I have been looking at the daiwa spinmatic ultralight rods in either 6 or 6 1/2 foot 2 piece. I'll use it mainly for trout in rivers and streams, and panfish or trout in ponds every once in a while. Right now a have a 5 foot shimano that can barely get my spinner across a 10 foot wide stream, so I want a longer rod, which I can also use in lakes, ponds, or larger rivers. are these rods any good, which length should I get, or is there a better rod for a comparable price?

Strange that you are having trouble with a 5' Shimano. I was just out fishing a local river (more like a creek) today with a 5' Daiwa ultralight and had no problems casting spinners across to the other bank. Are you able to add a little bit of weight, even a small split shot? I use a size 7 split shot in front of a non-weighted spinner and it works great. Your line thickness may also be a factor in your casting as well.

 

As for the Spinmatic, I have never used that particular Daiwa but I do dabble in cheap ultralights for small bass/trout fishing. If you are concerned about casting distance go with the 6'6" as it will help a little with that. If the three Daiwa ultralights I have are anything to go by (Laguna, D-Shock, and Sweepfire), the Spinmatic would be a good bet too. If you can, handle one at a local fishing store and see if it feels good or not in terms of weight, action, and build quality. 

 

Really can't knock those budget Daiwas. They're cheap, durable, and a heck of a lot of fun to fight fish on. 

that rod is an absolute noodle.  some call that a true ultralight but it's a bit too floppy for my taste. 

head to walmart and check out the shakespeare micro series. nice little rods.  the light or ultralight will fit ur taste.  honestly you can improve ur 5' casting distance if you have the right set up.  whats ur rig? if you have 8-10lb mono on it you'll do yourself a huge service just by upgrading ur line to braid, fluro or even 6lb copoly like yo zuri.

a 1000-2500 reel casts farther b/c the line comes off the spool w/ little resistance.  pair that with 5-10lb braid...and or 4-6lb test and you should be whipping a 1/8oz mepps spinner at least 60+ft.  i never measured but i'm sure i can hit 50ft with a 6'9" light fenwick, 1000 reel, 4lb fluoro, 5lb braid backing and a 1/16oz crappie jig. an all metal mepps would hit 70ft