Spinning rods?

What brands are good for a decent quality spinning rod for a 2-6 line weight in the $30.00 - $70.00 range? Will be mostly used for bass fishing. Thanks in advance.

Walmart has Shakespear Micro Graphics $17 best deal ever

I have a Lamiglas X11 (LX602LS 6') I picked up from Sportsman's for $74.99 It has a Shimano Sedona 2500FD reel with 6# line.
It has a moderate/fast action and makes pulling in a 2 lb fish feel like your off to the races..!

Just my two cents, but I'd shoot for what's on sale over brand. Saving the most serious bass anglers among us, there isn't a lot of need for long casts or super sensitivity. I just like a rod with some backbone and balance. I'm not very brand loyal, although I've liked Berkley rods I've owned.

I'm new to smallies, but I'll tell you from my lifetime of largemouth, striped, and spotted bass fishing, I would stick closer to that 6lb range or larger. Bass love laying up in structure and it'll save your wallet just being able to retrieve more baits off snags. And trust me, it's better to be blissfully ignorant of that fish that never took your bait than to sit up at night wondering how big was that fish that broke you off. Plus, I've not known bass to be so picky as to be spooked by 8lb test, but then again I'm used to fishing heavy structure and colored water.

Thanks, I've got a new Shimano reel coming and will most likely set it up with the 6lb test line. I'm not looking for top quality, just decent for my budget. I've not liked any of the Shakespear rods I've used in the past so, wanted something with a reputable name, that will stand up to what I'm doing. I am also new to smallies and have been looking on the big auction site for another Fenwick but, thought I'd see what others might recommend.

BamaDan said:

I'm not very brand loyal, although I've liked Berkley rods I've owned.

Click to expand...

I looked on Bass Pro Shops and they've got a nice looking Berkley Lightning rod for a decent price. Added that one to my list of probabilities.:thumb:

I'm sure there are as many opinions on this subject as there are rods. The main thing is to get a functioning setup and get to fishing. Over time you'll be able to figure out your specific needs in regards to water conditions, lure type, and fish you're targeting.

Good luck out there.

Thanks Dan, appreciate that. Just got a Berkley CWD702MS Cherrywood spin rod for an incredible price off Amazon. Looking forward to posting some small mouth bass adventures now!

That'll work fine, for smallies. Back in the day, my pops and I used Berkley, Eagle Claw, and / or Fenwick glass rods. Seems like we used 6 or 8 lb. mono line; and we had no problems with surface plugs (poppers, chuggers, etc.). But, you really would want something much stouter for bucketmouth fishing (just as Dan suggested).

Good luck and let us know how you do.

Thanks troutdude! I'll definitely let ya'll know how it goes. If and when I am ready to move on to some large mouth, hope I can pick your brain on some equipment setups.:thumb:

You're welcome.

But, I'm no expert on catching ditch pickles. There are some others, on here, that can help you figure out those set-ups. They really know their stuff; and hopefully some of them will chime in.

As it's already been pointed out, being brand loyal doesn't guarantee anything. I've had great Berkley rods and I've also handled some horrible ones. In my personal experience Quantum doesn't make the strongest rods, especially if we're talking ultra lights. I've had a few tips bust off Quantums, they broke way too easily! There's a fine line between needing brute strength and desiring a light weight easy handling rod for all day casting. Find a nice middle of the road rod with high quality Hardalloy guides, I avoid aluminum oxide and steel because they nick up easily. I never liked any of the the Lightnining rods with the all steel guides, the camo Hunter series was ok. Berkley Airs are nice, with Berkley you just gotta get one with Hardalloy guides. They're usually strong and have good actions. The BPS Extreme line is outstanding, extremely strong and light weight. For bass you need a stout rod with some backbone for setting those big hooks, so I will never recommend any fiberglass or even fiberglass composite rods. Don't use anything rated lower than Medium Action, unless you're wanting to throw UL lures on 4lb line. But for most pond bass fishing techniques, you want a stiff rod for jerking n' twitching medium size lures.

The longer the better, a 7'0" medium action will handle most lures, and really shines in the topwater department. Unless you have lots of trees on the bank then dropping to a 6'0" length will be better. For topwater you really don't want to go shorter than 6'6" or lower than 14lb test monofilament, you need the length if you're walking the dog and the low stretch float that 14 mono gives. And you don't want to lose a monster bucketmouth because your buggy whip fiberglass rod couldn't bury the hook. A long rod moves line quicker and makes setting hooks easier. When you go rod shopping, give the rod a hard flick, see how long it takes for the tip to stop moving, a fast recovering tip is nice to have. Leave the wobbly noodle rods for the powerbait rig trout fisherman. If all you can find is a whippy rod, spool up with some low stretch fluorocarbon or copolymer, skip the rubberband action monofilament line. Lots of the time the bass will be lure wise, if they're in a lake that receives hard fishing pressure they learn to light strike. They'll swim up n' just get a quick taste, if they feel the hooks they let go fast. With some higher end rods, you can get the strength, light weight and small diameter with a fast responsive but not stiff tip action. The BPS Extreme medium heavy 6'0" 1pc trigger rod is one of the best bass rods out there - I'd imagine their spinning rods are just as nice. Ugly Stiks are ok if you are fishing heavy cover or planning to catch huge fish with heavy lures, or trolling from a boat, and don't mind the weight and whippy action. Bass fishing is constant casting, which requires light weight and strength, along with a nice tip action. Shakespeare's economy line can be decent, I don't know about now, but a few years ago their Intrepid and Excursion line had some decent IM6 baitcast rods. I only handled the 2pc 5'6" pistol grip model Excursion, it wasn't bad for only $15. The Intrepid 6'0" med action 1pc trigger rod was nicer, it had better guides on it. Shimano's Scimitar line is well made and features Hardalloy guides.