I have decided to switch my primary rods from Lami and Loomis to Century Stealths. These rods are so superior to the now decades old Lami and Loomis technology I am using now that the decision to switch rod blanks is in fact almost impossible to ignore. However , with the change in the rods the possibility that now is the time for other changes in how I do it will make for some very difficult decisions.

The 10 foot Stealth will be an all around rod like my Loomis 1266 is now and the 11 foot stealth will replace my XRA 1205 as my primary canal rod. I'll keep the Century Tip Tornado Light around for the days I need a 5 OZ orbetter but for the most part the 11 foot Stealth will become the work horse for my 95% of the time use of 2 to 4 OZ jigs.

Big decision to make will be whether to do the Canal rod a a conventional or move to one of the very specific spinner reels guys use at the canal , like an emblem Pro for example. I have been exclusively conventional for over a decade now and see no reason to change on the overall rod which can use any of the 6500 Abu reels or my Calcutta 400. The Canal thing though is easier to do casting wise with a good spinner and now that several models have stood the test of time I am weighing the benefits of the far easier casting with the bigger spinners. There is also the downside though in that the spinners are a lot heavier .

Now one unusual thing is that the 11 foot high performance rods are (IMO) best built using the new Kw guides. With the right choice of gathering guide and location , like a 25 ring at 45 inches or so (reel dependent) , The heights and locations you end up with doing a "modified Concept" (NGC/Fuji/Saltheart Hybrid) build, you can actually end up with a fairly good candidate for a switch hitter , casting or spinning set up. In the past this would mean a rod good at neither but now I think there are ways to make a rod that can be great using either reel. Guys have done this trying to use the Low Rider guides but I think the KW's are perfect for that type of Casting/Spinning set up. You do have to give up the trigger on the real seat if you are considering going both ways but that is something fairly easy to deal with.

I do hate to give up the easier jig working with the casting reels. Hands down it is a lot easier to let the jig out into the current with a revolving spool reel. The better fish landing ability of the casting reel was also a big plus but I thing these newer generations of spinning reels make that claim a little less secure compared to say a conventional vs an older Penn SS 15 years ago.

First time in a long time I have been considering any big changes in gear. One big development has been in the braided lines the last 5 years or so. I may want to see how the BG7000's perform using one or two of the newer lines as they have gone up in quality and selection lately while the Cortland spectron had the big dip in performance when they changed it about 5 years ago (maybe more now...time flies). I love those BG black reels and its very hard to leave gear that has been so reliable for so long.

So anyway , the all around rod with the 10 foot stealth (instead of the Loomis 1266) and a BG6500 , or 6500 mag elite or the calcutta 400 is an easy transition but going to the new 11 foot Stealth for the Ditch presents some difficult reel choices I haven't even had to consider for well over 10 years. In addition to the Emblem Pro , Big Dave showed me some other interesting Heavy Duty Spinners at the MSBA show. Being a rod builder , I am aware of so many interactions between the reel features like spool taper and up slope relative to the rod design and build that it really does become a huge decision matrix to unravel. Sometimes life is easier for the dumb Shytes who live happily, oblivious of the options , and just get a set up just like the one their friend has. :)

I have been ascared to open that door. :eek:

I looked at them again this week and remain even more unconvinced.

There is always so much hype around a new product.
Every year there seems to be a new "hot" rod.
Undeniably some have proven good, some not.
Much of the appeal of these new products, however, are the guide systems.
Most people are still fishing Lami's with guide layouts that make the rod fish like a club. The newer St Croixs and now the Century and CTS's are set up with much lighter guides and this makes them much nicer in hand. Not a fair comparison, and I can vouch that a GSB Lami with good guides is a fishing tool every bit the equal of anything else out there.

The other mistake people make (in part because of canal-centricity) is that they get seduced by casting ability. Fast action, or stiff midsection rods out cast slower blanks by a noticeable amount. But they take more work and tear on your body to do it. Slow action rods are much nicer to fish, particularly when throwing heavy plugs, for long periods of time from bad footing. They also fight fish with less hook tear out in my experience. Obviously lifting jigs in current or keeping line elevation in rocks can favor a stiffer blank.

What is encouraging is that I think CTS and Century both recognize this and are trying to include a parabolic series in their lines. I don't think, however, that either company has yet produced a parabolic rod that exceeds the big GSB Lami's.

Trying new stuff is fun, but before everyone with a GSB Lami is made to feel that their equipment is inferior, they may want to consider having there rod rewrapped with a better guide layout. Also, be aware that both companies are promising even newer products in the near future. You can be pretty sure that in 1-2 years most of these current blanks will be superseded by something else.

