Affinity X – Fast Action Fly Rod Blank
Price range: $265.00 USD through $420.00 USD
Fast Action High Performance Fly.
The most popular blank in the CTS collection. Fast action, lightweight and versatile.
Affinity X carbon fly rod blanks are highly customisable, and you can configure a rod for any fishing situation. From flats fishing the Bahamas to stalking backcountry trophy trout in New Zealand. Whatever your style or needs, the Affinity X will take you there.
The Affinity pedigree is unmatched – it’s our cornerstone fly rod series, as a result of its superior design, engineering and materials. A single VeroCore™ helical spiral is at the core of each 100% uni-directional carbon fibre (graphite) Affinity X fly rod blank. This type of structure is regarded as the most effective way of maintaining cross-section stability during bending, therefore creating a fly rod that is more responsive and more sensitive. This is not only apparent when casting, but also when fighting a fish and even when setting the hook. Feel the difference with a CTS carbon fly rod blank.
The Affinity X has a powerful butt section, but balanced perfectly with a delicate tip area. This creates a blank that loads smoothly and quickly into a solid mid area, resulting in a fly rod that is ideal for delicate situations, whilst maintaining precision, casting authority and power when needed. This is a high performance carbon fly rod blank with exceptional recovery, that exceeds at creating tight loops and quick casts.
Read about the differences between the Affinity X, M and MX.
Made in our world-class facility in Auckland New Zealand. Tested by the most discerning anglers in every corner of the world.
(read about our five construction and fibre systems – HM, IM, HS, HSX, CG)
- Colours: Select from sanded finish (P2000), Clear Coat or a stunning array of Standard / Metallic Colour paints
184 reviews for Affinity X – Fast Action Fly Rod Blank
| 5 star | 94% | |
| 4 star | 5% | |
| 3 star | 0% | |
| 2 star | 0% | |
| 1 star | 0% |
Only logged in customers who have purchased this product may leave a review.
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Michael (verified owner) –
This is my 8th Affinity X 7′ 6″ 3 wt. blank. Folks for whom I have built rods tell me they are the best casting rods they have used. And the ability to create a rod around a colorful blank adds to the pleasure of the build!
Giuseppe Saglia (verified owner) –
Gary (verified owner) –
Excellent paint job. Very straight.
Antonio Ciccozzi (verified owner) –
Excellent product!
Niels V. (verified owner) –
Christopher Campbell (verified owner) –
james smith (verified owner) –
Roland A. (verified owner) –
Superbe matériel! Grande qualité, service parfait ! Je recommande!
Paul Christensen (verified owner) –
Good product delivered in a timely manner.
Timothy Hacker (verified owner) –
This blank is flawless in fit, finish and action. The finish of this blank is extremely beautiful. Thank you!
Mark Oelke (verified owner) –
Awesome color
Richard S. (verified owner) –
Purchased the Affinity x 8wt in mamba. Beautiful finish, excellent delivery. As a rod I’ve owned most of the top 8 wt fly rods and this one is by far the best.
Noel Harris (verified owner) –
Best fast action blank on the market bar none….!!!
Brian Miles (verified owner) –
Timothy Hacker (verified owner) –
This is a beautiful blank with great vibration damping qualities. It is very light for it’s length and line size.
Daniel Logan (verified owner) –
Absolutely stunning blank. It far out-surpassed what I was expecting. I loved it so much, I went online the next morning and ordered another!
Mike L. (verified owner) –
My second Affinity X, such fantastic rods to fish with.
Quality finish and action, also a pleasure to build on.
Larry B. (verified owner) –
William Ewels (verified owner) –
Gorgeous straight blank with a combination of smooth power and sensitivity.
Alexander Dean (verified owner) –
Love the color of my new salt water rod. Build is complete and it cast great. Will purchase from cts again.
Phillip Erickson (verified owner) –
A very nice blank that built out performs beautifully! My customer loves it!
broncus (verified owner) –
I have Affinity X #5 9ft in my arsenal for the 3rd year.
The rod allows a lot. The combination of delicacy and power allows you to catch both dry flies and a predator on streamers in combination with polyliders and sinking ends. Allows you to use different combinations without fear of breakage from overload!
