This post is just for fun. Since it’s too cold to fish and rods have been on my mind a lot lately I thought I’d see where everybody is at on this. Whether you own it or not, I’m curious to see what rods people like best in the different price points. Under $50, $50-$100, $100-$150, and so on. For me the $150 price point is just about the ceiling. I would go a bit over to get a couple of specific rods but I’m usually well below that in price. My choices are:

 

$150-$200 range:

Spinning: Riding the line and coming in at just over $150 is the St. Croix Premier, and ONLY the spinning version. To me there’s no better spinning rod. It’s a good looking rod, the handle is made just right with a good sized foregrip, that hook keeper is up out of the way where it belongs, it has a sensitive enough blank without being brittle, and it was just redone to now include Fuji tangle free guides on a redesigned blank. There’s nothing more I could ask for. I have one of the pre-2025 versions. It has been excellent. 

 

Casting: Dobyn’s Sierra. I’ve not seen one of these in person yet but they come with good reviews, they look good, the handles look comfortable and they use a Fuji ECS reel seat. So far they are checking all my boxes.
 

$100-150 range:

Spinning: Lew’s LFS. This is an interesting series to me. I love the handle designs and the hook keepers are not in the way. They have Fuji components. Should be a good rod, but I have not seen one in person yet. Casting rods look good too, but there’s a casting rod that I like better.

 

Casting: Dobyn’s Fury. Good looking rods, uses a no nonsense Fuji ECS reel seat with a large enough split cork grip to be comfortable. Rod feels great in hand. I don’t own one yet, though, but it’s on my short list.

 

$50-$100 range:

I shop in all of the ranges that I listed but this is the range I tend to buy in the most frequently.

 

Spinning: Shimano Convergence. Made with a carbon blank and a small foregrip with the hook keeper located up out of the way, both of which allows for keeping a finger on the blank for sensitivity purposes, this rod feels like it would be a good bottom contact rod for light plastics rigs. Also for wacky rigging. If I needed a spinning rod today and wanted to save a little money, this is the rod I would buy. But I’m currently using a previous generation St. Croix Mojo for all of these same reasons. 

 

Casting: Shimano Convergence again. This rod fishes well above its price point. It has a full cork grip, a Fuji ECS reel seat, and a good looking black and red carbon blank with aluminum oxide guides. I have the previous generation Convergence which had a composite blank that made it excellent for crankbaits. The newest version’s carbon blank is better suited for bottom contact baits like jigs and plastics rigs. Shimano makes great quality rods at any price point but I’ve always thought they were the best available in the under $100 category. If you need a budget worm rod, this is it!
 

Under $50

Spinning: This one will surprise you. My favorite spinning rod under $50 is not a bass rod, unless you like a little excitement in your bass fishing that is. My choice is the Shakespeare Micro Series. I just got a 7’0” light Micro for crappie fishing. This rod has to represent extreme value since it comes in at just $26 but performs so much better than that. You do have to shop the rack though to get a good one. I went through three of them in the store, even swapping the tip from one onto another’s butt section before I was satisfied. But once I got a rod with good straight line guides, I think it would be hard to beat for the purpose I’m using it for without paying at least twice as much.

 

Casting: I don’t honestly have a choice for a casting rod in this price range for obvious reasons. If I was pressed to choose it would be a Berkley Cherrywood HD or Lightning Rod, if you can still find a Lightning Rod under $50. The Cherrywood really isn’t a bad rod, I actually own one for crappie fishing in a spinning version. But for bass fishing I think I would want something a little better so I don’t put too much thought into this price point for casting rods. If you know of one, let me know. 
 

Also, in this thread, the sky is the limit! Whatever your favorite rod is in any price range, post it up. I might not be able to afford it but I can drool over it.

 

 

I don't know if they are under $50 anymore but my favorite Walmart cheap rods are:  

 

Lews HP 6'10" M in spinning for finesse 

 

Berkley 7' MH Lightning Rod for heavier moving baits 

 

Lews HP 7 MH for jigs, frogs, big worms and Texas rigs

 

Not at Walmart but the Lews Laser SG1 7'4H" can be under $50 sometimes.  It's great for 1-3 oz big baits.  

 

For aluminum frame reels $50 or under I like the Piscifun Alloy M, Seasir Megacuda/Leydun G6, Seasir Salaminus and Johncoo Ares.

Haven't used any cheap rods in over 15 years. No idea what's good in that price range. The last two that i liked around the mid 2000s were the Fenwick HMX and the Fenwick HMG (the cherry red ones).

This is like asking "What is your favorite reel?"  Impossible to answer.  Only in the under $50 can I give an answer because to the best of my memory, I have just two.  The 6' MLF Lightning spinning rod that's over 40 years old is my favorite of the two.

 

Between $50-$100?  Wow!  Too many.  Although a $130 rod, I paid less than $80 for each of my Smallmouth rods.  OG Tatulas were all under $100 except for one.  That $100 rod was stolen and sold by a drug addict brother-in-law along with all the other casting rods I kept in Florida.  All my HMG rods were under $100.

 

Same problem for the other price ranges.  How does one pick a single rod as a favorite in each category?  I can't.

So under or right around $50.00 -$75.00 I love my Wright & McGill 7’-0” med power casting rod (Brent Chapman) series, I also have and enjoy the Lews HP & Carbon Fire Speed Stick both being 6’-10” med powered casting sticks. As far as spinning rods although they are $80.00 but currently on sale for $56.00 I love my (2) BPS Panfish Elite rods and I feel they are worth the $80.00 they normally cost. I don’t generally buy at full price but as far as above the $150.00 range I really enjoy the Okuma brand of rods although I only own (3) and (2) of them are in the TCS-A lineup both are casting which are currently listed at $190.00 on Okumas site but they are showing a select few both spinning and casting at $82.50 currently. As far as higher end spinning rods my favorite is my St Croix Avid Panfish rod. These are the ones that for me at least stand out and I’m really enjoying reading the responses to this.