Have you looked at the Stealths specifically? If you have looked at the other Centuries there are some standouts and some you may think are based on modern builds , etc. The Stealths are the rods that are exciting me. There are only 2, the 10 footer and the 11 footer. The density of the fiber resin systems is immediately noticeable. The nano resin systems may be used in other but only in the Stealth among the typical rods we would use here for stripers , have been autoclaved. These nanoresins require the pressure cure. That doesn't come from Century. I looked up the nanoresin systems used and the manufacturer makes it very clear that you must pressure cure these system to get the big properties improvement the nano level composites can deliver.

Anyway , just curious if your opinion is on the Centuries in general or specifically about the 10 and 11 foot Stealths.

Anyway , just curious if your opinion is on the Centuries in general or specifically about the 10 and 11 foot Stealths.

Truthfully, I don't know. There are so many options between these new companies that I get lost.

At the shows I looked at the full CTS line. They had fast action rods called the surf series (I think) that seemed like they would cast the nutz but suck to fish for long periods, and a parabolic series that seemed slower than ideal. They had a different taper in their 10 foot series, something in between the surf and parabolic, but I looked at their 10 foot 1-3 and felt it was not much more than a skinnier version of the gsb1201L. I understand they have a 2-4 version that Back Beach built and likes but I don't recall that blank specifically. To confuse things further I looked at a CTS 10 footer at M&D's the other day and it seemed MUCH stiffer than the blank I bent at the show.

As for Century, I looked at a lot of their rods at MSBA and didn't notice much difference in taper between them. They all seemed like copies of the XRA1322 taper.......though a bit lighter/thinner/and in various weight ranges. I liked them, but it is telling that given a choice between a XRA 1322 or a GSB 1321M most bass fisherman over the last decade have preferred the 1321m for work outside the canal. That collective experience suggests that time has proven the 1321M taper a better "big rod-all night fishing in bad terrain" option. I did not see a Century rod that I felt matched that taper.

Interestingly, I did look at the $500 FMJ 12 foot rod there. Felt like it would cast a mile. At 15 oz it weighed the same as a 1321M built with titanium, but felt heavier in hand because of length. If I wanted a pure casting tool and didn't have to worry about riprap behind me I'd be tempted.

Again these rods are very nice and may well become the tools of choice. If I needed a 2 piece rod I'd buy one in a flash since they certainly seem better than any other 2 piece option out there. I would note that CTS is promising 1 piece blanks soon, and Century is promising some further high tech resin system soon. Probably I will wait for these to come along. In the meantime I am enjoying these rebuilt GSB blanks very much.

A quick question, if I may. I see the M is rated 4-12 and the L is 2-6 in the catalog and I was wondering how "accurate" these ratings are. 4-12 seems a bit much for what plugs I would ever be throwing. thanks in advance.

OK, there are indeed a lot of new blanks betweem CTS and Century.

The Stealths I am excited about are designated S1 1205 and S1 1326. The 10 footer is rated 1 to 4 and the 11 footer 1 to 5.

There is a slim chance you saw the 1205 at the MSBA show but its unlikely because when I went to Ryans table they showed me all the other ones but not the Stealth until I specifically asked for an autoclaved model. I am absolutely sure you did not see the 11 foot Stealth at MSBA.

I liked several of the non autoclaved rod models they showed me and especially the ss1327 for a canal option. I wouldn't bet the house on that designation though because as you say , there are so many unless you focused in on one in particular it would be hard to remember.

Wehn I say the 10 footer is for all around , I mean for general fishing along the shore or even on jetties but not in the canal or breachway type currents. For the canal etc I think the 11 footer is a better candidate.

Now some guys want different for the Canal. The Gorilla Jiggers want a pool cue (AS 1209 example) . I don't do it that way. In fact that is my complaint about the Century TTL . Its too much rod unless the current is really booking and you must use at least 4 and 5 even better. Those times are rare the way I jig the Canal but they do happen. I am mostly useing 3 way upcurrent so its down with little line tension then all I need to do is free spool to keep it down and of course I need enough in the rod to quickly get it up a few from the bottom if it starts to snag. For this I would say I am 15% at 2 OZ , 75 percent at 3 OZ and 10 percent at 4 OZ. Very few moon tide require me to go the 4 min to 5 range and for that I do switch to the TTL. Now for the way I mostly jig the best matches are the XRA 1205 and the XRA 1322. . Its these two rods that I think the Century 11 foot stealth will replace. the GSB 120 1M is a great rod and I build a lot of them but I personally like the XRA 1205 better. That's a matter of taste because they are similar in many ways.

So anyway , I am expecting to get several of each of the stealths. I'll have to twist up a couple and try to let people try them. These are the only two models where I think century has taken full advantage of the nanotech resin systems (of course that is just my opinion) in these lighter models they are just introducing.

