kayaking_kev

I have the X-Ray MB-733 which is rated as a ML up to 3/8 oz. I haven't built it yet, but it seems similar to other Medium rods that I've had and I'm betting it would throw 1/2 oz. I'm going to make it a spinning rod and use it for Ned Rigs and Shakey Heads. The MB-736 seems similar in power to a Heavy rated Dobyns rod, and also seems more powerful than my Conquest 843c, but only rated as a MH and up to 3/4 oz. Their ratings seem to be either a little under-rated or either right on. at least with those two blanks.

There's a lot of other non X-Ray blanks on sale too, you just have to add to cart to see the price. Some are remastered GLX or IMX models. I would like the CB 704 myself, it's a remastered CBR 853c GLX on sale for $76, but I just ordered a Phenix X10 Composite blank.

I didn't exactly order any Edge rods, but I ordered 3 - X-Ray Blanks from North Fork a few weeks ago and I think the tracking emails all came from an edge rods email address and I received my blanks in barely over a week after ordering. But, as far as email support, forget about it, you won't hear back from them. I've tried twice to ask questions and got ignored both times through email and then once on Facebook.

I'm looking to do a spiral wrap on my first ever build with Titanium Torzite Guides on the MB-736. Everything else is already done and I'm just trying to figure out how to space the guides. I know you need to run a static test for the running guides, but what about the first couple of guides? I know some of you have already build on the same blank and was wondering if any of you would share you spacing. I have 9 guides + the tip top. Guide Sizes KB - 6 KT - 5.5 KT - 5.0 KT - 4.5 x (6)

I ordered 3 X-Ray blanks about 3 weeks ago and they took about a week to arrive.

I've never owned one, but everything I read about the Tatula Elite says it's a far caster if that's what you're looking for. I have a 2020 Metanium and wouldn't really label it as a far caster. I was in your position this same time last year and was looking for the best rod. I ended up buying around 30 rods in the last year from multiple Dobyns Xtasys and Extreme HP's to a G.Loomis Conquest and tons of others in between. I recently bought 3 NFC X-Ray blanks and am almost done with my first build, a MB-736c with G2 Carbon Handle & Reel Seat with Titanium Torzite Guides. So if you have any ambition to ever build a rod, better just do it now, because that's about the only way to get the perfect rod. Or you can contact Delaware Valley Tackle about building a custom rod for you, and you can pick out exactly how you want it to be. To me it seems like you just want a nice rod to have one and I'm the same way. I don't fish a lot of big places or catch a lot of big fish, but I spend a lot of time fishing and have become somewhat of a gear enthusiast. Let's face it, nobody needs a $500 rod, no matter where you fish. And, I think it will be hard to beat catching fish with a rod that I built myself.

Being a Northern guy, the 3 Power is my favorite out of Dobyns rods. That SLX DC does match the colors of the rod great though. I have a SLX version on all my Champion rods for that reason.

At that price I would personally get a Tatula SV or SLX MGL 70.

True, unless you have a dealer near you and can save $20 on shipping and that's only if the breakage is your fault, otherwise it's free or $20 for shipping.

Wow, that made me laugh a little. I understand your point to an extent, and while the above statement may be your personal preference & opinion for whatever reason and you're entitled to it, but IMO that is a stretch to say the least. There are plenty of people who have used a ton of rods in that price range and agree the Fury is a good rod for the price, Tactical Bassin is one I would mention. The warranty alone is worth more than those other two rods you mentioned. I wouldn't pay full price for a Fury or any other rod for that matter. I can't speak on the Falcon HD, but I do also recommend other budget rods besides the Fury, like the much cheaper Lew's Hank Parker Speed Stick, which for $40 I feel is more sensitive than the Fury, but again it doesn't have a good warranty like the Fury. And of course, I ended up breaking the tip on that Lew's rod with no warranty. If these threads only received replies from people on this forum who have owned about every brand of rod out there, there would hardly be any replies. And, even then it comes down to personal preference, so one who owned every rod out there might not have the same opinions as someone else who has owned the same rods. For the most part, people are going to recommend rods that they have tried and liked and of course there may be some bias sometimes because people want to justify spending their money on that rod. I've bought around 30 rods or more in the last year from a lot of different manufactures, Shimano, Dobyns, G.Loomis, Daiwa, Lew's, Fenwick, 13 Fishing, St.Croix, Berkley, and including three NFC X-Ray Blanks. I get them at good prices, so if I don't like a rod I can sell it for what I paid for it, I don't need to try to justify a rod that I really don't like. One thing I've learned is that just how much of fishing gear choice really is personal preference. We can give our personal thoughts and recommendations on rods to others, but it still requires the buyer to know or figure out what their personal preference is. Some people just starting out and might not know what they like yet and the usual recommendations made in these threads are good starting points. Others who know more of what they like will have to weed through the replies and the information given and see if it sounds like it's what their looking for. Some replies that just name a rod aren't going to be too helpful, but others who tell you why they like a certain rod can be helpful, even if it's the only rod that person has ever owned. I know when I start a thread like this I'm looking to collect as much information as possible to make my decision, and I'm not going to go buy a rod based on the first reply I see that sounds good.

