what is the best 80# popping blank on the market

OTI 7'6" 80lb 2piece 30lb max drag

 

If you like one piece rod, check St Croix 7'6" 4M76XHF.
The blank is amazingly light (5 1/2oz), but is rated upto 80 lbs.
I have a jigging rod out of the blank and it weighs only 12 1/2 oz.

 

What size bluefin would you be comfortable targeting with this rod and what type of drag?


Mike have you seen the price of that blank? I can buy 2 OTI blanks that I know will handle 20+ lbs of drag for the same price as one of them.

I have been eying it for a few years now and cant seem to pull the trigger on it when I know I can PM Minnow on here and have a 80lb popping blank by the end of the week.


just my 2 cents worth

d-a

 

ive been wanting to check that blank out myself but too pricey.

 

It is the CTS blank, 8 foot and I believe weighing under 4 oz (all graphite).
It supposedly deadlifts 50 lbs. Unfortunately, I will be many months now to try it out (probably yellowfin first).

I will take pictures and post when I get it in my hands.

 

What size bluefin would you be comfortable targeting with this rod and what type of drag?
The blank is rated up to 80 lbs and I would say you can land upto 150 lbs with care. Graphite rod with thin wall has to be fished with care.
Many guys caught big bluefin with St Croix rods rated 40 or 60 lbs in Cape Cod Bay and I didn't hear any problem with the rods.

 

kil did you use the conventional st croix for tuna yet?

 

kil did you use the conventional st croix for tuna yet?
Whenever I hooked up tuna with the rod, but they got away.
I had a few nice grouper with the rod though.

 

The blank is rated up to 80 lbs and I would say you can land upto 150 lbs with care. Graphite rod with thin wall has to be fished with care.
Many guys caught big bluefin with St Croix rods rated 40 or 60 lbs in Cape Cod Bay and I didn't hear any problem with the rods.

I caught good BFT with the SWS 70MHF (20-40 Line Wt., whatever that means) but it is not an SCIV all graphite rod. Still, the rod seemed much better than its rating. Here is a photo of the rod with the spool locked, max pull (with care) on a 120# fish.

 

I have the same St Croix but in the 7'6" (SWS76MHF). I boated a 140# BFT in 20 minutes without any problem at all. I was surprised as it is not a high end rod. I was blind casting a weighted, white 9" Slug-Go.
Rick

 

Mfgr - Lamiglas
Model - NZ 90 2XH
Length - 7'6"
Pieces - 2
Line - 65-100
Lure - 4-10
Butt - 0.720
Tip - 10
Blank Wt - 9oz

Blanks | Lamiglas

I'm waiting to hear back from them on if it's a butt or mid-jointed rod. If anyone knows, please tell me/us.

This is from their site about the completed rods from these blanks:

Saltwater Rods: Tropic Pro Jigging & Popping

We're very proud of our relationship with Nicola Zingarelli, global-fisherman and purveyor of the website Caranx.net. Over the past five years Nicola has been instrumental to the design of the Tropic Pro Jigging and Popping Rods. As a group, they represent a precision fishing system that will match any challenge presented by tropical waters worldwide. CJ and SJ models are jigging rods, while the SP models are popping rods. If you're wondering about the preponderance of spinning rods, it's because effectively fishing these techniques requires speed, and no reel is as fast and precise as the large spinning models. Also notice the Max Drag rating, perhaps the most important element on determining which models you may need.

 

I think all the 2-piece Tropic Pro models are the traditional ferrule design.

Mfgr - Lamiglas
Model - NZ 90 2XH
Length - 7'6"
Pieces - 2
Line - 65-100
Lure - 4-10
Butt - 0.720
Tip - 10
Blank Wt - 9oz

Blanks | Lamiglas

I'm waiting to hear back from them on if it's a butt or mid-jointed rod. If anyone knows, please tell me/us.

This is from their site about the completed rods from these blanks:

Saltwater Rods: Tropic Pro Jigging & Popping

We're very proud of our relationship with Nicola Zingarelli, global-fisherman and purveyor of the website Caranx.net. Over the past five years Nicola has been instrumental to the design of the Tropic Pro Jigging and Popping Rods. As a group, they represent a precision fishing system that will match any challenge presented by tropical waters worldwide. CJ and SJ models are jigging rods, while the SP models are popping rods. If you're wondering about the preponderance of spinning rods, it's because effectively fishing these techniques requires speed, and no reel is as fast and precise as the large spinning models. Also notice the Max Drag rating, perhaps the most important element on determining which models you may need.

 

Mfgr - Lamiglas
Model - NZ 90 2XH
Length - 7'6"
Pieces - 2
Line - 65-100
Lure - 4-10
Butt - 0.720
Tip - 10
Blank Wt - 9oz

Blanks | Lamiglas

I'm waiting to hear back from them on if it's a butt or mid-jointed rod. If anyone knows, please tell me/us.

This is from their site about the completed rods from these blanks:

Saltwater Rods: Tropic Pro Jigging & Popping

We're very proud of our relationship with Nicola Zingarelli, global-fisherman and purveyor of the website Caranx.net. Over the past five years Nicola has been instrumental to the design of the Tropic Pro Jigging and Popping Rods. As a group, they represent a precision fishing system that will match any challenge presented by tropical waters worldwide. CJ and SJ models are jigging rods, while the SP models are popping rods. If you're wondering about the preponderance of spinning rods, it's because effectively fishing these techniques requires speed, and no reel is as fast and precise as the large spinning models. Also notice the Max Drag rating, perhaps the most important element on determining which models you may need.
i have the shorter 7' models.
they are regular joint.
pretty nice blanks

 

Lamiglas used to make great surf rods and we used Lamiglas blanks for inshore rods or cod jigging a lot. But it seems their quality deteriorates recently. I doubt they make the blanks in the US anymore.

 

Lamiglas used to make great surf rods and we used Lamiglas blanks for inshore rods or cod jigging a lot. But it seems their quality deteriorates recently. I doubt they make the blanks in the US anymore.

Yea I actually read through that guy Nicola Zingarelli's website and figured out that it was a regular ferrule. Would this blank be comporable to the OTI 80#? That's the blank I had decided on, but $145 for the blank alone is pretty high. I love them, but is there a good substitute?

My basic needs are 2-piece for travel and an approx 65-80# rating to match up with a Trinidad 40N and 80# braid.

 

Yea I actually read through that guy Nicola Zingarelli's website and figured out that it was a regular ferrule. Would this blank be comporable to the OTI 80#? That's the blank I had decided on, but $145 for the blank alone is pretty high. I love them, but is there a good substitute?

My basic needs are 2-piece for travel and an approx 65-80# rating to match up with a Trinidad 40N and 80# braid.
$145 is not a bad price for 8' two-piece quality blank. There are very few two-piece Japanese style popping blanks available. Smith WRC80P/35 is $206 and I bet you got to pay much higher when other Japanese popping blanks are available as Smith 80P/35 is basic, old model.
I tested a few models of OTI prototype popping rod and they are very durable and reasonably light if you use light, small grips. I can recommend OTI blanks without any hesitation if you like two-piece blank.

 

Yea those guys have been nothing but good to me. TJ has taken alot of his time to give great advice and get me the right equipment. When I look at all the Japanese company's rod prices, there's no doubt that OTI has the low price market mostly to themselves.

I just like trying new things and if there and was wondering if there was another comparable blank out there that I should look at.