For the very long monster rods 12 to 15 feet and $400 up for the blanks, that very fit and strong tourney casters are interested in , you'll have to get info from Big Dave. That is just not my arena.

rphud... If you are asking about the lami GSB 120 1L and GSB 120 1M , the 1L is a 1 to 3+ rod and the 1 M is a 2 to 5 rod. At least thats how I would rate them. Lami's catalog ratings are often meaningless.

I have the century 12'6 144 for fishing outside the canal paired with an empro A and like it alot. As far as conventional or spinning, I asked Ryan from Hatteras Jack and he said the century's have a soft spine and you could literally switch reels on the same rod and not worry too much. I might give it a whirl and see what happens. My other rods are Lami's. The lighter weight is nice when comparing them.

I find the taper of the 11' Century model that I have to be much more like the taper of the All Star GSW 1267/2 than the XRA 1322.

It's the version rated 2-5 oz, and I disagree that it'll be too fast to fish for long periods. It loads really easily, and it's like the St Croix models in the respect that less is more, when trying to get the best casting performance out of it. I've jigged with it as well as thrown plugs at breaking fish.

rphud, the catalog ratings on the GSB blanks are the biggest jokes in the rod building industry. The L blanks should be rated 3/4 oz to 3-1/2 oz, and the M's about 1-1/2 oz to 5.

Also, the continuing preference for the GSBs over the XRAs over the last decade, IMO, is due in main part to all of the internet hype about XRAs breaking. I see 1322s get abused almost every tide, along the Canal, and have formed the opinion that they're not at all that easy to break. But once a blank gets tagged with the "fragile" label, it's hard to break that, but in point of fact, the 1322 is the most powerful 11' blank that Lamiglas makes, at least in their one piece models. I've owned all 3--the 132 1M, the SSU 132 1MH, and the XRA 1322. I sold all of the 1Ms that I've owned and the one 132 1MH Supersurf. I've kept my two Arras, though.

Also, the continuing preference for the GSBs over the XRAs over the last decade, IMO, is due in main part to all of the internet hype about XRAs breaking. I see 1322s get abused almost every tide, along the Canal, and have formed the opinion that they're not at all that easy to break. But once a blank gets tagged with the "fragile" label, it's hard to break that, but in point of fact, the 1322 is the most powerful 11' blank that Lamiglas makes, at least in their one piece models.

Currently I have six XRA's, five in use, one laid up due to my misuse/abuse at he ditch. I don't have a problem with thier sustainability in any way shape or form. Thinking, just thinking, due to all the hype about a BIG Dave special.

Can't speak for the Allstars.....I was in a flyfishing phase during their heyday......which also teaches you a lot about the importance of blank tapers.

If I was to get an 11 foot Lami for the canal it would be a 1322, not a 1321M. For the rocks, I'll take the 1321M. Perhaps Century/CTS will change that, perhaps not. Certainly the 1322 sets a high standard as a canal plugging stick and the 1321M sets a high standard as a Montauk rod.

My point is not that the CTS and Century's are not good rods. Rather it is that the options already out there are very, very good when rebuilt with braid specific light guide systems.

My other point is that, just as with flyrods (and a lesson I am just relearning), although faster action rods cast farther they require more effort and a faster stroke to do so. Slower action rods slow you down, and slowing down can be a very good thing when throwing bulky plugs or rigged eels hour after hour through a long night.

When you test cast a rod, how light it is and how far it throws is what you notice. When you own a rod, how well it fishes and how often you reach for it is what you notice. The two are often not the same.

The Stealths I am excited about are designated S1 1205 and S1 1326. The 10 footer is rated 1 to 4 and the 11 footer 1 to 5.
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I am curious about the Stealth 10 foot 1-4. Have you cast this rod yet?
What is your impression of its sweet spot, closer to 3, closer to 2, or dead in the middle?

Understanding that its weight and taper may be different, where would it fit in the Lami line up of 1 piece 10 foot GSB/XRA/SSU's ?

Does Mike have them yet?

They're all good rods when they work the prob is that Lami has gotten to the point if you buy it and it's custom built there is no warrentee. You talk to a wall when one gets broke no matter why and getting a replacement is not easy. By the time your done if you pass the DNA test with a broken rod it cost almost as much to just buy a new one.The company's integrety is seriously suspect now. I've built so many rods over the yrs that it saddens me to see what corprate greed has done. never used to go through the bull you do now.One of the big reason for the hype is the number of hard cores and rod builders backing them that have gotten tired with fighting with Lami over their refusal to go by their warrentee.
The new kids are pushing the bar way beyond what the older companys want to acheive as it cuts in to stock options.Penn learned the hard way when Shimano came knocking with the braid reels.Your word is something you as a company can not loose or compromise.Lami has done that big time.

I'm anxious to see a 11' stealth,people who use the other model seem to love it.I'm reluctant to be a guinea pig at this stage though. I am happy with the GSB series,enough so that I can wait a little longer. When will the 11' stealth blanks be available?

I kind of thought so much. Thanks Mike!

