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[dave c]

Does anyone have experience with these blanks. Are they comparable to sage?  For a centerpin rod model?

[Dave]

Does anyone have experience with these blanks. Are they comparable to sage?  For a centerpin rod model?

Rainshadow blanks are excellent valu, I've built lots for people and all seem to like them.  Contact Chad at Valley Custom Rods. He sells them and is the Rainshadow expert.

[stsfisher]

About 5 years ago I had the pleasure of fishing a rainshadow c-pin  built by a fellow who did not fish gear but wanted a build he could use for clients to see what he could build for them. If my memory is correct it was a 1236 rx7 blank? I do remember it being a little on the light side for steelhead, but perfect for your average Coho, pink, fishery with the line rating approx 8 - 12lb I think.
I actually really enjoyed the feel of this rod and was very sad to give it back. I would say the quality and feel is like a sage and would not hesitate to own one or more myself. That day will come when kids are out of the house.
I do have a Batstone catalog with the blank and components highlighted that I will check later to see if my memory  is correct on the blank.

[stsfisher]

1383F RX8 Blank. Built with high end Alps components.

[sugartooth]

I’ve shattered the top half of my rx7 blank 3 times in 2 years.
First time on a coho. Second time on a foul hooked pink. Third time on another coho. I’ve landed chum,steelhead and springs on this rod with no issues. Don’t know why it shattered on smaller salmon. I will not be rebuilding it again.

[Every Day]

I own quite a few rainshadow rods now. At first, I had my reservations about them as I had broken almost every single one I got. The one positive in that, is that their warranty was/is fantastic. After this past year of very heavy use, I'm beginning to think that my initial breaking spree was just poor luck. I very much enjoy them and reach for them each time out the door.

I have quite the variety going.

I have the IMMCP110M-4TC blank - their true centerpin blank. If I'm being completely honest, I find this one kind of cumbersome and heavy. You could possibly fix that by lighter components and cork, but I find it to be top heavy. If I were to get one built again, I would most definitely get a really heavily weighted butt to try and balance it better (I'm fairly certain that would make it feel better). I would even consider a longer bottom section so I could tuck it under my forearm (I typically prefer a short 4-5 inch bottom section, I'd probably go 6-7 inches if I built this one again). Strangely enough though, I reach for it a lot. It just feels solid, and I've never managed to break it despite numerous abuses and hits/falls. I use it all the time for Chinook and steelhead in bigger systems like the sproat/stamp and Vedder. I just recently got the lighter 13 foot 2 piece version of this IMMCP blank and haven't tried it yet - I'll try to update once I've used it a bit. It feels slightly better for the balance, still a bit heavy feeling, and I'm a little concerned about hook sets and larger fish (It's a complete noodle).

Perhaps my favorite rod by rainshadow has been the REVF1087-4SB blank built into a pin. It's insanely light and very well balanced. It's a super fun rod for coho and smaller steelhead rivers/summer runs. I'm in the process of getting one in the 8wt built to see how much heavier it is than the 7 wt. I actually used it a couple times this fall on the somass when kitty grabbed my beefier pin. It felt scary, but handled it fine overall, and I managed to land a couple mid 20 pound chromer Chinook within 10 minutes in very high water; I wouldn't make it a regular occurrence though. One thing I'll mention is that I wouldn't bush crash regularly with this rod. I've broken it from bush crashing and bruising it - the high modulus graphite doesn't seem to like any sort of smack, such as a branch flinging back and hitting it. The IMMCP blanks seem to handle a beating much better. If the Vedder or something similar without thick bush is your primary flow though, I'd highly recommend the REV blank.

[Morty]

Also check with Russ Goodwin at Stryker Custom Rods.  He knows Rainshadow (and others)
https://strykerrods.com

[psd1179]

I own quite a few rainshadow rods now. At first, I had my reservations about them as I had broken almost every single one I got. The one positive in that, is that their warranty was/is fantastic. After this past year of very heavy use, I'm beginning to think that my initial breaking spree was just poor luck. I very much enjoy them and reach for them each time out the door.

I have quite the variety going.

I have the IMMCP110M-4TC blank - their true centerpin blank. If I'm being completely honest, I find this one kind of cumbersome and heavy. You could possibly fix that by lighter components and cork, but I find it to be top heavy. If I were to get one built again, I would most definitely get a really heavily weighted butt to try and balance it better (I'm fairly certain that would make it feel better). I would even consider a longer bottom section so I could tuck it under my forearm (I typically prefer a short 4-5 inch bottom section, I'd probably go 6-7 inches if I built this one again). Strangely enough though, I reach for it a lot. It just feels solid, and I've never managed to break it despite numerous abuses and hits/falls. I use it all the time for Chinook and steelhead in bigger systems like the sproat/stamp and Vedder. I just recently got the lighter 13 foot 2 piece version of this IMMCP blank and haven't tried it yet - I'll try to update once I've used it a bit. It feels slightly better for the balance, still a bit heavy feeling, and I'm a little concerned about hook sets and larger fish (It's a complete noodle).

Perhaps my favorite rod by rainshadow has been the REVF1087-4SB blank built into a pin. It's insanely light and very well balanced. It's a super fun rod for coho and smaller steelhead rivers/summer runs. I'm in the process of getting one in the 8wt built to see how much heavier it is than the 7 wt. I actually used it a couple times this fall on the somass when kitty grabbed my beefier pin. It felt scary, but handled it fine overall, and I managed to land a couple mid 20 pound chromer Chinook within 10 minutes in very high water; I wouldn't make it a regular occurrence though. One thing I'll mention is that I wouldn't bush crash regularly with this rod. I've broken it from bush crashing and bruising it - the high modulus graphite doesn't seem to like any sort of smack, such as a branch flinging back and hitting it. The IMMCP blanks seem to handle a beating much better. If the Vedder or something similar without thick bush is your primary flow though, I'd highly recommend the REV blank.

The IMMCP110M-4TC is rated 6-12. Did it handle chinook easily?

[Every Day]

The IMMCP110M-4TC is rated 6-12. Did it handle chinook easily?

Very easily. I've never once felt under-gunned on that rod for Anything.

[Spoonman]

.....I have an isa 1355 f  but they are discontinued....     ....11 ft 3 10/20 # ....sensitive tip lots of backbone...a bit tip heavy but great for big fish in big water yet still fun with small fish....