# 605 C.T.S. blank



## surf rat (Jun 30, 2004)

I have one on the Way. There is one other one in the U.S.( main land ) that I am aware of. It is carbon 13 ft rated for 8-10 oz and weighs 22 oz. I hear it is like an outcast blank on steroids. The rod is built in New Zealand.


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## Newsjeff (Jul 22, 2004)

Rat, I can't wait to see this rod.  

A buddy of mine said Fishsticks had a 13' CTS rod in their shop??? It was the first time he'd even heard of the company, so he wasn't sure which one it was.

I wonder if it's the Makoi 605 I have my eye on??? 

Please give me a call when you get it.


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## Don B (Jul 28, 2001)

Newsjeff said:


> Rat, I can't wait to see this rod.
> 
> A buddy of mine said Fishsticks had a 13' CTS rod in their shop??? It was the first time he'd even heard of the company, so he wasn't sure which one it was.
> 
> ...


Merrick Tackle is the only authorized wholesaler of CTS Makoi blanks. CTS has pledged not to sell any Makoi blanks to anyone other than myself. So, the two Makoi 605 blanks that I sent to Merrick should be the only two available on the mainland.

However, this does not mean that CTS will not stick another label on the blanks and sell them.

Don


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## Newsjeff (Jul 22, 2004)

Don B said:


> Merrick Tackle is the only authorized wholesaler of CTS Makoi blanks. CTS has pledged not to sell any Makoi blanks to anyone other than myself. So, the two Makoi 605 blanks that I sent to Merrick should be the only two available on the mainland.
> 
> However, this does not mean that CTS will not stick another label on the blanks and sell them.
> 
> Don


Don, I doubt Fishsticks has the Makoi blank it their shop. I wouldn't be too worried about any pledge break. 

My buddy had no idea which rod he saw. 

In fact, I'm not 100 percent sure the rod he called me about was 13'.


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## Heaver (Feb 7, 2001)

*CTS Makoi 605 II*

I have one of those blanks in my rod lathe as we speak. Building it for a hard core surf fisherman. He may be reading this post for all I know. Hope you don't mind me posting a pic of your blank! The rod is a monster of a blank. It is very powerful. Definitely not a rod for anyone buying their first heaver (blank, rod).

Yes, the blank is 13' long.

Yep, the rod does remind me of the giant u'lua (trevalle jack (big ones)) rods we used to fish with from the rocks on the north side of Oahu. The two u'lua rods I owned had titanium tubing over the butts to withstand abrasion from the rocks.


Lou

Lou


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## basstardo (Jun 5, 2006)

Fishsticks does have a CTS blank. I held it the other day. That thing is super nice. Felt super stiff and wasn't realy heavy, but had a bit of weight to it.


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## surf rat (Jun 30, 2004)

Where is fish sticks?


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## basstardo (Jun 5, 2006)

Fishsticks4u are in Providence Forge, VA. That's where they have their warehouse of sorts. Call them up and if you're local, stop in and say hey. They're great guys who will do you right.


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## Don B (Jul 28, 2001)

Heaver said:


> I have one of those blanks in my rod lathe as we speak. Building it for a hard core surf fisherman. He may be reading this post for all I know. Hope you don't mind me posting a pic of your blank! The rod is a monster of a blank. It is very powerful. Definitely not a rod for anyone buying their first heaver (blank, rod).
> 
> Yes, the blank is 13' long.
> 
> ...


Hi Lou,

The Makoi 605 was targeted for use with a Penn wide 6/0 and 80# main line. It fell short of its' desired characteristics. It does work well with a Penn wide 4/0 and 60# line. I did my test casting with 8,9 and 10 ounces, 60# mono and a Newell 546. It was then turned it over to a group of fishermen for evaluation. The consensus is that it is a good rod for bait casting and light slide bait use. When the Makoi 607 reaches the market, it should be able to be used with a 6/0.

A recent trend in stainless steel butt caps is to cut the cap with a small diamond pattern. The pattern is very similar to the grips that you find on mechanics wrenches.

I try to alternate Sundays with casting practice and fishing. We usually go different places around Oahu and target oio and papio. Currently I'm recovering from having too much fun. I injured my left elbow while fishing and right shoulder while practicing. 

Best wishes,
Don


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## Don B (Jul 28, 2001)

basstardo said:


> Fishsticks does have a CTS blank. I held it the other day. That thing is super nice. Felt super stiff and wasn't realy heavy, but had a bit of weight to it.


Hi basstardo,

I did call CTS to find what had happened. CTS took a number of blanks to North Point for a rod builders convention. This included two surf rods. 

At the end of the convention all the CTS blanks were sold to a distributor. One surf blank ended up with a gentleman on the east coast. He was referred to me for guide spacing specifications. The best we could determine, as I was on vacation in Salem at the time, was that the blank he had was a Makoi 607 prototype. I do not have any spacing recommendations for this blank. The other display/demonstration blank probably went to Fish Sticks.

I assume that you would need to work directly with CTS for any warranty issues.

Best wishes,
Don


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## Heaver (Feb 7, 2001)

Hi Don. Never did catch a truely big u'lua, biggest went 20lbs. Caught lots of papio from the surf using small spoons and jigs. Fished from my friends boat often bringing home numerous mahi-mahi, ahi, and uno.

Very similar fishing style used along the East Coast called king-rigging. Cast out a heaver anchor sinker, but not designed to break off. This fishing technique was described in a recent issue of Saltwater Sportsman. 

Lou


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## barty b (Dec 31, 2004)

*405l*

What about the 405L..I saw it in the Merrick catalog..Is it avail,stateside? also what do these run $$? (blank only)


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## Don B (Jul 28, 2001)

Hi barty,

I have had the 405L on order from CTS for a long long time. The first issue was that they didn't have a mandrel available to build a 15' blank. When I receive them, testing will be required. It doesn't get the Makoi label until I am sure it is worthy. I did make an exception to the 305S as it was simply a shorter version of the already proven 305.

I recently had a computer crash and am still recovering. It was a hardware failure and cheaper to buy a new computer rather than have the old one repaired. My data was backed up and in time everything will be back in place. So, I suspect the suggested retail price to be about $475 for the Makoi 405L.

Did you see the specifications on my web site?

http://www.donstacklehawaii.com/information/cts_spec.htm

If a 15' rod in the 4 to 6 ounce category works for you, Merrick Tackle should have some 305L3 blanks in stock. You will need to call them for the wholesale price. Being 15' and 3 piece does make the blank a little heavier and the action is a little softer than the 305.

I try to rate my blanks accurately. 4 to 6 ounces means 4 ounces optimum casting weight and 6 ounces maximum total payload. More than 6 ounces total weight can damage the rod. 

Hope this helps,
Don


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## barty b (Dec 31, 2004)

Thanks don..No, I want the 6-8oz 15'..Keep me posted I'll check back later.


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## Don B (Jul 28, 2001)

Hi barty,

Will do.

I did send an email to CTS requesting a status update.

Don


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