My other point is that, just as with flyrods (and a lesson I am just relearning), although faster action rods cast farther they require more effort and a faster stroke to do so. Slower action rods slow you down, and slowing down can be a very good thing when throwing bulky plugs or rigged eels hour after hour through a long night.

When you test cast a rod, how light it is and how far it throws is what you notice. When you own a rod, how well it fishes and how often you reach for it is what you notice. The two are often not the same.

I don't know, George, I find the opposite to be true. Maybe it's just a matter of casting style. I cast medium/fast rods with much less effort than I do parabolic rods, and I find the exact opposite to also be true about footholds--I find it much easier to punch a cast out from shaky footing with a medium/fast taper rod, like an All Star, Mojo, or my latest Century. It's much harder to load a parabolic rod, at least for me, and the cast involves more of my body. I really need to step into a cast to get the maximum distance out of a softer rod.

What's the warrantee with the century .. If the product isn't backed up (lami) I don't want it .. Leaning towards St. Croix because they replaced a rod for me this past year (no questions asked) .. Mojo no good any more ? I broke my allstar 1208 this spring on a fish.. Love that rod as it suits me throwing light (red fins) and heavy (duckys ,,jiggs)..

Very interesting thread as I've been debating between a GSB 120 1M, a CTS 10 footer, and waiting to see one of these new centuries to be an all around 10 footer for me.

Its very hard to turn away from the GSB as the "all around, beat the snot out of it" blank. However, the faster action of my Legend is something I'm really starting to like and is really making me check out every option in this process.

As far as I know , the Century's have a lifetimr warrantee. I do not know all the details but I am pretty sure you redeem a warrantee claim through the US distributors , you do not hav e to deal with the UK manufacturer. I mention the high density of the cured resin/ fiber composite in the Stealths in the above posts. I think they will be tough as nails. I know they bent the 10 fppter more than I would ever dare do to any rod and it didn't hurt the rod. To purposely abuse the blanks the way they did at the MSBA show , they must have very high confidence in the blanks.

I have the 10 foot Stealth blank and of course I have been dry casting the bare blank to get a feel. It will be at its sweey spot at about 3 oz or 3 with a tail (like a 8 inch curltail). Its just like the XRA 1205 in that respect. I am not building it until I have an 11 footer in hand as I may adjust the build on each a little to make sure I cover all I need up to the very heavy stuff where I use the Century TTL.

Here is another thought.

A reel like the Stella 5000sw has the power and line capacity (in 30-40# good braid) of an old school 706 with #20 mono. To me that means the little reel should be able to handle any fish a 706 could handle (at least outside the canal). Yet the little reel weighs only 15 oz. That means with titanium guides, you can get a rod/reel combo capable of beating large fish that weighs about what most full sized reels weigh alone. The issue becomes finding a blank to handle the power of the reel, yet still balance well. Most 10 foot blanks with standard guide setups balance better with larger reels. Finding something as light or lighter than the GSB1201L, but with more mid shaft stopping power and a bit higher weight range could make me retire all this full sized spinning stuff very quickly. I'll be curious to see if the 10' Stealth is such a rod.

Yep, I agree. That's what I am talking about above when I mentioned the Emblem pro but also quite a few reels I don't know well that Dave had shown me at HJ's booth at MSBA. There's such a big change in both the reels and the rods that its going to take a lot of thought and gathering info to settle in on some combo's that will be fairly optimum for a decade like the XRA/Abu BG7000 combo was for me. Also the builds need to be figured out for each possible combination if they are to be really tweaked for performance as a fishing system.

Oh well , looking at , testing, combining fishing gear is a lot of fun all on its own!

What I really think the newer spinner reels should have is strong sealed gear sections that are fairly small and light but large tapered spools for the braid and about 2 to 3 degrees upsweep so that choker location can be strongly optimized using the spool diameter and the upsweep in the hybrid concept builds. With that kind of reel geometry it becomes easier to get the gathering guidse in line concentrically with the rest of the reduction guides. The reels Dave showed me appeared to fit the bill but my mind is a total blank as to what reels (brands, model numbers, etc) they were.

For me ,another lucky coincidence is the timing of the introduction of both the Century Stealth blanks and the KW guides. It could not have been better if they (Century and Fuji) had planned these events together. The blanks and those guides seem to be made for eachother (although those L sizes in the KW guides are a little behind the schedule and they are needed).

I've only made a few casts with the 10' Stealth, at the demo that Big Dave put on at the Scussett pier about a month ago. It was a factory set-up, and the reel seat placement wasn't ideal for someone my height. I made a few casts with a Daiwa SP minnow. That's not an good plug for judging how a rod throws, because in my experience, they fly as far on most rods, with most reels/guide set-ups. It throws about the same on my 1322 with a COF guide set-up, my 3/4-4 Mojo with a less-than-ideal LC set-up, and on my HJ 1327 Century with a K-frame set-up. It's a good casting plug for a plastic minnow swimmer, but it's not the best for showing what a rod is capable of.

