I am currently in the market for a new spinning rod, i'm looking for a lighter rod as I already have a 7'2 med heavy spinning rod I use for my big shaky heads when i'm fishing deep and what not, I'm looking for a general rod I can throw everything from a dropshot to a ned rig and a small shaky head (1/8 to 1/4)

I have been looking at the ducket micro magic pro, which ive heard both good and bad things about, ive also been looking at G.Loomis e6x spinning rods but im not sure I will really use this rod enough to drop 190 on it.

Ive considered the falcon bucoo sr's and the Jason Christie signature series but I have no experience with those rods.

I would like to keep the price below 160 if possible. Any and all suggestions are welcome!

Thank you, Austin

Youre going to get a lot of different answers on here. All the suggestions will probably be great ones because at this price its hard to mess up if you know what specs you want.  My suggestion within your budget would be St Croix's Mojo Bass in the 6'10 MLXF. Im a huge fan of st croix so I am biased, but the rod is light and sensitive and its almost between a ML and M. Feels too powerful to be a ML but too soft for a M. Its a weird feeling. Its a nice in between, im sure other owners of the rod would agree. I use it for all my finesse fishing, ned rig, dropshot, tubes, curly tail grubs, neko rigs. It also has a 5 year warranty, which is great. I've also heard a lot of great things about the Fenwick Elite Tech lineup, but theyre quite hard to find. 

 

If you do indeed decide to step up to the level of the e6x, which usually is around $190, I'd say just go up to the SC Avid X, which is at $220. I personally do not own it, but i get to use the 6'9 ML when im out on my uncles boat and its miles ahead of my mojo bass. Nice split grip and super balanced feel. Its also handcrafted and handmade in the US (the mojo bass is made in mexico). Has an unbeatable warranty too, 15 years. I have an avid x 7' MHF in casting and I promise you the quality is definitely there for the price. I have no idea what a $500 rod feels like but im confident the Avid X is right up there at half the price. Just watch out for the micro guides on the Avid X if thats not your thing. Best of luck in your search!

 

 

Dobyns Sierra 692SF - 6'9" rated 1/8 oz to 1/2 oz - right at that $160 mark retail...you can find them for less

For a little bit more retail...

Dobyns Sierra 702SF - 7'0", same lure rating - only $10 more

 

Limited Lifetime warranty on the Sierra line

3 minutes ago, Finessegenics said:

Youre going to get a lot of different answers on here. My suggestion within your budget would be St Croix's Mojo Bass in the 6'10 MLXF. Im a huge fan of st croix so I am biased, but the rod is light and sensitive and its almost between a ML and M. Feels too powerful to be a ML but too soft for a M. Its a weird feeling. Its a nice in between, im sure other owners of the rod would agree. I use it for all my finesse fishing, ned rig, dropshot, tubes, curly tail grubs, neko rigs. It also has a 5 year warranty, which is great. I've also heard a lot of great things about the Fenwick Elite Tech lineup, but theyre quite hard to find. 

 

If you do indeed decide to step up to the level of the e6x, which usually is around $190, I'd say just go up to the SC Avid X, which is at $220. I personally do not own it, but i get to use the 6'9 ML when im out on my uncles boat and its miles ahead of my mojo bass. Nice split grip and super balanced feel. Its also handcrafted and handmade in the US (the mojo bass is made in mexico). Has an unbeatable warranty too, 15 years. I have an avid x 7 MH in casting and I promise you the quality is definitely there for the price. I have no idea what a $500 rod feels like but im confident the Avid X is right up there at half the price. Just watch out for the micro guides on the Avid X if thats not your thing. Best of luck in your search!

 

 

Thank you for the input I have a few old old st Croix panfish rods (my great grandad got them some time in the 70s) I am partial to those rods for panfish and truly think they make a remarkable rod, I have yet to handle one of their bass specific spinning rods though. I was impressed by their baitcasters in the mojo line up though, I will certainly check them out. 

6 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

Dobyns Sierra 692SF - 6'9" rated 1/8 oz to 1/2 oz - right at that $160 mark retail...you can find them for less

For a little bit more retail...

Dobyns Sierra 702SF - 7'0", same lure rating - only $10 more

 

 

I have a friend who has the 702sf and it handled shaky heads nicely as I recall, I will have to look into it ?

I agree 100% with @Finessegenics!

I agree with looking at the St Croix Mojo Bass line of rods. I have not used their spinning models, but have a few of the casting models. I tend to like a little longer rod so I would go with the 7'6" ML/XF. I have that in the Legend Tournament series and use it for many finesse techniques.