Hey guys, I have an Abu 5000 round reel on a walmart Ugly stick 7' medium action. I use it to do alot of striper fishing from bridges,canals and alot of spillways. I throw mostly cut bait and plugs. This thing just doubles over and I cant  get the casting distance id like at all. I was wondering if someone can recommend me a rod with a nice backbone that can handle this stuff. I cant afford to spend alot of paper on one so the cheaper the better!

Go to gander mtn, dicks, bps, or cabelas and get your self a 6'6"-7' mh house brand rod. $50 bucks or less.

the Cabelas IM6 series is a good rod for the money. i had a 5600 C3 mounted on one and it would cast 3/8 oz baits like crazy.

You also might consider going to a 7'3" or 7'6" rod to get more distance when tossing the plugs...

I'm sure you can hit the BPS in Manteca and check out what htey have there

thanks guys.

If you're often getting big strippers, like over 15 pounds, I might suggest even a heavy 7 footer vs MH.  I'm guessing sensitivity is not that big a deal with cut bait. The smaller ones will come to you just as easily.  Just a thought.