If I remember correctly, the factory Stealth came with a HH frame hardaloy first guide, and single foot hardaloys the rest of the way.

I picked up the 10' stealth blank at the msba show but I have not built on it yet. I set it up a bunch of different ways, NGC, traditional, a blend of the 2. When I was test casting it, the sweet spot seemed to be down around 2.5 oz, but almost all my plugs (and there are a lot of them) are over 3. It could cast them but to me it felt overloaded and I'm curious if anyone else is throwing over 3 with it and what their impression is of it with plugs over 3 or 3.25. When I was test casting 3 1/4 ounce pencils my allstar 1145-2 which in some ways is a very similar rod, was outcasting the stealth by on average 10 cranks of my vs and I spent hours test casting it with 3 different guide layouts before deciding to go another route.

For customs the 10 footer could be made well with KW's and KT's and even LAG's.
The 11 footers is going to be exciting because you could possibly go with 4 differet styles on one rod as you go from KW's to MN's and then possibly to LAG's and LN's. :). Might have to have a few beers to expand the creativity parts of the brain to figure that one out.

The reels are likely the Shimano Power Aero Albrid CI4 (or C14?) and the Shimano Bulls Eye 9120xt.

I think both are JDM reels (which means issues getting them fixed). Both are much lighter than the Emblem pro. The Bulls eye runs about 19 oz, the CI4 more like 15-16 oz, but the CI4 is a medium reel, line capacity is less but adequate in the "thick line" version, and it uses a carbon fiber frame that scares some people. It does 12 kg (@25lbs) of drag and runs in the $275 range. The Bulls eye looks like it would be a premier canal reel but at a premier price, 20kg (@40lbs) of drag, many spool size options, and about 450-500 bucks.

Two cool reels and very tempting.

I picked up the 10' stealth blank at the msba show but I have not built on it yet. I set it up a bunch of different ways, NGC, traditional, a blend of the 2. When I was test casting it, the sweet spot seemed to be down around 2.5 oz, but almost all my plugs (and there are a lot of them) are over 3. It could cast them but to me it felt overloaded and I'm curious if anyone else is throwing over 3 with it and what their impression is of it with plugs over 3 or 3.25. When I was test casting 3 1/4 ounce pencils my allstar 1145-2 which in some ways is a very similar rod, was outcasting the stealth by on average 10 cranks of my vs and I spent hours test casting it with 3 different guide layouts before deciding to go another route.

I, or rather my girlfriend, has been using the 10 stealth for about a month now. The rod is extremely light, allowing her to get decent distance with smallish plugs. For her, the sweetspot is around 1-1/2. I used on MV throwing tins at Wasque and was surprised that it threw 4 but loved 3. I also threw plugs up to about 2-1/2 and it was fine. It really doesn't feel like it will launch large wind resistant plugs too well but I could be wrong. For bombers and small to midsize plugs and medium eels, it has performed very well.

I just wanted to say for the record that the century product lines have absolutely nothing in common with lamiglass. Nothing at all. No tapers, and certainly not any actions. When these rods were developed lami was not even a thought. In-fact I don't think that the folks at century have ever seen a lami.
For the past 30 years lami has been king of the northeast. But at one time so was the Squidder.

What has me personally so excited about Century is not only are they one of the best blank manufacturers in the world. (and have been for a couple decades plus ) They made a commitment to build rods for the Northeast bass fishermen. This really changes the game for fishermen here in New England. One of the main reasons people recomend lami is they are the only choice commonly available in shops around our area. Not many are willing to take a shot and spend good money on blanks they have never seen. But again thats changing as well. These are really nice sticks and I am really happy that there doing well in all the shops there in.
From the 8 foot popping rods to the 12 ultimate distance plugging rods and everything inbetween. These are high quality,light weight, casting and fish fighting machines. If anyone wants to try them they are welcome to ask me, or if they want reviews I suggest asking someone who bought one.

I've talked with a few rod builders in New zealand,England,Germany and Australia before I commited to building these rods . I got the same comments as to how well they cast and hold up.The commitment by the company to go into building rods for the way we fish using the new technologies that corprate America wouldn't spend the money on is impressive. I've built hundreds of rods over the yrs and these rods are hard to compare anything we've seen to. Diawa has done a little and All Star but these are a different animal.I've put over a dozen of them together and even 4 for me and love the way they work and feel.The ability to use such a variety of size plugs with each rod is unreal.I fished one of the med 11ftrs all night long the other night and didn't get worn down like my 1322 arra does to me.I fished swimmers from 1.5 oz to 3.5. Big an small darters plus needles and the feel was very nice. Good sensetivity to feel the light hits an all.Still haven't been able to break one also LOL. Gonna make a nice addition for us to use up here.

