tear down of removing the seat. If you have someone local and do not have shipping in the equation then that might be something worth checking.

If you decide a length that you really want and the budget is not very tight the JDM market has a bunch of very nice rods that are shorter. I dont post those as most people consider them exotic but it depends on how much you want to spend for what you really want. if your intrested in something like that before going custom then let us know. An example might be....http://www.tackletour.com/reviewmbxfti.html

I change the way i fight the fish all the time. If its really hot outside then i get them in and let go because the environment is already stressing them to the max "dog days of summer". I also hurry them in on big swim baits because they get off so easy with that huge bait to leverage against. Minus those two times i take my time. The fight is were all the excitement is for me...

some good options Daiwa Tatula Elite Casting Rod 6'9" Heavy Montgomery St. Croix Avid X Series Cast Rod 6'8" Med Hvy Avid Casting Rod 6'8" Medium

Considder the cost of just shipping the rod two ways and that will be more than most rods are worth unless your into the high grade gear. Rods ship around 30 dollars a direction before the rod is even touched and then you have to find someone willing to do it. That type of work is a pain and most rod builders i have talked to have no intrest.

So you have spent time with a longer rod and it just doesn't work, that's the data I was looking for thanks. At your point I would get a custom built at the length you like best. I love my 610 and they have 66mf rods also. I have an avid mhf I never use if your in need.

I use a lot of yhb and never feel the need to use conditioner. I do use it on fluorocarbon but the Hybrid handles just fine in 6, 10, 12, and 15, that i normally use. The 20 i run on my sb setup has no issues either. To be fair it is larger than some other lines so shop by diameter not lb test. I run 6 on my spinning as a main line and as a leader depending on the situation. My jerk bait and square bill setup gets 10 and i run 12 or 15 for jigs and other heavier techniques.

Get a lot of stuff from japan, so far this week from plat and https://www.ichibantackle.com . I had a few from ebay last week and have yet to be stopped for tax. Just luck of the draw i would guess... I have not spent over 300 dollars at one time if that matters.

I use a 2/0 ewg hook and if i need weight i just peg a sinker in place. Weightless can some times be a killer.

I am trying to figure out how long you have been at this game and your experience level. Its no fun to fish equipment that your not comfortable with. It seems as though rods are getting ever longer and there is a lot of support for this movement. I have rods up to 8 feet but my long rods are for certain applications. My 8 footer is for swim baits and the length is important in the rating and action when going that heavy. My favorite rod is a 610 Mxf st croix legend. I fish a lot of techniques with it and its supper lite and i am very accurate with it. My le 70mhf is also very nice and i would not trade either for anything out there. If you know that you dont want a longer rod then consider what is available or have one built. Rod building is a little more expensive than off the shelf and the resale is not there but the satisfaction is... If you have not spent some real time with a 7 foot rod, i would consider asking your boater to borrow one for a while to try out. If you plan on building use as many diffrent rods as possible to find what you like and dont. Take notes

Give it some time to break in. The lube the factory uses lasts a long time but may be thicker than your used to. Tight tolerances and fresh grease need a little time to work in. JMO

MB power versatile final answer. Does it all from small to big!!!

Real rods dont come with hook keepers

Dont know what kind of cover your facing or how big the fish in your area are. Most people start with a MHF casting rod. If your area has thick weeds and you love to frog you may want to grab a heavy. It will give you the most presentations available if you already have a medium. I like to frog with a 5 power or heavy and jig work is also good on a heavy. It will not be long before your into swim jigs and tossing small swimbaits like the money minnow or skinny dipper on a weighted hook. If you had a MHF i might go another way but adding a heavy might open up your options the most right now...

Three setups are a great starting point 1 mhf 7-76 casting rod fast action 2 medium cranking rod 7-76 3 m or ml spinning rod for small stuff I prefer a 610mlxf for small worms shakey heads and tubes. So I would spend your cash trying to get good gear.

I would grab the legend c74hf. This rod has monster power and fishes heavy jis and swaiver 168's great. The 76mhf is a rod I would like to try out if you need a longer stick.

So both work and both work good. How much is your budget? If it is small the spinning setup would give good results for less money. If you have a good budget for this project then you can find a few setups that will work well. How lite are we talking. The pixy is not near the money it used to be and can be found for less than 200 dollars. If thats above your price range stick to spinning...

My top three are spro, r2s bully wa, and live target frogs in that order...

If you want a midrange rod that will do a lot and would make a good match to the python you may want to check out the mb XX perfect pitch. Toss in a mlxf spinning rod and your done other than swimbaits.