Blank MB 705-1 HM 2m13 (7 - 28g)

Our take on the MB 705-1 HM

To us, this blank is a legend that helped build Rodhouse's story. It does a lot of things and does them very well. Sea bass anglers and zander anglers working a steady retrieve both keep it in their rod bag!

At a glance

• Length: 2.13 m (7'), one-piece blank
• Lure weight: 7 to 28 g (1/4 to 3/4 oz)
• Line rating: 10 to 17 lb
• Action: fast (tip action)
• Butt diameter: 14.99 mm
• Tip diameter: 2.0 mm, recommended tip top 5-2

• Material: high modulus (HM) carbon with carbon scrim
• Natural finish: sanded with 15 micron grit, then polished
• Designed by Gary Loomis, built in the USA
• Strengths: resonant, light, precise, relatively round when fighting a fish

On the water with the MB 705-1 HM

A carbon scrim for a resonant, light blank

It is the benchmark, or as TackleTour puts it, the “search for one”. Where better to look than in Gary Loomis's Mag Bass line?

Many anglers consider Gary Loomis the best blank designer in the world. He was among the first to build graphite rods in the US, back in 1974, before the rest of the world followed.

HM means high modulus carbon with a carbon scrim. Put simply, the scrim is a thin mesh bonded under the carbon, and it keeps the blank from ovalizing when it bends.

On most blanks, that mesh is fiberglass. On the HM, it is replaced by a thin layer of carbon, lighter and with less resin. The blank ends up very resonant, and you can fish for hours without getting tired.

The blank comes bare, simply sanded with 15 micron grit and then polished. This raw finish adds no material and no weight, so the carbon can express its full potential.

From sea bass to zander on a steady retrieve

This blank is versatile, yet its tip action keeps it precise. You feel the bite, you place the lure where you want it and the hookset comes fast. Even so, it stays relatively round when fighting a fish.

There is plenty of reserve power, since one of our customers landed a 14 kg greater amberjack in the Mediterranean. Sea bass and zander on a steady retrieve are also the two playgrounds we hear about most.

Regulars take it out for these techniques.

• Soft plastics worked on a steady retrieve, with jig heads around 20 g, the blank's bread and butter
• Topwater and minnow jerkbaits, for sea bass or asp
• Rubber jigs, with blade baits and metal jigs from time to time
• Kayak fishing, where its 2.13 m stays easy to handle while seated

It has its limits, of course. With deep diving crankbaits down to 4 m, it does the job, but that is not its bread and butter. For big pike lures it lacks a bit of backbone, so we would pick the MB 706-1 HM (15 to 40 g) instead.

The 7' medium heavy is the rod everyone should own. We list the other models because after casting an MB 705, you will want the whole North Fork Composites line.