JUST ABOUT DONE WITH MY CENTURY 2-5 OZ. 11' AND WAITING FOR MY SHIMANO ALBRID AERO C14 TO COME IN THE MAIL GOING TO LOAD WITH JB BRAID 40#.OH I CANT WAIT.WATCH OUT FISH THAT WERE OUT OF REACH IN THE MIDDLE.

I believe from the static stress tests on the 10 foot stealth that they load very easily at the lighter end but you do not get into the real power of the blank unless you push them. I would liken them to a long bow. The first foot or more is very easy to draw , then the next foot is a little harder , but its the last 4 inches or so where you build up the real power that the bow can deliver.

I think as more people get the Centuries and they are not "brand new" for everyone , people will start to lean into them and then they will see that babying these rods will rob you of there best performance. The real power in the 10 foot setalth seems to start kicking in after the first say 3 feet or so are well bent. As the bend gets into the 3 through 4th foot down the blank , thats where the power is to handle say 4 but really crush 3+. Now I haven't got the 11 footer yet but I expect that this zone of power in the 11 footer will start to come into play at 3 oz and well through 4oz. We will see.

I can tell you that the 11' HJ 1327 tosses and lifts a 3 oz head and Sluggo as easily as any rod that I've ever fished. It's not "just" a plugging rod. IMO it's a very versatile Canal tool. I think it can easily handle another ounce or two. But on these off tides, 3 oz is all I need to stay down.

I can tell you that the 11' HJ 1327 tosses and lifts a 3 oz head and Sluggo as easily as any rod that I've ever fished. It's not "just" a plugging rod. IMO it's a very versatile Canal tool. I think it can easily handle another ounce or two. But on these off tides, 3 oz is all I need to stay down.

yeah, that rod seems very versatile.. have't tried it yet with jigs but laying into 3.5oz plugs as hard as I can didn't bother the rod at all.. Cast real nice and has landed fish up to 30lbs on a moon tide right when I first got it.. Pretty impressive for such a light rod.. The 1328/1329 may be next on my list for jigging!

one thing for sure is you don't have to baby them. if you can break one of these in a cast I'd be surprised.Maybe trying to powercast an 8 oz jig but even then I'm not so sure.

Anyone care to share there guide layouts on there 11' Centurys? I'm intrigued by these since everyones talking about them.

Anyone care to share there guide layouts on there 11' Centurys? I'm intrigued by these since everyones talking about them.

I have 7 K-frame guides, starting with a 30 mm set right above the ferrule. I'm not sure whether the last 2-3 running guides at 10 mm or 8 mm.

Would a sustain 8000 be a little big for the 10 ft stealth ?

Why do I do this to myself ?

Would a sustain 8000 be a little big for the 10 ft stealth ?

Why do I do this to myself ?

The rod that the Century guys brought to the demo at the fish pier had a Daiwa Exceller 4500 on it, which is about the same size as an 8000 Shimano. It felt pretty good.

These rods seem to be getting a lot of praise from the canal / jigging / plugging guys, but how are they for eeling? I can't effectively fish an eel on a fast blank. This is why the GSB1201M still rules when I am tossing eels. How come no mention of the St. Croix Legends yet? I wrapped myself the 11' 3 -8 for heavy plugs and eels and have been extremely happy with it so far this season.
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Im talking about two rods here, the 10 and 11 foot stealths. The 10 footer (which i bought theblank atthe MSBA Show) is an all around plugging and eeling rod. The 11 footer is what i hope will be a canal rod buti don't have one yet.
This thread is about my plans to switch from a loomis 1266 and Lami xra1205 to a 10foot century stealth and 11foot stealth respectively. Why would it mentionStCroix? But since you ask , I have had zero interest inSt Croix product for a long time. Only ones i ever considered were the Ben Doers 20 years ago and i went Loomis and Lami instead at that time.

The Sustain 8000 works sweet on the 10 ft 6 and the 11. Nice balance.I put a Saltiga surf5000 on the 11 ftr and it is a very nice combo if you wanna go light weight.LOL and I still haven;t broke one yet LOL

I tried the 10 ft 6 the other night with snakes an it worked very nice.I was throwing 14 to 20 in eels.

OKAY so ummm. . . . how much is the 10 foot stealth all twisted up with low riders ?
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Your better off with the K frames on that rod.The low riders work better on 11 ft and up.Low price is around 325 as materials is about 225 give or take with alconites. if SIC used well add at least another 50 or so.thats with no fancy stuff in the way of wraps.Thats if the person you get to build it is a freind and eats the shipping and gives you a break on putting it together. Realistic price is around 400

A quick look at my post 24 shows there are a lot of possible builds. Guide choices can vary by app , reel and line and their placement will vary by size and frame style. I haven't worked them out yet as I want to do both the 11 and 10 at the same time. I may do the 10 sooner.I am also waiting for some data I requested from Fuji that I want to factor in. Custom rods need detailed input from the customer so at this point there are no exact layouts.

