I had an old Browning spiral graphite rod that I used for spinnerbaits for 15+ years. It was 6'6" MH but the handle was noticeably shorter than anything made today. The shorter handle allowed for underhand and roll casting when throwing under docks and over-hangs which I do a lot. The rod was perfect for that. I snapped it in half this spring and ever since, I havent been able to find anything even close to that old Browning unless its 6' or less. Everything 6'6" + has the longer handle and I just cant get used to them for the kind of casting I do.

Any suggestions of rods I should look at? What do you use as a spinnerbait rod?

I have 4 rods with which I routinely use spinnerbaits:

I have a Team All Star IM10 6'8" "Spinnerbait Rod" (Model TAS 806C) and two All Star American Classics 6'8" Spinnerbait Rods" (Model ACSBR2). These are great rods. All of them are MH/F but the tips are a wee bit soft and they will present a spinnerbait very nicely. Apparently, the American Classics have been discontinued ( :'() but the IM10s are still being made. The IM10s are about $120, the American Classics about $100.

The other rod I use, which may have a grip with a length you would like, is the Fenwick HMG GT66MH 6'6" rod. Likewise, the tip on this is a wee bit soft and it presents spinnerbaits very nicely. About $120.

http://www.fenwickfishing.com/prod.php?k=76590&sk=76589&u=***

Click on the GT66MH to see how the handle compares to the other rods. I measured mine and from butt to trigger is 8 1/2 inches.

Forgive me if you will,for I have been buying BPS rods for the last 6 or 7 years.

With that being said I have three words for ya

I LOVE THEM

I use the Bionic Blade IM8 in 6'6" for spinners, it may not be the appropriate application but it works great for me.

I also do alot of roll casting and find the balance of their rods are superb.

For the money(which is somewhat tight around our house)I feel they are superb.Plus if ANYTHING happends to them BPS is right there to help you out

Hope I have hepled :-?

           -John

I just bought a 6'4 M Team All Star rod. It is one of the two spinnerbait rods they have. Really nice rod for $100.

Just might have to have one of our outstanding members make you one  

FENWICK WORLD CLASS the 6'6"  fAST/MH, rear grip is 8 inches .Cabelas has em at 149 until you put thme in the cart they are 100 bucks heres a link

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/standard-item.jsp?id=0053399122900a&navCount=1&podId=0053399&parentId=cat20372&masterpathid=&navAction=jump&cmCat=MainCatcat20166-cat20372&catalogCode=8IS&rid=&parentType=index&indexId=cat20372&hasJS=true

Check these out.

http://www.setyrrods.com/product_tact_spinner.htm

I have two 6'6" ,a medium and a med-heavy. Both spinnerbait models, with shorter handles than normal for 6'6" rods. I use the medium for spinnerbaits up to 3/8oz, small jerkbaits and smaller topwaters. The med-heavy model gets used for larger versions of the same baits.

Excellent rods, light weight, sensitive, split grip, no foregrip design.

And they are American made; they make their own blanks.

I also have a 7' spinnerbait model, but the handle is quite a bit longer. It's not so good for the type of casting your doing.

Mine's a 7MF Okuma Guide Select soon to be wearing a DADADADADADAAAAAAAAAA CiticaE that will be spooled with 40lb (10lb. dia) Power Pro.

Just might have to have one of our outstanding members make you one

Doesn't get any more obvious than this.  

Castaway SB3. MH mod 6'2".

http://www.acadiasports.com/rods.asp?ru=0&v=&ssid=  has some nice rods.

Good Luck

  Joe

I have a 10" rod handle, it works fin for roll casts. I know Finwick as some.

I use a custom G Loomis SB812 spinnerbait rod that I built paired with a Quantum Tour Edition and 15-20lb fluroclear.

I'm using a Falcon Low Rider LFC 6-166.  It's a 6'6" medium heavy.  I pair that with a Pflueger Trion 5.2:1 cranking reel.  It makes those big spinnerbait blades a little easier to haul through the water.

