Hey everyone! I am looking at getting another spinning rod. I have narrowed it down to these rods.

St Croix Mojo Bass

St Croix Premier

St Croix Victory

St Croix Avid X

Daiwa Tatula

Shimano Zodias

I am going to pair the rod with a Shimano Ultegra. Wanted to hear you feedback if anyone has had experience with any of these rods. Thanks!

 

Those are popular rod lines....which model or what techniques will the rod be used for? 

14 minutes ago, KP Duty said:

Those are popular rod lines....which model or what techniques will the rod be used for? 

Dropshot, Ned rig, and finesse swimbaits.

Zodias for the win, tatula a close second. I absolutely love my 7ft ML zodias for neko rigs and ned rigs, it's pretty good for the 4in easy shiner as well.

Daiwa Tatula Elite Spinning Rod 7' Med Lt Meyer
Taper	Line Wt.	Lure Wt.	Guides	Handle Type	Handle Length	Stock	Price
Fast	4-10lb	1/16-3/8oz	8+Tip	Elite Spin A	15-1/2"	In Stock: 5+	$179.99

Take a look at the Daiwa Rebellion ML. It's a nice rod.

33 minutes ago, LCG said:

Take a look at the Daiwa Rebellion ML. It's a nice rod.

The ML Rebellion is an excellent rod, very light and ultra sensitive. 

2 hours ago, LunkerJunky said:

Hey everyone! I am looking at getting another spinning rod. I have narrowed it down to these rods.

St Croix Mojo Bass

St Croix Premier

St Croix Victory

St Croix Avid X

Daiwa Tatula

Shimano Zodias

I am going to pair the rod with a Shimano Ultegra. Wanted to hear you feedback if anyone has had experience with any of these rods. Thanks!

 

St. Croix Victory. The 6’8” to 7’4” ML and MLXF rods are utterly fantastic. Great actions, stellar warranty and American made. I owned a ML and still own MLXF of the Legend X lines. 
 

I’ve never been super impressed with the Zodias and after the reboot I wasn’t drawn enough to try one. Shimano makes a decent rod, I just can’t justify the Zodias when you can get other brands which are just as good for less. 
 

Daiwa makes a good stick in the rebellion and tatula elite lines. 
 

If you’re ok waiting till Memorial Day you might be able to snag a Megabass whipsnake on sale, and I would go that route if it was me. 

2 hours ago, LCG said:

Take a look at the Daiwa Rebellion ML. It's a nice rod.

The rebellion seems pretty nice according to the reviews I've seen, but I'm a little iffy on how the colors would look with my Ultegra reel.

3 hours ago, LunkerJunky said:

The rebellion seems pretty nice according to the reviews I've seen, but I'm a little iffy on how the colors would look with my Ultegra reel.

Fair enough. It's a black with orange highlights, I have mine paired with a Stradic FL. Very light, quite sensitive, with a nice action to it, and comfortable to hold. Only caught about 25 fish on it so far from bluegill, crappie, and a few largemouth (not in season yet in my area). So far I am quite impressed with it.

I like the handle design, light weight and guide train on the Victory spinning rods....but returned the 6’10” MLXF because the tip was too soft for hook setting Mosquito size drop shot hooks. Exchanged for the 7’1” MF and it’s OK but not perfect.

The 7’3” MXF maybe a better choice.

Tom

Megabass Levante Whipsnake. Better than all of the rods above. I fish it next to my nrx+ rods.

14 hours ago, LunkerJunky said:

Shimano Zodias

I am going to pair the rod with a Shimano Ultegra.

Looks great.

I have both the Rebellion M/L and the Tatula M/L you can't go wrong with either. 

I really like my 7ft fast  M/L st.croix premier.  I use it for paddle tails, mojo rig, Ned rig.  Perfect balance of feel and strength IMO 

 

being American made is nice too. 

If you're going to spend that kind of money on a nice combo, I suggest you go to a tackle shop to put hands on the hardware before plunking down. Lots of fine rods mentioned here, any one of which could work great for you.

 

Sounds like you either have an Ultegra spinning reel already, or are pretty set on buying one. If that is the case, I would try to get to a shop or shops that carry the rods that are at the top of your list so you can feel for yourself how they balance with that Ultegra spinning reel, and how the rod feels otherwise in your hands. 
 

I have gone into buying rods and/or reels thinking I knew what I wanted, and ended up with something completely different. Lots of small details can be outright deal breakers, or even just mildly annoying to the point that it changes your perception of it.

Shimano Poison Adrena 267ML.  It's a great rod and is extremely light - ~3.25 oz.  It should be paired with something like a Shimano Stella FK 1000 to obtain one of the best spinning rigs ever.  It's what I use.