I would not see any reason to use low riders on either of these rods. You could use 1-20 ring lc but only if by some quirk 20 or 25 kw isn't better. In post 24 I list the likely guide candidates depending on the applications. kw's and mn's will almost certainly be the basic guides that may be used all the way or switched near the tip but not in all cases.

I think the numbers Stripermaniac listed are pretty good for fully custom although they may go up or down a little do to exact details of the custom builds.Artwork is extra. At this point the biggest bang for the buck are ss framed alconite guides.

I should point out that i have written a lot lately about my guess (no facts, just my guess) that Fuji will discontinue lc's (low riders) at some point unless the kw's do not prove to be as anti fouling as they predict.

Hey Saltheart hows that test going? Just got finished with several of those and am wondering how it's coming for you. Ron

I can say the 11" Century 3-7 oz casts very well. 3-5oz plugs and jigs no problem. Surprisingly it does handle a 2oz pencil extremely well, I was very surprised with it at the lower weights. It does load differently, slighlty stiffer but to me its not a real stiff rod. Jigs up to 5oz in full canal current are no issue, really good "feel" in the rod. I'm impressed. I have heard other rods desribed as "telephone poles" this isn't one of them. I frequent the ditch if anyones interested in trying it.

anyone have feedback on the slingshot 1145? Im debating the new 9' ish rod to throw lighter stuff. Ive been up in the air on this vs a gsb108 vs a cts 906.

Hey Saltheart hows that test going? Just got finished with several of those and am wondering how it's coming for you. Ron

I am hampered by health issues for the last several weeks. I hope to get back to this project soon but right now I am laying low.

These rods seem to be getting a lot of praise from the canal / jigging / plugging guys, but how are they for eeling? I can't effectively fish an eel on a fast blank. This is why the GSB1201M still rules when I am tossing eels. How come no mention of the St. Croix Legends yet? I wrapped myself the 11' 3 -8 for heavy plugs and eels and have been extremely happy with it so far this season.
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The Stealth series is supposed to be fairly parabolic, whereas the HJ series (now called the Sling Shot series) are moderate/fast rods.

Actually, the 11 HJ that I have isn't markedly different from the 10-1/2' MH Legend and Mojo rods from St. Croix. Besides being a couple of ounces lighter. Very similar tapers.

Wondering if Saltheart is A) OK and B) any further on with the 10' Stealth wrap and research? Hope your OK. Thanks.

Saltheart, In your opinion, can the 11 ft'er lob a big shad( 5oz)? Thanks...

Whoops, just realized this is a 5 month old thread and tlapinksi listed the rating so I'm guessing it can no problem...

Got to be specific. The Century 11 foot 1327...No problem. The 11 foot Stealth2, although rated 1-5 , 5 OZ is too heavy IMO.

Reading this thread is pumping me up for the rod building class.

Sat morning will be here in no time! :)

Thanks, Saltheart.

Wondering if Saltheart is A) OK and B) any further on with the 10' Stealth wrap and research? Hope your OK. Thanks.

I'm doing much better thanks. No A Fib for over 6 weeks. Doctor says don't get too disappointed if it comes back until after 6 months but so far so good. He says if it still good after 6 months I'm likely fixed permanently.

I worked out the builds on the Stealth 1 for spinners. I have not done anything about conventionals. I decided on all KW's in Alconite. I opted out of the KT and KL single foot guides and also out of the MN guides (all were considered as running guides) as there didn't seem to be any advantage to them over the KW's. If Someone were only going to use a small spooled reel with very thin braid to increase line capacity , I might go with 8's as running guides and then I might reconsider the Kt's but still might choose KW's. It would be a sound build though with size 8 KT's.

I also looked into using one size 20 LC but decided against that and opted for a 25 KW to get the height and the extra 5 MM on the ring just means it will be a hair closer to the guide but still pretty far out there for most reels. However , a single LC 20 or HV 20HH would also be viable options for the stripper but 20HH guides will be hard to find now (even when they were available they could only be found in Hardloy or SiC , not Alconite) and I would not use an LC on a 10 footer with this action. Some guys might but not me.

So that about sums up my work on the Stealth 1 as Spinners. I have decided not to give out specific guide placement info anymore ( here or on SOL) as the NGC builds change a little for each reel and reel seat placement (and I got tired of arguing about it :) ) . With the info here , if you know what you are doing at all , you can build a good casting , high performance rod.

Fun sometimes is,t it saltheart. I love it when someone ask,s advice then argues it LOL.A note to all. Those of us that build rods share so you have a place to start. If you want us to build you a rod just ask.All rods will be little different as each reel seat is placed a little different so guide spacing and end performance will vary in each rod.We're happy to help anyone anytime.Striper Maine-iac

Thanks for the replies. Keep 'em coming.