       I throw spinnerbaits with a Kistler 6'9 Graphite Plus Spinnerbait Special. It is truely a great rods for this, between the tip and amount of backbone.......Perfect. You can get them on Ebay right now for 69.95 from Simmons sporting goods. thats is half price. If you don't like it, I'll buy it from you.

Thanks for all the suggestions, I've been looking at lots of different rods. My main problem, as I said, is finding a rod thats longer than 6' that has a somewhat shorter handle that will alow me to underhand and roll cast. The longer handles just don't get it.

The Loomis Smallmouth rods are looking like they need some 'in hand investigation'. They look to have shorter than normal handles.

If you can think of anymore, let's hear it.  

I've checked out that Team Allstar spinnerbait rod at BPS...... it's a bit pricey but that it such a sweet rod- I'd go with that one if not too pricey.....  It's super light and great feel to it......

I've got an old Allstar Classic that has lasted me a good 11 years already and still going strong.......

Here is something to laugh about !

I started fishing SBs on a spinning combo when I didn't have any baitcasters (mostly 1/4oz). Yes, I was a spinning gear only guy.

The first BC combo I used for SBs was a BPS Grafite Series 6-6 MH rod paired with a Daiwa TD-S reel. I upgraded the rod to a Shimano Clarus 66 MH and didn't like it. I upgraded again to a Fenwick HMG  66 MH and still didn't feel right. The "better"rods felt TO STIFF ! Now I'm back to the BPS Grafite, wich is a slightly sfoter rod. I changed the reel to a BPS Extreme 5.4:1 , just to experiment with cranking ratios and I like it even better that the Daiwa TD-S (6.3:1).

The BPS rod doesn't have action rating but it feels to me like something between mod-fast and fast, maybe closer to mod- fast.It loads better, cast more accurately and catches more fish for me.

I am buying a 70 MH crankbait rod right now and I will definitely try it out for SBs !!!

I believe that a "softer äction rod is better than a faster action rod for any bait that moves relatively fast (CBs, SBs, Swimbaits, Chatterbaits, etc.) It gives the Bass the chance to INHALE the bait, and it's not jerked out of his mouth by the stifness of the rod.

So yes, I like better a $70 combo for SBs than a $250 combo.It's all int the ACTION for me. Go ahead and laugh...

Now, as a suggestion regarding "TO LONG A HANDLE", I would just buy a rod that has the right action ( watever you like) and take it to a rod builder and have him cut a couple inches of the handle. Soudn't cost you more than say $20(?).

I have 2 spinnerbait rods, the first is an old All Star IM10X 806 model, 6'8" MHvy. That has a longer handle, longer than the newer TAS model that replaced it and roll casting isn't really that rods strong point.

The second is a TAS model, 6'4". Med, fst. Shorter handle, much easier to roll cast this one.

If worse comes to worse, I have an old BPS Bionic Blade IM6 Med fst pistol grip rod that I can toss spinnerbaits on to get the true roll casting experience going. The action on that rod is actually much stiffer than the TAS 6'4" rod above.

All star also makes a model TAS766C which is a 6'4" but in a medium heavy action. Same handle as the SB model I have above.

Here's one, new/unused for $80 shipped.

another site

while you're checking out the sbr's, check out the cbr 756, as well.

6' 3" heavy action/mod-fast tip with a shorter handle.

line 12-25

lure 3/8-1 3/8    

some may not like a mod-fast for spinners but, if you're looking for accurate rollcasts, it does give you another option to look at.

 

Thanks for all the recommendations. I've narrowed it down to 2. I just left the Fenwick website and the Elite Tech Target/Spinnerbait rod looks like exactly what I need. I still have a certain Loomis in mind though, so we'll see.

I could've avoided all this if I hadn't broken that old Browning I had for so long. It was like losing a good friend. THAT rod was sweet and I believe it was only around $50 bucks way back when I bought it.