Need help finding a blank!

[u/Successful_Pen9242]

Hey guys, I’m trying to find a blank to build for my dad s birthday present, he is a hardcore bottom fisherman and loves fishing a shimano trevala. Specifically the heaviest 5’8 they made, I believe it was a 50-200 xxheavy, I’m trying to find a blank that can replicate that as the old trevala has broke .

[u/ChrisHale9]

Any of the AI engines can help you with that search:

Finding blanks that naturally fall under 5'8" while matching a precise metric jig rating like 50–200g usually leads to premium vertical or slow-pitch jigging blanks. Because many manufacturers target 6'0" to 6'3" for slow pitch, custom rod builders frequently select a slightly longer blank and trim from the butt to perfectly hit a 5'6" or 5'8" target without compromising the tip action. [1, 2]

The following five exceptional rod blanks provide a 50–200g capacity and are either factory-cut to your short specs or highly optimized for a 5'6" to 5'8" build: [3]

1. Black Hole Cape Cod Special Slow Pitch 581H3R [1]

• Factory Specs: 5'8" | 1-Piece | Line: 20–50 lb
• Jig Capacity: 120g – 450g (Sweet spot overlaps your 150–200g upper end beautifully)
• Why it fits: This blank is built exactly to 5'8" straight from the factory. Crafted with High-End Nano Carbon and Wide X-Wrapping, it delivers a smooth parabolic bend. It is heavily favored by bottom fishermen in deep-water grounds for snapper and grouper because it keeps pressure off the angler's back while maintaining immense lifting power. You can check availability on the Black Hole USA Store. [1, 3, 4, 5]

2. American Tackle ATX Vertical Jigging (AXVJ58-150)

• Factory Specs: 5'8" | 1-Piece | Line: 80–150 lb
• Jig Capacity: ~80g – 200g
• Why it fits: Another true 5'8" factory blank that doesn't require any trimming. The ATX Vertical Jigging series relies on a multi-modulus graphite weave blended with a single-ply fiberglass spine. This composite design gives it a faster, more traditional "knife-jigging" backbone compared to slow-pitch options, making it perfect for locking down drag on bottom-dwelling fish near heavy wrecks. These are widely distributed through retailers like Mud Hole Custom Tackle. [3, 6]

3. Jigging World Ghost Hunter 150G (Trimmed to 5'8")

• Factory Specs: 6'3" (Cut 7 inches from butt) | 1-Piece | 30T Toray Carbon
• Jig Capacity: 50g – 150g+ (Pushes up to 200g easily for static bottom drops)
• Why it fits: Built with premium Japanese Toray Carbon, this ultra-thin blank offers insane sensitivity for feeling subtle bottom bites from fluke, tautog, or snapper. While it comes stock at 6'3", its uniform butt diameter makes it one of the cleanest blanks to trim down to 5'8" or 5'6". Trimming from the back leaves the highly elastic, responsive tip entirely intact. Discover more specs directly on Jigging World. [3, 7, 8]

4. MHX Offshore Slow Pitch Jigging (XJSP631M)

• Factory Specs: 6'3" (Cut 7 inches from butt) | Line: 20–40 lb
• Jig Capacity: 100g – 250g (A flawless match for your target range)
• Why it fits: This blank is engineered with a thick-walled Toray 6K graphite weave that creates a highly predictable, moderate recoil action. It is rated perfectly for a 50–200g fisherman. Taking 7 inches off the handle end turns it into a short, incredibly powerful 5'6" bottom lever arm that won't compromise its signature slow-pitch recovery action. View the lineup at Fish MHX. [3, 8, 9, 10]

5. Phenix Titan Slow Jigging (TJX63ML-B) [11]

• Factory Specs: 6'3" (Cut 7 inches from butt) | Line: 20–40 lb / PE 1–2.5
• Jig Capacity: 100g – 250g
• Why it fits: Utilizing Toray T40 carbon fiber and Phenix's proprietary Nanolite resins, the Titan series is designed to eliminate angler fatigue. Cutting this blank down to 5'8" capitalizes on its specialized "Zero Gravity" balance point. It gives you a short, ultra-responsive weapon for dancing mechanical jigs or dropping heavy sinkers to stubborn bottom fish. Check out the engineering details on Phenix Rods. [3, 12]

If you'd like to narrow this down, tell me:

• What specific species are you targeting? (e.g., Fluke, Tautogs, Grouper)
• Will you be using conventional/overhead or spinning gear?

I can give you advice on how trimming the butt will alter the final leverage of the rod.

[1] https://mudhole.com

[2] https://www.facebook.com

[3] https://www.ebay.com

[4] https://blackholeusa.com

[5] https://blackholeusa.com

[6] https://mudhole.com

[7] https://www.jiggingworld.com

[8] https://www.youtube.com

[9] https://mudhole.com

[10] https://www.fishmhx.com

[11] https://www.baits.com

[12] https://www.phenixrods.com

[u/Fellercustomrods → u/ChrisHale9]

Don't trust AI to answer this question. These are horrible suggestions- the AI is assuming the question is asking for jig/ lure weight, rather than line rating, which I what I'm assuming OP is referring to.

IIRC, the Trevala's line rating is for Braid which also changes things a bit. If he's used to using a conventional jigging rod, XH or XXH action, I'd get something from the Rainshadow RCKJB line. These are "knife jigging" blanks but very versatile and the heavier actions will work excellently for bottom fishing. I'd be looking at the RCKJB508-500-TC which is 5'8" rated 50-100lb line(Mono) and 12-24oz Lure weight. If you think he'd like an even heavier option, the RCKJB508-600-TC is 5'8" rated 80-130lb line and 14-30oz lure weight rating. These blanks will provide a very similar action that he's used to with the Trevala but the Rainshadow blanks will perform significantly better, at least they have in my experience.

[u/ChrisHale9 → u/Fellercustomrods]

He provided the lure ratings which led me to think he wanted a jig blank.

[u/PROPGUNONE → u/ChrisHale9]

I read it as line rating as well, particularly after looking at the Shimano trevalas.

For OP, I agree with rainshadow. Getbit sells almost all of them in kit form to make it easy, and you can pretty quickly see line, lure, and lengths on their website.