Saltheart... glad you're better and staying better. I had a year of cancer treatments and surgeries and now I've had a year of clear tests so, as they say, "I can feel ya".

Have you or anyone fished this blank... or cast it for a good while? I would like to know what it does best, what you who built it intend to use/fish it for? How and what weights and lures or jigs or eels and plastics it casts best. I guess what I am looking for is why these are so well liked (if they are), what they are liked for, pluses, minuses? Are they better as a spinning blank, conventional.. or both ways is fine. I LIKE INFORMATION!!. It's how I learn. Thanks for all the help... and I will be looking to have it wrapped. :)

Can't wait for the class on Saturday and meeting everyone.

I got to play around with the rod a little while we were on block, our fishing buddy had one.

The rod is extremely light, great plugging and bucktailing rod. Tons of backbone. Throws everything from 1/2 oz bucktails to 3 oz plugs with no effort.

Small riggies were too much for it.

I would say anything over 3.5oz is pushing it.

Unfortunetly the fishing sucked the week we were there but the rod has landed fish up to 38/40 lbs.

I can't wait to build this rod as it's going to be my go to light plug and bucktail rod.
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I cast a while (couldn't fish-heart thing) with tied on guides and its a nice action for plugs and eels to 3 OZ. Its rated to 4 but I wouldn't cast 4 with it. Its not too fast which means its a good eel rod. You shouldn't cast off eels like very fast action rods. The ferrels are super tight (actually machined fits not molded) so its like casting a one piece rod but able to transport it in your car easily and to lock it inside when not in use. Its not a 50 /50 rod. Its about 6 1/2 feet on tip section and about 3 1/2 feet on the but section. This is good because if it were 50/50 you'd be having trouble putting the guides exactly where you want them without the ferrel getting in the way.

The first thing that struck me about these rods was how much the guys from hatteras jacks were willing to abuse them with big bends to 90 degrees and pulling like heck right at the show in front of everybody. Obviously they have confidence in these rods. I already have a Century and they cast very well. Its a light rod , yet durable.

It has a funny power. While it flexes easily to cast lighter stuff , it really stiffens up under heavy bends as when you would be fighting a fish. Kind of ideal. I call it an all around plugging and eeling rod for up to 3 OZ.

Most eels run 2 to 3 OZ (Decent size eels were 7 to the pound typically when people sold them that way) so I don't see an issue there.

Mike you have any experience with the 11 foot sling shot, model # 1328? It's rated 3 to 7oz.

I need something for big riggies and bigger plugs like GRS and big metal lips.

You think that's a good fit?
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I was just playing with the Sling Shot 1328 today in fact. :) Its a great rod. Again , fairly flexible at first but then it gets really powerful on further loading.

As long as the lures , etc are up in the 4 OZ range or better I think its a good fit. If they are 3 to 4 the 1327 might be a better fit.

Chris I have one. If you want to throw it we can meet up, I like it. Skippy has rod envy over it...let me know.
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Andy I would love to take you up on that offer.

I need a rod that I can throw large rigged eels with, large plugs 3.5oz and up, but mostly a rod that will throw riggies.
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Are you using a squid on these rigged eels? If not , I would think the 3 to 5 rod would be plenty for any eel rigged with just hooks. Can't beat trying one out though since Andy has one.

Anyway , we can talk about it on Saturday.

Are you using a squid on these rigged eels? If not , I would think the 3 to 5 rod would be plenty for any eel rigged with just hooks. Can't beat trying one out though since Andy has one.

Anyway , we can talk about it on Saturday.

Thought the 1328 was rated 3-7? Not trying to be picky but i got numbers flying around my head, and with the amount of room inside there these things can easily get confused.
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No just a basic riggie, but 16" size, they usually weigh 4 to 5oz.

Figure I'll try both of andys and talk to you on Saturday
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Thought the 1328 was rated 3-7? Not trying to be picky but i got numbers flying around my head, and with the amount of room inside there these things can easily get confused.
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Yes the 1328 is 3 to 7 but there is a 1327 that is 2 to 5.

Yes the 1328 is 3 to 7 but there is a 1327 that is 2 to 5.

The 1327 is rated 2-5, but I don't have any problems throwing an SP minnow on it. They go about 1-1/8 oz.

The 1327 is rated 2-5, but I don't have any problems throwing an SP minnow on it. They go about 1-1/8 oz.

Ditto!!

Chris, the 1328 is going to probably be more than you need, check out the 1327, like Mike said above it throws under 2 oz. stuff pretty damn good as well as up to 5, and with good distance and less effort. Also check out the SPOD 3-6 oz. that's the blank that Gary S. caught his 50 on.