So I just completed my first rod build and I'm already looking into starting number 2. My MHX 6'10" white dropshot rod came out beautifully. Probably gonna sell that one down the road and build another with some better guides and EVA grips. My next project will be a crankbait spinning rod, and I need a little insight from you guys with the blank selection. Won't be throwing any deep divers. Mostly lipless cranks (1/4oz - 1/2oz) and some squarebills. The areas I fish are full of submerged grass, so lipless cranks are my go to option. What type of rod would you recommend for this? I like a medium heavy for the most part when fishing crankbaits, especially lipless cranks. Makes it easier to rip it out of the grass. Having trouble deciding between straight graphite or a blend. I've basically put a glass rod out of my mind, but if someone has a good enough argument to sway my opinion I'm all ears. Thanks for any advice in advance

Personally, I've never been a fan of glass blanks and have found graphite blanks with suitable actions for any presentation.  However, if you want a glass blank for rattle baits and bladed jigs, one that's hard to beat is the Seeker BS706 S glass.  It is a fast action MH and very light for it's rating, almost as light as a graphite.  Stiff enough to pop lures out of grass but still has a little of that "glass give" action.  It comes in both E glass and S glass variants.  You definitely want the S glass.  I'm sure there are plenty of all-glass, composite, and graphite blanks that will work well for this but the Seeker is a great classic choice.

A good MH graphite choice is the St. Croix 3C70MHM. Popping rod blank in 4 power will also give you a MH rod.

Bushido and Rainshadow Revelation are great blanks for the money, select the action and power you want. Keep in mind that blanks may be built as you want-you don't have to pick a "spinning" blank to build a spinning rod.  A casting blank with the right characteristics many be built as a spinning rod.   I personally think medium power might be better for lipless cranks, but go with what you want.  I usually try to get the recommended lure weight to match what I'm going to be using in order to properly load the rod.  Go with a faster than normal crankbait action to get the snapping-free-of-grass attribute.

As mentioned the Revelation Crankbait rods are great:
www.rainshadowrodblanks.com/product-line/rev-bass-crankbait/

Quite a few people also like our E-Glass Crankbaits, they’re also quite affordable:
www.rainshadowrodblanks.com/product-line/eglass-bass-crankbait/

If you want to go all out then the new line of RainShadow’s The Judge are awesome and made in the USA. It’s a RX7 graphite with S-Glass in the tip and a carbon wrap that’s not only decorative but adds around 15% strength to the bottom half of the rod. They’re Medium in power but will hold up for what you need. Though right now the 7-footers are the only ones in stock.
www.rainshadowrodblanks.com/product-line/the-judge-crankbait/

There are lots of nice blanks out there including those mentioned. I've done a few lately on Rodgeeks glass blanks which have graphite in the butt resulting in light weight and small diameter. A mod fast graphite is hard to beat for popping off the grass though. 

I would recommend checking out the pheonix x series.  They were rated very highly in the TT shootout and might make a very nice rod.

check out the Phenix X9 blank , rated for lures ( 1/8 -7/8 oz. ) blank only weighs 1.8 oz. !!!

probably your best bet for a spinning crank bait rod ...

 

if your wanting a beefier rod check into the X10 & X12 blanks