I fish a lot of small ponds as well as a large lake and im trying to find a good shorter rod to throw mattlures ultimate bluegills and u2 gills. I fish from shore and there are a lot of overhanging trees so id like a rod 7ft or shorter if possible. My budget is around 100 as i dont need a super sensktive rod but i can spend a little more if needed. does anyone have any suggestions?

I'm in the same boat as you .I use gloomis rods I have a gl3 heavy 6'6 that works fine for my baby hard gills , I also have a gl2 heavy 6'8 that i use sometimes ..I fish out of a pontoon boat and did'nt want anything too long ...Just make sure you have a good solid reel , If you start using anything bigger than the hardgills you might have to go with a longer rod . If you look around you can pick up a used GL3 for short money ,saw one go on ebay last week for 125.00.... good luck

Does anyone have any thoughts or opinions about the Carrot Stix Wild Black 7' XH rod? Been looking to get another small to mid-size swimbait-capable rod for cheap and since I'm a shorter guy (5'7") I hate throwing rods longer than 7'6" because it's just awkward. A shorter rod would also be easier to store and carry as well for me. Just wondering if anyone likes or uses this rod for swimbaits and heavy-line applications. This rod is on clearance on TW I believe for like $88. I just don't want to spend a ton of money on a rod right now because I'm tight on funds and want a rod that can still do a few different techniques decently. Thanks in advance!

Can you swing 7'3"? 

Yeah I can and do. Most my rods are right in the 7' range. I just find rods closer to 8' are way too bulky and awkward for me haha

I would consider the Okuma Scott Martin TCS 7'3" HF from Valley Sports. The price is very right. I have one coming this week; I'll update when it gets here. It's rated 1/4-2 oz and I plan on using it for baits towards the upper end of that. We'll see how it works!

I was looking at those on TW also. The price is nice for sure. I have an Okuma Guide Select MH Swimbait rod for 1/2-5oz but I'm wanting another swimbait rod to throw bottom hook swimbaits on and punkers, wakebaits and glidebait capability as well. But yeah let me know how you like that rod