I love the reels, especially the MGL 70 and I've had all of them, but the only rod I would want would probably be the 6'10 Medium. I had the 7'2 MH/XF and 7'5 H/F and they were light, but I hated the balance and a they were a little too stiff for me.

I been using a Tatula 7'0 Medium Power / Regular Action rod for size 75 & 90 Whopper Plopper. It's designed for shallow cranks and topwater. I'm not sure though if there would be really any difference in action compared to your Fury 703sf. There's been a lot of people asking for rod recommendations for around $200 lately and I have told them all to spend $20 more and get an Expride on BF. They have a nice 6'10" model.

1.) Mojo Bass uses SCIII, while the Premier uses SCII graphite. Mojo has Split Grips vs a Full Handle on the Premier. I've personally never used either, but I would go with the SCIII Mojo out of the two, plus I think it looks better. The only St.Croix I have is SCII blended with SCVI and it's a Panfish rod. 2.) The Sierra is worth the upgrade over the Fury for most people, but try to get at least 20% off though. I've owned 14 Dobyns rods and all of their series, and they all have softer tips than most manufactures, especially the Sierra series, so if you don't like that then stay away from Dobyns. It makes them more versatile and they still have plenty of power, you just have to swing a little harder on your hookset, but once hooked they do a job at keep fish pinned. Another thing about Dobyns is, if your looking for a MH, you probably want to get a H, whereas if it was a St.Croix or Shimano a MH is more of a true MH. They are also not going to weigh the lightest on the scale compared to some others, but definitely won't weigh as much as others. My MH Fury 703c weighed 4.5 oz. while my MH Xtasy 723c weighed 4.6 and every Heavy rated Dobyns rod that I've owned has been at least 5.0 oz. This isn't because the blanks are heavy, it's because the handles are weighted to give them it renowned balance. When you hold them in your hand they feel a lot lighter than their weight on a scale, because most of the weight is being directly supported in your hand and not out at the end of the rod. Sensitivity really is subjective, but for me I don't notice much of a difference between my Fury and Tatula and they both weigh about the same. If it was an O.G. Tatula, then I would say get it. One thing that Dobyns has over the others is the Lifetime Warranty. Those St.Croix rods and the Tatula only have 5 year warranties, and I believe the warranty on the Zodias is pretty bad. So if that's important, Dobyns is the way to go, because they are all pretty good rods. If you don't want something with as soft of a tip as a Sierra, but want something better than the Fury, I would take a look at the Kaden 714c, their tips aren't as soft and in the same price range. 3. The Tatula is a nice rod, but when I compare it, I usually find myself comparing it to the Fury rather than the Sierra. I think the Sierra is a little better and it's really close between the Fury and Tatula, IMO. The Tatula has Fuji guides, but they are Fazlite, and I don't think there's much of a difference in performance to warrant the extra money when you get a lifetime warranty with a Fury. 4. The new Zodias is a nice looking rod and I want to try those handles out. I've never used one, but my experience from using other Shimano's like the Conquest and SLX is that they will have more powerful tips, not as soft as Dobyns, and the powers are rated more accurately. The Conquest and SLX are some light rods, so I would expect the Zodias to be the lightest of the 4 options mentioned. The only bad thing is their warranty. In that price range with Black Friday coming up, I would consider the Expride.

Shimano Expride 7'0 Medium would be $224 on Black Friday at Tackle Warehouse.

Has anyone ever wet sanded a blank before? I'm just curious about how much effort it would take and if it would be worth it to reduce weight. It would also allow me to put decals on without having to first apply a thin coat of finish first to get a level surface to apply the decal.

I know it's not ideal, but most I've talked to say a few inches from the butt won't matter too much and I think on this specific 7'10 Mag Heavy X-Ray Blank that I have that it's not going to affect it a whole lot. It's rated up to 2 ounces and I'm fine if it does lose a little bit of power. I wanted the Phenix 7'3 Heavy Blank for my power rod, but that is $240 and when NFC had their sale on X-Ray blanks for $75 each I was just going to get the MB-736, but it's $35 for shipping for one blank or multiple blanks, so I went ahead and picked up the MB-733 and MB-7109 for my Finesse and Power rods. The 7'10 won't fit in the back of my truck or inside my car like a 7'6 rod will, so I have to cut it down. I didn't dry fit it and test it, but I measured it out where everything would be after the cut and held it and it still felt good to me, it's a pretty powerful rod with a long butt section, so I don't think 5" will affect a whole lot, but I will find out.

