Ultralight rods with tiny diameter tips

[fishmounter]

One of my favorite ultralight rods is an old Quantum Micro MS-54SUL which I believe was made by Zebco. I have it matched up with an equally old tiny Daiwa Spinmatic 500T reel and 2 lb test Izorline. Both rod and reel were probably purchased in the early 1990s, but are still in great shape and I am very careful with it. Although this set up is an inexpensive one, it is a joy to use on my nearby Lake Perris that has an abundant population of large Bluegill. This rod has a small diameter overall, but has an extremely small diameter tip, and because of this feature I can use the tinniest lures and detect subtle bites quite easily, not to mention how much fun it is to fight even a small sized fish.
These rods were discontinued some time ago and I cannot find UL rods like this at any of my local stores. I thought someone here on this site might have some info for me.
Are there other rod manufacturers that make UL rods with such small diameter tips? Does anyone know if rod blanks like this are available somewhere? Thanks in advance.

[shinbob]

Wow, that's a small rod tip! Can you put a micrometer on it to measure it exactly? I'd guess from the picture that the tube size is about a 3 (measured in 64ths of an inch). The smallest spinning rod blank I could find has a size 4 top tube.

If you can't find a similar manufactured rod, you might want to consider building one from a fly rod blank. This one is the smallest I could easily find, has a size 3.5 tip which is pretty close, and is a 2wt blank, which should be pretty light action.

http://www.mudhole.com/MHX-F662-3-MHX-Fly-Rod-Blank

It's a 6'6" blank, but it's a 3-piece so you could just use the top two sections, which should give you a 4'4" rod, pretty close to your 54" rod.

Your best bet however is probably just to check ebay often to see if one comes up for sale. I see that one was listed last year but expired.

[fishmounter]

Hey thanks for that info shinbob. I just found out from an "expert" in fishing rods that the only American manufacturer of fishing rods that makes a rod with a "solid tip" like mine is Phenix. He said that I may have to go to a JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) to find the ultralight rod I want, and to be prepared to fork out some serious cash for it. I did find a rod that looks like what I want in a small photo I found. A Micro Master Super Featherlite one piece rod. It looks like it may have the small tip, hard to tell. I'll give them a call to find out.

[old pudd fisher]

Hey Jeff check out this old ultralight rod. Not a small tip but was my first ultralight and I still use it. Got it for Christmas 1971 Its a Ted Williams from Sears. I bet miles of fishing line went through those rod guides over the years and I still love it.

[fishmounter]

Hi Ted. Yeah I have a few old rods from clear back in the 1960s that were great rods at the time, but nothing like what is available now, if you have the money to spend. I guess I'm just going to have to be satisfied with what I have now because I just can't see paying over $100 for an ultralight rod. My favorite little Bluegill rod probably didn't cost more than 30 bucks back in '97. I should have bought several. Matched with an older tiny Diawa Spinmatic 500T that has a great smooth drag and 2 lb test, I can't find any outfit that gives me more fun when catching those jumbo-sized Bluegill that you can't put your hand around. I'm sure I'm smiling when I get hooked up!

[DarkShadow]

http://www.megabass.co.jp/site/products/ptb-50xul-2/

That'd be my go to if I fished light line.

[shinbob]

http://www.megabass.co.jp/site/products/ptb-50xul-2/

That'd be my go to if I fished light line.

That's a pretty pricey rod -- 46,000 yen is about $400.

[DarkShadow]

That's a pretty pricey rod -- 46,000 yen is about $400.

Once America is Great Again®, it'll be about $350 once the Yen takes a dive.

I just realized it's a Boron rod. I haven't seen a Boron rod since the 1st gen Phenix rods.

[shinbob]

Once America is Great Again®, it'll be about $350 once the Yen takes a dive.

I just realized it's a Boron rod. I haven't seen a Boron rod since the 1st gen Phenix rods.

But with new tariffs, it'll be a wash.

Boron rods? Heavier and more brittle than graphite, but at least they're more expensive. Win-win.

[DarkShadow]

But with new tariffs, it'll be a wash.

Boron rods? Heavier and more brittle than graphite, but at least they're more expensive. Win-win.

Apparently the majority of the rod blank is carbon (aka, graphite) with boron used as 'reinforcement.'

This model is completely carbon:

http://www.megabass.co.jp/site/products/pt-56xul-2/

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I know the Daiwa Iprimi line is pretty cost effective, averaging a little over $100. The 5'6" model and apparently has a top tip diameter of 0.8 mm according to the specs:



Of course you can always go with the Pressos, but even the shortest model will run you about a pair of Ferragamo loafers. The tip diamater is also 0.8 mm according to the specs:



2015 had the "Silver Creek" models, but those also ran almost $300, and tip diameters being larger, at 1.2 mm for the shorter models:



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Majorcraft has quite a few models available also.

The Finetail Banshee (Stream) is about $250, and pretty to look at....don't have the specs on the tip top diameter.


The Finetail Banshee (Area) is almost like the Stream model above, but use foam instead of cork.


Their regular "Finetail" models offer some pretty interesting sizes, everything for a 3'8" model to larger 9'2" models, at affordable prices, around $150 for the 6 foot models:


The "Nextino Area" and "Nextino Stream" models are about $100, and come in 5'8" to 6'6" models:



Finally, the "Trapara Area" models are about $65, and come in various configurations as well from 5'6" to 6'6" models.


The "Trapara Native" models are but offer configurations from 5" to 11", and prices are about the same as their "Area" line.


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Of course, with manufacturers like Palms, Shimano, Tailwalk, Tenryu, Varivas, and Yamagas also offering ultralight trout rods, the possibilities are endless.