7 foot flats hb rod

[Brad Y]

In the future- im talking a couple of months- after the grand final, im going to be in the market for a flats hb rod. I want a seven foot and 1 piece model to help with distance and the idea is to fish it really light. More than likely 2lb braid and 4lb leader and i will be putting a really light reel on it say an Airity if they are still around.

What are the options available? BD, Millerrods, GUSA, Loomis? I would prefer to be keeping the whole ultralight principle with REC guides if possible and a lengthy rear grip to help with long two handed casts.

I will be looking at throwing any hb from river2sea 60 shads down to light things like smith jades, sx40's and the like.

It wont be used in snag country so i wont be needing to muscle fish out of foul ground. Fishing 2lb line and 4lb leader the idea is getting the ability to put really long casts in with ultrualight lures to bream feeding in 20cm of water. Yes its designed to be a Walpole wand basically.

Cheers for the input.

[Bear]

Brad,
In the BD's you can look at the Crankbait or the Flats Ranger.

HTH.

[Brad Y]

Being 7 foot the flats ranger was what i was thinking. Just not sure which model would be best 1-3kg or the 2-5kg. The ultra builds look really nice with the holographic guides but dont come in 1-3kg. I take it i can get the rear grip longer than it says on the site?

The crankbait is a 3-5kg and i was thinking it may be a little heavy for this application.

[Hooked]

Brad from my own experience the 1-3 kg flats is a awesome rod mate...l love its extra sensitivity in the tip and its casting range is totally mad ...dont get me wrong though this rod will bust the ball's of most bream if you dont let up on the pressure...keep the rod cranked and loaded is all ,as any deviation see's the fish swimming away with any softly ,softly approach.
l keep the pressure on ,as with the flex of the rod itself its enough to keep the 4lb leader intact. l now fish this rod round bridges and it has no touble taming fish up into the 42 cm mark so far.l must admitt the softness takes a little getting used too but once you do its a dream hey...cant recommend it enough for a great finessing rod for light work presentations.

Cheers Steve...

[Cindy]

Hi Brad,
I am having the Ultra guides custom made for the 1-3kg so they will be here before you are in need of them, if you decide to go that rod. The Ultra (holographics) are becoming popular on the other models so I have decided to have them made for the 1-3kg . So, no problems there.
Cheers,
Cindy

[Brad Y]

Great thanks Cindy.

So there would be no problem creating an ultra flat ranger 1-3kg with a 4inch rear grip? Im pretty sure that would be long enough for solid two handed casting...

What about the possibility of REC guides to keep weight down and sensitivity even higher? Or in your opinion is the ceramic guides a perfectly adequate option?

Thanks for your input

Brad

[Cindy]

Our rods and designs (including components) are lightweight so there is no problem with the ones we use. We personally don't like the REC.

As far as how light is the Flats 1-3kg, just ask a few of the guys in WA or see Sean to check his rod. Without getting into secrets , the rod is light for many reasons.
Cheers,
Cindy

[d-103]

Hi brad y,go a new daiwa steez blitz or harrier, i'd go the harrier myself.At the moment i'm using a Heartland Z Plug Sniper(Daiwa Pixy) and Cheetah(Daiwa Alphas) as i find with the 2lb braid you need a soft feeling rod, all the other's you have mentioned are a fast blank,i find thay kill the feel of the light braid as it need's a slow taper rod IMO.if B-D have one that can perform as good let me know i'll give it a try.

[Bear]

I wouldn't call the 1-3 a fast blank. The Crankbait is more that style. The 1-3 Flats is a light finesse rod that has become very popular with BD users and would be ideal for lighter lines.

[Cindy]

The Flats Ranger 1-3kg is more of a moderate action rod as Bear has said. The 1-3kg Flats Ranger is actually slower in taper than the 2-5kg. It is a very popular rod for finesse fishing.

[Dror]

Brad in the Millerods range the Bass Buster would probably be the most appropriate. I have one for the exact same use you are talking about. It can be customised to any extent you would like in terms of butt length, rod length and guide choice. Anything from alconites to RECs to Gold Cermets if you would like. You can have a look at mine if you like to get an idea of the blank.

Cheers, Dror

[matchangler]

nitro bream finnese for me brad chucks lures miles,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

[yeungy]

hey budy i would go for a shimano t curve ultra light cheap and reli good, reli sensitive and will neva pull out of fish

[Brad Y]

I held a t curve on the weekend and promptly put it back. The idea is to spend around $500 and get something totally weight minimal.

I can also consider a custom as well, as i have a full set of titanium Sic guides in my possession so im looking through some loomis GL3 and IMX blanks at the moment too.

There is apparently a new HLZ out but im unsure if its a seven footer, called the distance special in a mag taper but a well known rod enthusiast has suggested mag tapers arent what im looking for. I have felt the saegake but im a bit more convinced of its plastic abilities. And they made it 2 inches shorter than what i want minimum. I will check the net for more as i have the 6 foot jerking special already and its a great hb rod for structure. If they made it seven foot i wouldnt be in the market for anything else.

Dror i will catch up with you on the weekend and have a peek at it. In the mean time i will check Ians site.

Thanks

[CHUNQX]

If you'll settle for 2 inches shorter than your preferred 7 footer, there's a factory rod out there that will have all that you're requiring: Loomis Dropshot DSR820S GLX! REC guides, super super lightweight, long rear grip, super crisp feel... You might just need to add a bit more to your $500 budget though..