been lurking for a couple weeks now and decided to join up. i've found tons of useful info on this site and just wanted to know what people think of my rig, and also to get suggestions on a new rod.

my main rig is a 6'6" Fenwick Eagle GT medium action 1-piece, with a Pflueger President 6735X spinning reel. right now i've got berkley vanish 10# on and 20# spiderwire stealth with 10# trilene sensation backing on my spare. i'm not too happy with the spiderwire and will be upgrading to powerpro in the very near future.

my other rig is a 6' rhino 2-piece i bought at walmart (bought in haste, soon to be upgraded and retired to the basement) with a shimano sonora spinning reel. i'm running 10# berkley trilene sensation and berkley vanish on the shimano.

i mostly use 5" senko's texas-rigged where i fish, but sometimes i'll throw a crankbait or a topwater depending on the time of day, temperature, etc.

any suggestions on a decent $40-$50 rod with a slightly different action than the fenwick that i could run my shimano with? i was looking at the berkley lightning rod but wasn't too sure on it. i like the action of my fenwick but would like something a little bit shorter (6' as compared to the 6'6" fenwick) and faster just to have a decent array of rods.

i know the "what rod should i buy?" question has been beat to death, but i'm looking for a decent rod to run with my decent shimano, and any suggestions would help. thanks in advance.

also, i mostly shore fish due to a lack of a boat, but still fish from canoe's often. the areas i'm fishing are usually small to medium sized lakes and reservoirs in the central massachusetts area.

Welcome to the forums!

IMO, the Lightning rods are the best sub $80 MSRP rods out there.

decent $40-$50 rod with a slightly different action than the fenwick that i could run my shimano with?

With that budget you have a few options... I would look at the lightning rods for sure... also if you have an All Star dealer in the area (most big retailers carry some All Stars) look at the "Classic"  line of rods.... they are some of the best economy rods available.  Lastly, there are a few BPS and Cabela's rods that fall in that price range.

decent $40-$50 rod with a slightly different action than the fenwick that i could run my shimano with?

With that budget you have a few options... I would look at the lightning rods for sure... also if you have an All Star dealer in the area (most big retailers carry some All Stars) look at the "Classic" line of rods.... they are some of the best economy rods available. Lastly, there are a few BPS and Cabela's rods that fall in that price range.

I agree with Flech here . My experience at this price is the BPS rods will give you better value than Cabelas.

I know I'm a catch heck for this one but I would look at ugly stiks. I got a light action ugly stick that I use for bass if you want you can ask moby, but I get a better hookset thatn him and he won't go any lower than a tourney special mh I was thinkin 'bout gettin a mh ugly stick and puttin an Abu Garcia Baitcaster on it. I already have one Garcia baitcaster but two excellent reels never hurts.

Welcome to the forum. I just bought the new Lighting rod and it is excellent for the money. I have had   a few of the lower end All Stars and Shimanos but for the money, check out the new Lighting Rod. Good Luck

Here is dumb question................if you like the Fenwick, why not buy another? Fenwick's are fine rods, as good as, if not better than most in there price range. The 6'6" M you have is a good all purpose rod that would do most of what you described well, and with ease. If your set on getting another rod, I would recomend a 7' rod as a shore fisherman, unless you are fishing from real brushy shores and casting into tight spots, then I would go with a 6'. Also if your looking to use plastics/jigs exclusivly with this new rod I would go with a MH power, if it is topwaters, and cranks I would go ML, but like I said the M you have falls nicely between those and will handle both dutys. I know when I was a shore bound fisherman I always tried carrying a couple rods with me, but it was a pain, 1 rod was all I needed for most days, and most applications

I get a better hookset thatn him

Your hooksets being better than another guy's, is not a function of the rod.  

 I've bought 2 Bionic Blades from BPS when they went on sale. That puts them in your price range. IMHO for that money there isn't a better rod . Also wanted to say WELCOME to the forums!!!

                                            As Ever,

                                             skillet

thanks for the replies everyone. i knew i'd get some good responses on here.

farmer, the reason i haven't really looked into getting another fenwick is because i'd like to see what else is out there. as much as i like the one i have, i can't help but think i might find something i like even more.

i was actually looking at the BPS bionic blade online the other day, it seems like a decent rod that falls in my price range. i guess i'm going to have to try to find a BPS around MA so that i can get a firsthand look at some of their rods.

so my next question is, where's the closest BPS to central massachusetts?

thanks again.

thanks for the replies everyone. i knew i'd get some good responses on here.

farmer, the reason i haven't really looked into getting another fenwick is because i'd like to see what else is out there. as much as i like the one i have, i can't help but think i might find something i like even more.

i was actually looking at the BPS bionic blade online the other day, it seems like a decent rod that falls in my price range. i guess i'm going to have to try to find a BPS around MA so that i can get a firsthand look at some of their rods.

so my next question is, where's the closest BPS to central massachusetts?

thanks again.

Fair enough,  I actually own 2 Bionic Blades as well as my many Fenwicks and they are good rods, I find them on par with the Eagle GT, but a step down from the Fenwick HMX. Right now they are on sale for $54, IMHO thats  about all they are worth. I just checked the BPS sight, and I think the nearest store to you is the one in Auburn NY, quite a ways from Mass. IF you order one sight unseen beware...........the grips are bulky and the rods are, again just my opinion, rated a little lower than they fish. For example the MH spinning rod I have is quite a pool stick, it fishes like a H power rod to me,  it's a great rod for pitching jigs/plastics, I keep it on my boat and let people uncomfortable with casting gear use it, it handles those dutys well.

(cough*)  All Star... you can probably find them a lot closer than the next BPS store.  (cough*)

i'll be looking into the all-stars i guess, i'd rather not buy a rod without being able to hold it in my hands before making a decision. thanks again for all the help guys.

I have a lightning rod and I love it.  it is a great rod and it was cheap too I think I bought it for $25.  It doesnt have a reel on it right now, but I will be taking care of that in the next few days.