I fish lakes where a shakey-head always catches fish so I am looking for a super sensitive rod to throw them on.

 

I mainly use 3/16 ounce but will sometimes use 1/4 ounce.

 

Looking for the most sensitive rod for under $200

 

I looking at St. Croix Avid X, Phenix M1 or Bass Recon, Loomis E6X or any recommendation you guys can give.

 

Thanks,

Brady Leatherwood

 

 

PS: Hopefully some people will not hijack my thread arguing because of what their rod preferences are. 

check out Alpha Rods. They have a lot of rods geared towards shakey head fishing. Not to mention their spinning rods have a lot of components found nowhere else in the market. Some of there rods are pricey, but once you get one if your hand you won't want to put it down. All of the rods you listed are valid choices as well. 

I would look for either a 6"9 medium action Fenwick Elite Tech rod or an ALX Maestro spinning rod. Both are great rods and versatile too. If sensitivity is of concern both will rate among the best. I think the ALX rod is a bit over your budget but they occasionally offer sales.

What is and what ain't a decent shaky head rod is very subjective.  I have an old Diawa LT 6'3" Finesse rod that I love for shaky heads, primarily in the 3/16 & 1/4 oz range.  Buds ask me, "most of your other rods  are of good to great quality, why are you using that POS to throw shaky heads with?"

 

Answer - I like it.  I like the shorter length, a sensitive enough tips and serious backbone in the 3' above the handle area.   I've got longer, 6'6", 6'10" and 7" spinning rods that I don't like as well for shaky heads.

(Not to be confused with Slider heads, which have a spinning rod and a casting rod dedicated to throwing them)

 

Point is, take all the recommendations with a grain of salt, find one that you like.  What is most important to you in a shaky head rod?  Strike detection?  Hook setting?  Casting distance?  Reel seat comfort?

 

Some of these characteristics are mutually exclusive - some aren't - all represent some sort of compromise.  Go to a store where they have several different brands, so you can pick and choose.

 

Option B - I don't have one of the DVT custom rods, but the people on this board who do rave about them.

Call up DVT, tell Mike what you want and be happy with it after you get it.

I can't speak on the St. Croix or Phenix rods, but I can on the G.Loomis E6X. I picked up a 6'6" M-F a couple weeks ago to throw finesse rigs with, drop shot, wacky worms, and shaky heads, (I can't afford to have 3 finesse setups) and it is the most sensitive rod I've ever handled. I can detect the tiniest hits even on slack line. The rod has plenty of backbone while not being too stiff. It's really light and comfortable too. At first I wasn't planning on spending that much on a finesse rod, but after fishing with it I'm glad I did. I ended up pairing it with a Cabelas Verano 2000 (engineered by Daiwa) since it balanced out the best and spooled that with 20 lb Sufix 832.

I use the Kistler Magnesium TS Shakyhead/Tube Jig rod. It is 6'10" and medium-heavy. I have 12 lb Sufix 832 on it with a 10 lb Seaguar leader. Love this setup!