Listen up!!!! "You get what you pay for"....period. The choice you have is to purchase a $50 or less rod every year or purchase a $100 rod that you can use for multiple yrs. To me its a no brainer, go the latter route. In the long run it would be worth the aggreivation of the performance of the rod not to mention the feel. Cheap rods have cheap components, take that to the bank. There are exceptions, but they are few and far between. First rule...make sure you use only a one piece rod when fishing the lures you mentioned. They magnify the feel of the slightest bite. Second....use florocarbon unless you wish to use braid with a floro leader attached via a uni to uni knot, with a dab of superglue. Third....have a dependable spincast reel, one with multiple bearings and a dependable drag system. So the question is...are you willing to put high end components on a cheap rod? If so, then the performance will be flawed. Do yourself a favor...got to cabelas or BPS look around the bargain cave at the rods...chances are you can find a high end rod at a discount price (make sure they have the rod intact), get yourself a president spin cast reel, purchase 6 lb trilene professional grade floro and have a ball. You won't be disappointed! Remember to always use a polomar knot when attaching the hook to the line and dap it with superglue. Good luck.