The Northern California Fly Fishing Board

So the boy's got the bug bad and he wants to build another rod. He wants a larger rod for bass, occasional saltwater, maybe steelhead... 8 or 9 wt. We're gonna get him the components for Christmas, but I was hoping to get some advice on blanks from the rod building gurus who might be reading this here board...

I want to keep the price of the blank @ around 50 bucks, so I figure one of the following blanks might do:

1) Sevier "tiger eye brown" IM6

2) Forecast RX6

3) Jann's Netcraft branded IM6

4) Cabela's "Traditional II"

5) Cabelas's IM7

6) Rainshadow RX7

7) American Tackle Matrix

The last three are pushing the price envelope...

Any advice on these options, or is there another option I'm missing?

TIA

-chuck o.

kinda partial to the Rainshadow myself, my rx7 has been a great all around rod for Bass and Steelhead .
Mark

Pricewise, Forecast RX6. Performance it is Rainshadow RX7 all the way.

Thanks Charlie & Mark, Rainshadow it is. Looks like I can get all the components at Jann's Netcraft for just under a hundred bucks...

Charlie, I remember way back when I was sourcing my 8 wt. (which I finally finished a couple of months ago), you recommended upsizing the guides. Jann's recommends S12, S10, 4, 3, 3, 3, 2, 2, 2, 2, so do you recommend just upping those by one size?

-chuck o.

I would up the Stripping guides by a size and up the others at least one on the 4 and 3's and up the 2's to 3's

Thanks Charlie. Happy Thanksgiving to you and all the other NCFFBers.

-chuck o.