I am very glad that I discovered the world of CTS.
Michael S. (verified owner) –
My goal in retirement was to build rods for all my grandkids. I have now progressed to my own kids, all of whom are experienced fly fishers. They say the Affinity X is the best casting rod they have ever had – the 3 wt. punches well above its “weight”.
Graham Singer (verified owner) –
Alexander T. (verified owner) –
Beautiful action to this blank. Easy to work with in all stages of build. Really pleased (again) with CTS quality and customer service.
Brandon (verified owner) –
I built the 9’ 4 weight X and it performs great with RIO Gold for dries here in the Midwest. Truly a special rod.
Anton Raath (verified owner) –
a wonderful blank. the rod has both feel and power
Matthew B. (verified owner) –
I own some top end fly rods but this CTS custom rod I built is now easily my favourite. This rod performs brilliantly. It has excellent power, precision and delivers are beautiful presentation. Can’t wait to build my next CTS!!
Ari Aaltonen (verified owner) –
I am a huge fan of Affinity X blanks. I build these fly rods for saltwater fly fishing a they do the job perfectly. Super fast accurate casts no matter the wind conditions.
Phillip Erickson (verified owner) –
As always these latest blanks are perfect. Straight with excellent finish. Do not know of a finer blank!
Noah B. (verified owner) –
This is my first 6wt rod ever and after finishing building it, I don’t think I will ever need another one. This is the lightest, most sensitive rod I’ve ever held and it looks absolutely gorgeous. I purchased the dark urban pearl green and in the sun it glistens with beauty. I cannot wait to stick some fish on it. Top notch quality.
David M. (verified owner) –
This is a quality blank.
Larry B. (verified owner) –
Al Jones (verified owner) –
Amazing blanks! I have several from 7-12 wt and will probably end up with the entire lineup. I prefer them to all of the current production rods I’ve casted and that includes several of the “top tier” models.
Larry B. (verified owner) –
Michael (verified owner) –
Gave it as a gift — the recipient was blown away by the performance!
giorgio monesi (verified owner) –
Sven Lenander (verified owner) –
Jordan Duffy (verified owner) –
Blank came in perfect condition, taper is serious perfection. Customer service was fantastic to work with, quick to respond, knowledgeable, and up front.
Petr Hlava (verified owner) –
Excellent rod
Timothy Hacker (verified owner) –
This rod blank came exactly as described. It has a beautiful finish and exquisite action. I have finished it and enjoy fishing with it.
Tom Pindell (verified owner) –
Can’t wait to see how it fishes!
Mirko Giust (verified owner) –
Damir Dobric (verified owner) –
Al Jones (verified owner) –
Bernard Demarteau (verified owner) –
I ordered a 9’6″ #5.
The blank itself is a jewel. It’s amazingly powerfull and incredibly delicate at the same time. A fine tippets true friend.
But. I waited 2 months for the order to be processed. I never waited more than 15 days before.
And I specifically demanded the spine marks to be added on the blank. They were not.
So all together a thousand thanks for the quality of the blank, but services have to improve.
Gregory Jouflas (verified owner) –
Gregory Jouflas (verified owner) –
Superb blank, excellent in every respect
Gregory Jouflas (verified owner) –
Phillip Erickson (verified owner) –
James Fleming (verified owner) –
Chris Freer (verified owner) –
Very pleased with support and advice.
Urs W. (verified owner) –
Majid (verified owner) –
high quality and must have
Mirko Giust (verified owner) –
Larry B. (verified owner) –
James Fleming (verified owner) –
James Fleming (verified owner) –
Joseph Gaboury (verified owner) –
This is a beautiful rod both in aesthetics and feel. CTS puts a really nice paint and finish on these rods. And it casts very nicely. Fast enough to handle bulkier flies and lines but smooth enough to cast small nymphs and wets. Only reason for 4 stars is the shipment is signature required. I had to make arrangements with fed ex to pick up at a store in town. Wish it could just be dropped at my door as I’m in a very rural location. Still a great product. Thanks CTS.