Can a ceramic tile saw be used to cut down a rod blank?

I.D. on the Blank location where the exposed blank real seat is going is about .52 The Reel Seat I want has a I.D. of .59 The Insert for the reel seat has a I.D. of .53 Will I need to get the Insert, or will I just be able to arbor the reel seat?

Conquest 843c MBR - Takes care of your T-Rigs & Jigs 1/2 oz. or under and also does good with single hook moving baits, I paid $405 for mine. Casting with the Titanium Torzite Guides & High Power and Spiral X Wrapping is a dream and it has more power than the NRX and weighs 3.8 oz.

My 3 Blanks will be here on Friday so I want to place the order for my MB-736 Build, but wanted to update a few things and get some further clarity on a couple of things. Will a CRB LZR Light Duty Tip Top be ok on this MH build, or do I need the CRB LZR Medium Duty Tip Top? ThreadMaster Lite or High Build? COMPONENTS Blank = NFC X-Ray MB-736 (Tip = 1.7) Guides = Fuji KW Guide Kit (Black Alconite) Sizes (7x1),(6x1),(5x8) Tip Top = CRB LZR Light Duty - Ring Size 5.0 / Tube Size 5.0 (2.0mm) Grip = G2 Carbon Handle 9" Full Length Grip Kits for G2 ( Matte 3k Silver Trim ) Fore Grip = American Tackle Fore Grip Sleeve for G2 Seats with Uni-Lock Hood ( Matte 3k Silver Trim ) Reel Seat = American Tackle CCT BLADE G2 Insert = American Tackle G2 Reel Seat Inserts - Size 4 Hook Keeper = Drop Shot Hook Keeper SUPPLIES ThreadMaster Lite Build Rod Finish (4 oz.) ProPaste Epoxy (4 oz.) ProWrap ColorFast Winding Thread (Size A) 100 yds. ProWrap Metallic Winding Thread (Size A) 100 yds. CRB Syringes with Sealing Caps Kit RDS Rod Drying System Masking Tape 1/2" Thread Burnishing Tool Disposable Nylon Finishing Brushes (10 x 1/4" & 10 x 1/8") Mixing Cups & Sticks x 10 DECORATIVE Carbon Fiber Rod Skin Designer Rod Decal Monochrome Gamefish Decal (LargeMouth) ----------------------------------------- I was told I needed to add a Insert for the Reel Seat I chose.

I would definitely choose MBR over J&W in this situation, but personally like an even softer tip than that. I have a Conquest 843c mbr and it's good for 3/8 up to 1/2 oz jigs, but most of the time I throw a 1/4 or 5/16 oz. Bitsy Bug Jig in the rapids for smallmouth and I prefer the softer tip on my Xtasy 723c or Fury 663c for that, which are more closer to Medium Casting rods than MH. I don't have much experience with spinning gear to know if a Medium would work good though.

I've been seeing that a lot lately about ProKote. Can I still do one coat with the ThreadMaster Lite or should I go with the High Build?

In that situation, I personally like a rod that has enough power to penetrate the jig hooks, but yet has a soft enough tip to allow you to be accurate with the cast so you can hit those small pockets of eddy's around the rapids, and also have enough flex to help keep the fish pinned, because the water is usually shallow around rapids and the fish end up jumping out of the water a lot more and that is when hooks will get thrown. So pretty much a flexible rod as I could get away with that will still be able to drive the hooks through.

1. No, thanks! I think I paid $40 each for the two I had and sold them pretty quickly. They were some of the cheapest feeling rods I've touched. Now, I did have a Defy Black Crankbait 7'3 H/M rod that I liked a lot, but sold it when I bought a Champion 736 Glass rod. The guy I sold it to ended up breaking it within a week or two. I may of said it wrong, but what I meant is that the MH I had was like a Medium, if that. 2. I agree. I would only throw a frog on it in mostly open water, light cover. 3. I just picked up a NFC X-Ray 7'10 Mag Heavy blank that I'm going to cut down to about 7'5 and use it as my power rod.

I've lost fish with a $1100 combo and expensive line all because of bad hooks. I've always been a proponent of rods being more important than reels though, my only combo where the reel cost more is a Fury/ SLX XT combo and it's not by much.