So what kind of power and action would I want for a drop shot rod? Not looking to buy one for cover and one for open water. I am planning on putting a lews spinning reel on it. I am going to put light braid with a fluro leader on it.  Budget is under $130.

I was going to suggest a St Croix rage 6'8 ml x-fast but those top out brand new at 159 so if you can find one cheaper than go for it. I have a lews with 10# pp and a fluoro leader 

 

       tight lines 

 

           Andrew

Fenwick Elite Tech Smallmouth

Personally, I love my Shimano Crucial 6'8" Med power dropshot rod.  Very soft fast tip section mated to a strong butt section that can handle 5+ lb bass when needed.  That mating of a light fast tip and a medium blank is called a "hinged action" and is the signal design characteristic of the Crucial dropshot rod.  I have both the Med and ML version of this rod, and the Med version will do everything the ML will do and more, so to me it's more useful.  I can't comment about other brands of rods and their design except to say that after fishing the Crucial for a few years, any rod that didn't have a similar hinged action would be a disappointment.

I have 2 -

BPS CarbonLite 6'9 ML and a Dobyns Champion 6'8 ML.

My preferred length is 6'6-6'10 and Medium Light to a Medium depending on situation.

If i had to choose one, 6'9 Medium fast. could cover all situations. 

Denali Jadewood J842DS, 7' Med Mod. Nice rod for only $99.

St. Croix Mojo bass

*** *** Black

BPS CarbonLite (My Favorite)

Abu Garcia Veritas or Vendetta 

Falcon Bucoo

Lews laser SL rods

Powell Rods (Can get most for 150 and under)

I drop shot quite a bit and I've found it necessary to have 2 rods - a bubba drop shot rod for cover situations and a more traditional spinning drop shot rod for the more open water situations.

 

I carry 20 or so rods rigged when I fish by myself and 2 or 3 of them will be drop shot rigs.  1 standard drop shot and the other 1 or 2 bubba style with different baits rigged ready to go.

I use a croix eyecon 7 ml

Anyrod in and that rating will work

Pick your brand lol

6'8" to 7'0" is about ideal. if it was just open water, i'd suggest a medium-light power with a fast action but, if you're dropshotting around cover, you'll probably want to step up to medium power with an extra-fast action. dropshotting is one of my favorite techniques and i have five dedicated spinning rigs just for it. at your budget, i HIGHLY recommend the fenwick elitetech smallmouth series. cabela's is offering a great deal now on them too: currently on sale for $100 instead of $130. plus, fenwick will send you a free sweatshirt with purchase (you have to pay $10 for shipping and handling though). plus, i have a $20 off a $150 purchase code (expires 6/24) that i'm not going to use that you can have (just PM me if you want it).

BPS bionic blade micro 7' ML is a great spinning drop shot rod. I have 2 setup for drop shot and they are a great bang for your buck rod.

Another question for you guys. Xfast tip for heavy cover and fast for open water. Which one can you use for both open water and heavy cover?

Another question for you guys. Xfast tip for heavy cover and fast for open water. Which one can you use for both open water and heavy cover?

Fast is good enough and its more versatile as well. Xfast will be a little hard to throw small worms unless you're fishing extremely heavy cover then go with xfast, but for most cases a fast action is good for all around use. I would get a St.croix rod 7 foot med-heavy fast action.

My two go to drop shot rods are both 6'9 Med Lite Veritas or Carbon Lite. Both are easy on the wallet and on the arm after fishing it all day.

Another question for you guys. Xfast tip for heavy cover and fast for open water. Which one can you use for both open water and heavy cover?

fast is more versatile than extra fast, especially on a casting rod. however, for casting a dropshot or pitching a dropshot into cover, it doesn't matter much although extra fast gets to the more powerful section of your rod quicker so it may help you keep the fish away from cover a bit easier.

Under 130.... Fenwick elite tech smallmouth 6'9 ML

 

You can find them cheaper online in various places.

 http://www.***.com/Fenwick_Elite_Tech_Smallmouth_Spinning_Rods/descpage-FETSS.html

I have been fishing the 6'9 ML Fenwick Elite Tech Smallmouth Series rod for several years. I liked it so much for finesse apps including drop shot rigs that I bought a second. The rod has an extremely comfortable handle design, a pretty impressive blank, and the build quality is considerably good. I paid WELL under retail for both of mine. Toss in the lifetime warranty and very light overall rod weight and I feel it competes quite well in the $100-$150 range.

 

Smalljaw67 on here really likes the Medium XF rod for its ability to cover more finesse techniques and a touch more power for working various presentations in situations where cover is more prevalent. If you are going off total weight the 6"9 ML rod tends to cap at around 3/8 oz. I love it for 1/4 oz. jigs, and 3/16 to 1/4 oz. drop shots, and similar weight shakey heads.