Edwin Glasgow (verified owner) –
Really great rod. Exceptional quality blanks that are a pleasure to build on and resulted in a handsome, accurate fly rod. Would be happy to build your rods for our great Central Pennsylvania streams. This particular rod is perfect for the size of our spring creeks.
Gregory Jouflas (verified owner) –
Rick S. (verified owner) –
Excellent quality rod. Powerful. I built up a 5 weight 10 foot rod in a satin green. Great rod for trout on lakes and bigger rivers of the Pacific Northwest.
Anonymous (verified owner) –
Haven’t had a chance to build the blank yet but the color is on point (satin green). One complaint, they did not print the spine marks but they refunded me when I brought that to their attention so good service on their part!
貴康 工藤 (verified owner) –
ベリーNICE
Justin (verified owner) –
Smoothest fly rod
James Fleming (verified owner) –
Alan Taylor (verified owner) –
Well finished, light, strong blank that casts well and with excellent customer service on hand.
Victor T. (verified owner) –
Blanks are as per specified order and comparable if not beter than the best on the market.
Eric Van Baelen (verified owner) –
Håkan Johansson (verified owner) –
Great blank! Many Thanks! BR Håkan
Ryan H. (verified owner) –
The affinity x series casts beautifully. I love the crisp action and the smooth loops the rod tosses.
Larry (verified owner) –
Gregory J. (verified owner) –
Wesley Childers (verified owner) –
I turned my 10’ Affinity X into a switch rod. I’m very pleased with CTS. I haven’t had a chance to fish with it yet but i can cat 90 feet over hand in the parking lot. It had a shot at being my favorite as soon as I get some fishing time in with it. The action is exact what it should be for a 4wt 10’ rod. You could drop the butt section and make a nice 3 piece stream rod with it. It’s a powerful rod with a delicate nature.
Simon Reilly (verified owner) –
Very nice high quality blank delivered straight to my door without fuss or stress. Excellent service.
Siro Vescarelli (verified owner) –
Affinity X is a great rods for the Italian Style of casting
Jérôme Magnani (verified owner) –
Mirko Giust (verified owner) –
Nicholas Foster (verified owner) –
Great Blank
Hunter S. (verified owner) –
Great blank with excellent colors. I am looking forward to making a purpose built deep water nymph rod.
Keith Jackson (verified owner) –
All good
Gregory J. (verified owner) –
Gunnar Lobell (verified owner) –
A fast and powerful rod for larger trouts.
I use it for fishing after larger migrating trout in northern Sweden.
Audun Lange (verified owner) –
Fine blanks
Raffaele R. (verified owner) –
Very light and fast action. I added a solid tip and it became very good for ultralight nimphing for big fishes.
Caleb P. (verified owner) –
Excellent rod blank for my needs
Urs W. (verified owner) –
Phenomenal Blank. Added a xtralong Handle & F-Butt plus a Titan Reelseat. Now we have the perfect GT Rod!
Gregory Jouflas (verified owner) –
Dave L. (verified owner) –
Love these blanks. Expensive, but worth every penny
Caleb P. (verified owner) –
Pricey, but a very fine rod blank of high quality
Richard S. (verified owner) –
Ordered a 5 wgt 10 ft rod in a matte green finish. Nice finish and fishes well. Great nymphing rod!!
Justin (verified owner) –
Urs Wehrli (verified owner) –
This Affinity X blank in 9ft/7wt is pure power. The satin teal colour is magical and fits perfect to Saltwaterdestinations. Just love it!
Gregg Bierei (verified owner) –
Just got done building an Affinity X 8wt. Impressed with the power of the rod only casting in the front lawn. Built it for coho salmon in Alaska. Casts really well. Can’t wait to try it on the real thing!
Alan Taylor (verified owner) –
Excellent finish and very happy with the casting ability.
Alessandro C. (verified owner) –
Mirko Giust (verified owner) –
Stefano De Martini (verified owner) –
Probably the best blank around the world
Michael O’Toole (verified owner) –
One of the best rods I have ever cast.