 

 

Interesting topic.  My selection is based on the potential of finding the series/brand on sale.  Daiwa Aird at around 50 bucks.

Dobyns Maverick in both spinning and casting at around 75 bucks.  The Dicks SG Frenzy made by Dobyns at 79 bucks.  The Sportsman’s WH Dobyns at 90 bucks on sale.  These are all great rods at their respective price points.

 

The Edge Delta series at 100-108 bucks on sale is a steal.  Edge has added two satellite finishing locations and wait times should be shortened drastically going forward.

 

Dobyns Kadens are really good rods at 180 but can be had for 154 bucks on sale.  The Daiwa Tatula XT is another great option. That tops it out.  

8 hours ago, Eric 26 said:

So under or right around $50.00 -$75.00 I love my Wright & McGill 7’-0” med power casting rod (Brent Chapman) series, I also have and enjoy the Lews HP & Carbon Fire Speed Stick both being 6’-10” med powered casting sticks. As far as spinning rods although they are $80.00 but currently on sale for $56.00 I love my (2) BPS Panfish Elite rods and I feel they are worth the $80.00 they normally cost. I don’t generally buy at full price but as far as above the $150.00 range I really enjoy the Okuma brand of rods although I only own (3) and (2) of them are in the TCS-A lineup both are casting which are currently listed at $190.00 on Okumas site but they are showing a select few both spinning and casting at $82.50 currently. As far as higher end spinning rods my favorite is my St Croix Avid Panfish rod. These are the ones that for me at least stand out and I’m really enjoying reading the responses to this.

 

 

Absolutely don't need another rod, but if I could find the right TCS-A for $82.50 I'd be very tempted.  Seems several people here like that rod.

 

EDIT:  I saw one spinning rod TCS-S and one casting rod TCS-C on an Okuma website for $82.50

$50 hands down Daiwa Aird Coastal rods. I have 4 of them. The 6'8" casting was made with short handle for topwater/jerkbaits.

I went heavy on the St Croix Mojo bass rods.  The last gen before they ruined them with the new trigon models.  For $140-$160 at the time my opinion is they were one of if not the best bang for the buck rods you could get.  I have since moved on to Talon xmw rods.  Those are NRX+ comparable for a retail of about $300.  I still have and fish the Mojo's, but they take a back seat since I discovered Talon bass rods.

 

Now days I typically don't even look at rods under the $300 mark.  And I really am only buying rods that are built on a blank with the Loomis family's name attached to it regardless of rod brand.  I don't really feel you get much out of a rod until you get to that price point for most brands.  I prefer a little more quality.  

 

My current arsenal mostly consists of Talon and Leviathan (not Megabass), and they range in price from $300 to $500.

I have 6 of the Powell Naked series rods that I purchased on a BOGO so I didn't think I could say no.

rods under 50$ okuma stratus .. 39$ at dicks and shimano sojourn rods 39$ on amazon..i use both and they are durable and light with good components and fit a variety of reels well..

I have fewer rods than in the past and tend to spend more per purchase. Used to run around with 7-8 rods bank fishing just beating them to death. Now I dial in a single rod for a couple techniques and roll with that.

Best sub $200 - St Croix Victory. They can be had often on sale and with their stable actions and lighter weight package I don’t often find much that can compare.

Best sub $300 - I dont own anything in this range really. It’s either lower end Daiwa/St. Croix for moving baits or high end for bottom contact.

Best sub $425 - this one’s going to be dependent on if the Steez AGS falls back to $550 because they could be had a couple times a year at 25% off. In the same category I’d put the Legend Elite and X lines but those are looking to be phased out.

Best sub $525 - Specific rods in the NRX+ line such as the 873CRR, 893JWR, 852/872s JWRs. St. Croix Xtreme 7’1” MHXF is also really good. I’d never recommend spend NRX money on an MBR. I own one. It was and is a waste. I keep it around to remind me.

I only buy on sale or if I can talk to a shop owner and work out a deal.

A long, long time ago, I can still remember, when... (come on old guys...LOL)

A Berkley Lighting Rod could not be beat.

When I was guiding, my boat was full of them. Good enough to do he job and, I didn't want to cry when a customer would break one.

I’m gonna price rods I’ve liked low to high:

Daiwa aird x at $60 right now: fished this rod for 2 years and it’s been durable and good to me as manly a car to keep in my trunk. It was rhe 2 piece version and I got it for under 50 and it was good for the price sensitivity and looks wise.

Berkley lightning rod at around $ 60:

This is my friends rod I have fished many times 6’ something spinning it is good for the price and has lasted for him

13 fishing defy black $70:

This reel for its price is sensitive and great looking in the 7’1 medium fast spinning version I have. It has an uplocking reel seat and balances perfect with a Vanford or Daiwa regal 2500. Couldn’t ask for much more at $70 and I have never heard anyone talk about it.

At $130 the falcon lowrider and cashion element are great rods. I haven’t fished with them much but they are both great looking and have good lineups.

Dobyns Kaden for the price is also great I’ve had mine for a year and a half and I pretty much always have it with me it’s never let me down. Sensitive and balanced well.

My most expensive rod was the zodias 7’2 ml+. This rod is really light and sensitive and was good for a variety of finesse techniques