aspadefish

Thanks for the tips. I looked those rods up, that Bucoo would be absolutely perfect other than the split grip and I could live with that for the price. I don't have a good frame of reference for typical fast action, all these 20 dollar Walmart specials that I'm moving up from claimed they were Fast (and IM8 and Quality and Power besides) but the couple of real rods that I bought this summer really put the lie to that. Is Croix Premier Fast meaningfully slower than Croix Tidemaster Fast?

With this ongoing virus nonsense putting my other hobbies on hold I've been fishing enough this year to get the bug to replace my noname Chinese rods with some nicer gear. I fish the Chesapeake too so I've been looking at the inshore models. Anyhow, I bought a 7'0 Croix MF Tidemaster (rated 8-17, 3/8-3/4) which I like although it's stiffer than I expected and the plastic around the reel seat feels really cheap and chintzy. Now I want something softer, and also a bit lighter, for cranks, 3-8-1/2 oz spoons, etc. to complement it. First thought is the MM Tidemaster (8-17, 1/4-5/8) which on paper is about perfect but I feel like the MF is understated from a power perspective and if this is the same rod with a different tip I'd like a little bit less. There's a ML Tidemaster (6-12 lb, 1/8-3/8) which at face value is too much less, unless they're sandbagging here too. I read good things about the Shimano Teramar SE (6-15, 1/4-3/4) which seems like a happy medium and is 50 bucks cheaper. There's a 7'4 that'll just barely fit the bed of my truck too. What would you buy with a 150 dollar budget?