Cory S. (verified owner) –
KAZUHIDE N. (verified owner) –
Dear The team at CTS! Currently making rods. I like the fascinating rod color♡ I’m looking forward to swinging the rod！Thank you(^O^)
Mirko Giust (verified owner) –
Radim V. (verified owner) –
10’ #3 – one of the best euronymphing blank on the market! Fast action, accuracy and lovely fish playing action👌
Gregory Moore (verified owner) –
I got 3 9’5wt blanks, one for me and one for each of my kids for their first rod-builds (I have been building my rods since I was a kid). One in Golden Plumb, one in translucent dark blue, and one in lemon (wouldn’t have thought of that, but gave each kid the choice of color, and daughter picked the lemon, and I have to say, it has a really cool retro look, almost like a bamboo rod). Built all 3 with the light titanium snake guides with 2 titanium stripping guides, powder-coated aluminum seats with small cork fighting butts. These are awesome rods, professionally packaged and set up for wrapping. One use, only, so far, high elevation pack trip… casted great.
My only suggestion, on light colored rods, it would be helpful if the spine mark was a contrasting color… it was really hard to find the tiny white spine mark on a light yellow blank.
Forest (verified owner) –
Fished with it for the first time yesterday! Powerful and accurate. Lined it with a SA MPX 6wt dry line and it’s a cannon. Used it mainly for nymph rigs, but it’s going to be a glorious streamer rod! Fighting fish was great too. Can’t wait to get it out and fish with it again!
Naoji Akahane (verified owner) –
I bought an 863.
That’s very light and well.
Wayne J. (verified owner) –
Very vesatile and accurate blank,effortless to cast from 20 feet to 60 feet with line weights varying from 120- 160 grains
Neil P. (verified owner) –
Great rod,light,strong and responsive. Excellent casting.
Graeme Jones (verified owner) –
Exactly what I wanted
Mirko Giust (verified owner) –
James Fleming (verified owner) –
Love the affinity series. Power and finesse options in one rod.
James Fleming (verified owner) –
Big beefy 8wt perfect for Louisiana redfish. Fantastic action and response.
Gabe Cariola (verified owner) –
This rod is absolutely amazing!!
Richard (verified owner) –
Excellent service and communication. Very impressed. Looking forward to fishing the rod.
Dietmar Krebs (verified owner) –
Phantastic blank
Mirko Giust (verified owner) –
Rick Lafferty (verified owner) –
CTS makes a consistently great product.
Ashley C. (verified owner) –
Top quality product followed with quality service
william ballard (verified owner) –
Craig McMullen (verified owner) –
Built it out and I love it. Brought to a casting session with two friends and they also loved the action of the rod.
jeremy g. (verified owner) –
Phillip Erickson (verified owner) –
This rod is the best casting rod I have ever built. Both for distance and accuracy. It starts out right away by being super light, yet with enough backbone to throw a lot of line. My go to recommendation for my customers!
Gayleen Pratt (store manager) –
Thanks for the great review Phillip!
tbobik88 (verified owner) –
I have built several 10′ 3wt and 5wt, there is not a rod blank on the market that compares to the CTS Affinity X. The blanks are straight, amazing colors, and have some of the best tapers in the industry. Once the rod is built and put to action, you will never want another brand rod while on the water.
Gayleen Pratt (store manager) –
Thank you for the wonderful review!
FRULLA GABRIELE (verified owner) –
Prodotto Top di gamma ad un ottimo prezzo!
Wes M. (verified owner) –
Built a lot of CTS blanks and they are a best rod that can be made. No other blank can compare to the quality to these Blanks. I love the 9’ 6wt and the 8’6” 5wt. Thanks you for being a top notch business.
Phillip Erickson (verified owner) –
Given the Corona Virus situation, the shipment was earlier than I expected, so I was able to complete the build for a customer in time for him to take it on a trip to Canada. Wonderful service and quality products!!!
ken (verified owner) –
quality met expectations
Arne Malzahn (verified owner) –
I just love the Affinity X. I have 6 of them now, they are all just as I like them.
Cory S. (verified owner) –
First purchase and I will definitely be a return customer. Excellent customer service from start to finish.
