My brother got me a Shimano Chronarch 200e6 for Christmas.  Would like to pair it with a MH rod, something versatile.  Looking to keep it under $200.  I'm open to any brands. 

Versatility wise a 7"-7"3 mh fast should be good that reel would pair really nicely on a St Croix LTB if you could bump up to 260 or and St Croix avid for 200 both are good light sensitive rods. If you want to go cheaper I've been happy with the ST Croix rage series they run 160 and last but not least you can't go wrong with a mojo bass for a 100 I guess you could say I like St Croix. The Abu veritas isn't bad for the price there's been a lot of good reviews on the *** products I don't own one yet. In the end it comes down to personnel preference you have a lot of options with a 200 dollar limit if you have any specific questions about the rods I mentioned pm me

Tight lines

Andrew

X2 for the SC Avid, it's within your price point and is well worth it. Sensitive, light, made in the US, and backed by lifetime warranty and great customer service.

Powell Endurance/Max, St. Croix Avid/Rage, Phenix M1/Recon, Fenwick Elite Tech/Aetos

Fenwick Aetos 7' MHF

Smallmouth 6'9" MHF

 

Or if you are looking to throw deep divers, larger square bills like the Xcalibur 200 and 300 series, larger jerkbaits like the vision 110 and the pointer 100, then the

 

Smallmouth 6'10" MH-MF

 

From a friend who loves his:

 

"The tip is a little faster than most moderate fast action rods which gives me total control over the bait but when you hook up it has the flex that allows you to fight the fish without pulling the hooks out."

Bump it up 40 bucks and get that GLX on the flea market forum. That is a smoking deal.

thanks for the advice.  I'm leaning towards the St. Croix Avid, but may change my mind once I check em out in person.

thanks for the advice.  I'm leaning towards the St. Croix Avid, but may change my mind once I check em out in person.

Just keep in mind, St. Croix rods are generally stiffer than other brands, so a Med. powered rod fishes like a MH powered rod of others and so on. I love both of my St. Croix rods, I think you'll like that Avid once you get your hands on it, make sure to try it with a reel on it.

St. Croix Avid AVC68MXF