Ice rod blanks

Looking for a rod blank to make a ice fishing rod for sturgeon and lake trout.

Vline king carbon

Rainshadow .385x.105×72 – same blank can be had from Netcraft and MHX under different names. I think this is the blank TUCR LTP is or was built on – not confirmed so sorry to TUCR if that’s not true, but it’s definitely very similar. Really heavy blank with not much feel but great power and moderate/slow action for keeping big fish pinned. Makes a good iFish Pro rod or for really heavy baits and/or big fish over 10 lbs.

Bass Khang 48″ Carbon Lake Trout blank is nice for baits up to 1 oz and lakers up to 15 lbs but bigger fish it will be underpowered. It’s lightweight with good power and what I’d call it a medium fast action. This is my favorite blank for lakers by far and I’m typically using 1/2 jig & plastic for 6-10 lb average fish.

I think Sportsmen Direct has some options as well. I built a lake winnipeg rod on a trimmed and sanded 48″ carbon extreme taper but I would not recommend that for lakers over like 5 lbs.

I’ve built a lot of rods for lakers but no clue on what makes a good sturgeon rod. My best guess is the Rainshadow solid glass is your best option for sturgeon.

Dh Custom has a big boy noodle that would work. The .385 would also work I have built on that blank. It comes as a 6′ rod and needs to be cut down. It is really stiff think pool cue with some flex. It is way cheaper than the DH custom though both blanks are fiberglass. If you are looking for a carbon blank the vline king carbon or the basskhang trout blank would work if you took some off the tip to stiffen it up a bit.

Depending on size of lakers I’d build 2 separate rods. For sturgeon your looking at fighting potentially 100+ lb fish. I built a sturgeon rod off basskhang heavy dead stick rod, lots of power. As far a lakers I’ve only used the basskhang lake trout And vline king carbon. The basskhang has a 48″ blank I’ve trimmed a bit off tip to make it a bigger fish rod. Then trim butt to desired length

Bass Khang 48” heavy dead stick and Rainshadow .385x105x72 have a very similar action up to 27”. Then the Rainshadow gets heaver and they meet up again at 46”. DH big boy noodle and V-line Ninja Noodle are also very close in design. The V-line blank is a lot cheaper though. For a carbon the Bass Kang 40” Lake Trout, V-line king carbon, CIB-36-MH, or Sportsmen Direct 32” heavy carbon will work. I think 32” & 36″ is a little short for this kind of rod. Whatever blank you choose you may have to do some shaping depending on the action and what you are going for.

Glass Blanks

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Carbon Blanks

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If you have not done any shaping of blanks before. Pick up some Netcraft 43” economy fiberglass blanks. They are only $2 each. So if you mess one up you are not out much. Best of luck to you.

I went with the 385x105x78 Rod blank to start. I will have 3 rods done before the ice season. I will also like to make a summer Catfishing/ sturgeon set up and suggestions on this?

Scott

Scott Murphy wrote:

I will also like to make a summer Catfishing/ sturgeon set up and suggestions on this?

Unfortunately the blank I like for this is no longer available (SWS597). I am not sure what I would use at the moment. In no particular order, here are some of the blanks I was thinking might work if I get asked to make another one. You will want to do a little more research on what will work best for you. I have yet to have any of these blanks in my hand.

RainShadow: JDGLB70L-CG, JDGLB70ML-CG, JDGLB70M-CG, RCLB70ML, RCLb70L, RCLB80XL, RCLB810L, RCLB810ML, RCLB810M
Rodgeeks: XC731, XC732, XC733, SG711XHMF, MKY80MHF
Thorne Brothers: F-90M
Lamiglas: BT108-3M
American Tackle: ATX AXLB70M

Thinking about it a little more about it. I would go with the RCLB80XL or F-90M. I am leaning more to the RCLB80XL blank. This blank was designed with sturgeon in mind. The Thorne Brothers F-90M blank was based on an old catfish rod Rainshadow used to make. They normally take 6” of the tip and use it for trolling for muskies. I think it would work well if nothing would be cut off the tip. I am sure there are other blanks that could work but it has been a while since I thought about making a MN sturgeon rod. I wish I could still get the SWS597 blank.

Side note: if anyone has a SWS597 blank I will buy it from you.

If you like the.385x105x78 why not try that? It is a pretty cheap blank and they make a couple different sizes if you want it heavier. I’ve built several of the ice rods on that blank but not an open water rod. One downfall is the weight compared to a carbon rod. If you still have one of the blanks full length give it a flex and see what you think.