Paul Fuhrman (verified owner) –
Review of CTS Order # 26228, Affinity X, 8-foot, 4 piece, 4 weight in Charcoal: Five Stars!
The blank is the highest quality blank I’ve used in nearly 10 years of building my own fly rods. I chose this blank after reading Yellowstone Anglers Fly Rod Shootouts for years. I wanted a very fast rod blank that is state-of-the-art and comparable to brands such as Loomis and Orvis Hydros. At 79, it’s a bucket list item. The blank did not disappoint me in the slightest! The fit and finish of the blank is flawless. The ferrule ends are finished and not left hollow. CTS predetermines the spline and indicates this with small dashes in white located at the ferrules. This is wonderful because a very fast blank does not deflect easily, and the traditional methods of spline finding are difficult. I preserved the spline markings so as to have alignment marks on the finished product. I used REC traditional guides, a Mudhole synthetic grip, and RL Reelseats slip ring reel seat in a dark burl colored dark green and black. The components reflect my desire to keep the weight minimal and also my aesthetics. On blank quality and ease of build, I rate my blank as a five-star product.
Upon completion I used an Orvis Battenkill II disc reel loaded with Scientific Anglers Amplitude Infinity WF4F line. For a leader I used George Anderson’s Yellowstone Angler 12 foot 5X hand tied leader. Tied a tuft of yarn on to simulate a dry fly. Took my 4 weight out in my back yard and cast it at 60 yards, 40 yards, and 25 yards. My targets were the base of iron shepherd hooks used for my bird feeders. First, this was my first experience with a true fast action rod and I had to adjust my casting to this. The rod was noticeably more accurate to cast in both windy and calm conditions. It should be very effective casting to rises. It is also tireless to cast. I own a Loomis 9 weight and also a Cortland Precision 7 weight. It exceeds these rods. It should also be noted that this rod lends itself to use of the Joe Humphreys spring creek nymphing techniques.
My rating, 5 Stars. I’m very happy with it and looking forward to building another CTS product.
Note: I build my rods for myself, my family, and as gifts. I don’t make a “nickle” from it.
Gayleen Pratt (store manager) –
Thanks Paul, for taking the time to write this wonderful review!
Michael (verified owner) –
Beautiful blank, complete with spine marks!
giuseppe scuruchi (verified owner) –
This blank is very fast and sensitive, light and really well made.For me is the best I ever fish with..I assembled different measures of this blank and every rod have exellent characteristic…
Peter (verified owner) –
Philip Dooley (verified owner) –
beautiful blank and I cant wait to build it -I know CTS blanks are one of the best in the world from previous builds and use in the northwest US and AK
Anonymous (verified owner) –
Great rod.Love the color
Doug Stockton (verified owner) –
Tom (verified owner) –
This will be my 4th CTS rod build & all affinity x’s.
Perfect action for not breaking light tippets or “bouncing” smaller fish off.
Love the option of a Matt finish on the blanks too.
Dietmar (verified owner) –
Fine rod blank, exactly what I was looking for
Alessandro (verified owner) –
Dustin S. (store manager) –
Just wanted to give a shoutout about the Affinity X 9’ 4wt, awesome blank with a ton of power down deep. Cheers! Dustin
David M. (verified owner) –
Once the blank was complete, it was a fast and efficient delivery. Great service.
Richard S. (verified owner) –
Makarand Vichare (verified owner) –
Anonymous (verified owner) –
Quality product , quality service A++
William Ballard (verified owner) –
Second rod I have built from a CTS blank. Very happy with the quality of the blank and other items. Customer service is excellent. Love the color options if you want to really customize your rod.
Phillip Erickson (verified owner) –
A very good blank, love the action! Finish is very nice and color exactly as expected.
Henk (verified owner) –
Delivered earlier
Bobby Kramer (verified owner) –
Mike Lasenby (verified owner) –
I’m still building this rod but know it’s going to be a pleasure to cast ! The finish is perfect and the action feels superbly powerful. I’m expecting some easy distance and accuracy here ! Also, great to deal with over the phone. An adjustment with the order dealt with a friendly chat !
Ville (verified owner) –
Eric DiMarzio (store manager) –
As an admitted glass head, this rod has completely changed my perspective as to what a fast action graphite rod can be. I bought an 8 wt for New England stripers figuring I would have to load the crap out of it with some 330 grain rio monstrosity to get the damn thing to load, Instead the rod has a blend of both power and delicacy that allows me, a mediocre caster with a damaged right shoulder, to put a double clouser rig wherever I want it at 50 ft with a simple, easy to time double haul and a 240 grain head. CTS has built a blank that is both powerful yet enjoyable and user friendly. You will be hard pressed to fine a better blank.
Anibal Fernandez (verified owner) –
Muy buena calidad
Urs W. (verified owner) –
my favorite blank for fast action flyrods
giuseppe scuruchi (verified owner) –
for me cts is a guarantee.
Affinity x is undoubtedly a well finished and excellent performance rod blank, light and powerful with a pleasant action.
The choice between a wide range of colors is very interesting. One of the best blanks for my rods…
Al Roberts (verified owner) –
Received the blank 2 weeks ahead of stated ETA.
Dana D. (verified owner) –
Beautiful blank. Very fast action. Really appreciated the email to make sure I received what I wanted.
Anonymous (verified owner) –
Thomas Messmer (verified owner) –
Really beautiful.
Mauro Conti (verified owner) –
I finished assembling the barrel yesterday. wonderful very fast, perfect for the TLT casting technique
Brent Rose (verified owner) –
Marco Fioroni (verified owner) –
My way to fly fishing is perfectly in according to affinity X
Andrew C. (verified owner) –
Superb caster, highly recommended
FRANC REBEUSEK (verified owner) –
After finishing the rod I tested it just once till now (here in Slovenia a fly fishing season has just begun – March 1st ) and my first impression is very promissing.
Jose luis alonso alvarez (verified owner) –
Dwight Lillico (verified owner) –
Anibal fernandez (verified owner) –
John Travis (verified owner) –
Highest quality products, no matter what you buy from CTS
Jonas Johansson (verified owner) –
Andreas (verified owner) –
Philipp (verified owner) –
Alessandro (verified owner) –
Eric DESCHAMPS (verified owner) –
Geert Mertens (verified owner) –
William Ewels (verified owner) –
Gorgeous blank. Safely packaged. Easy transaction.
Urs W. (verified owner) –
Amazing rod blank, perfect service, great company!
Endre Johnsen (verified owner) –
guy lipszyc (verified owner) –
Fredrik Ingemansson (verified owner) –
High quality blanks with perfect finnish
giuseppe scuruchi (verified owner) –
Rick Jones (verified owner) –
Herb Ladenheim (store manager) –
Affinity-X #8 is probably one of, if not the best, #8 blanks around. It makes for a very fast rod if you build it properly – LIGHT.
Like all CTS blanks – the recovery rate is phenomenal and it feels very light “in-the-hand”. i.e. low swing weight.
Gerhard Pilsl –
My AFFINITY X 9′ #6 in golden olive with smooth green snake ring windings is perfect, now at the near end of 2 season. Any guys who have seen it are very impressed of the rod; and after casting tests, with both fly line classes,from beginners to advanced fly fishers trying long casts up to the whole fly line in the air, “It’s unbeliveable which immense power is in this marvelous, light weight rod. That’s my experience with I’ll say your FLAG SHIP !!!!!
best regards from AUSTRIA
Gerhard Pilsl
George Anderson –
Today I had a chance to take your rods out and cast them heads up with a Loomis NRX, our 8-weight shootout winner. I must say that I liked your rods very much. They are nice and light with less swing weight than the Loomis – more like an Orvis Helios 2. The faster rod, the Affinity X, was my favorite but both rods cast quite well.
I liked the taper and its nice quick tip allowed for some good accuracy in close.
George Anderson
The Yellowstone Angler
Livingston, Montana
Ussing & Bech (store manager) –
The action is fast and refined, nothing brutish or cannon-like. This allows me real authority over the line, a sense of precision, the fly lands just … there! Make a little roll and the D is more a V, recovery is crisp and to a stop. Look for distance overhead and I run out of steam long before the rod – Ussing & Bech, Denmark.