guessing you prefer hooksetting lures over moving baits...because I have the exact opposite mindset and I fish mostly moving lures like cranks, spinnerbaits, and topwaters. Give me a nice reel and any graphite rod will do.

$100- Abu Garcia Vendetta
Skeet reese
Mojo bass?

$50- Berkely Lightning Shock Rod.
Acadamy has the American Rodsmiths Apex Titanium 7'MH for 50.

skeet reese rods best buy for the money 89.00 at BPS

Watch out on the Cast Aways. I have some the the "American Made" rods and I purchased a "Chinese made" rod the other day. Not the same product. I hate to see that Cast Away has outsourced to China. Skeet Reese Rods are a darn good deal for under $100.

There are several good rods around $100. I love the Falcon BuCoo and have several. I have friends that really like the Temple Fork Rods. I believe St Croix and All Star have comparable rods as well. I have used the Abu Garcia Rods that a guide had and they where pretty good. If you can get a guide or 2 and use his gear and see what you like. At the end of the day it is what fits in your hand and feels right that will work best.

was reading this thread without looking at dates...

that aggiegolfer guy said everything I would...(holy $%&$ I actually still own that GSX Titanium flipping stick too...that's a record for my lineup).

I like the ABU Garcia Vendetta's I believe they like 80 bucks. Very sensitive.

Uhg....I love finding this [censored] out after the fact. Oh well, I guess better late than never. I just snapped my All Star Rod a few weeks ago and went and bought another. After reading this post, I then take a look....of course I bought a China one to replace my Houston one!! ...Uhg, STUPID!

Anyway, lesson learned. Thanks fellas for the info!

ALL STAR 2 NEW CASTING ROD FOR SALE
Jean Scurtu
Outdoorsman

Registered: 10/13/08
Posts: 207
Loc: Houston.Texas New casting rods built in HOUSTON(not China!!!)before SHAKESPEARE distroy ALL STAR company :

-ALL STAR BCM-6,lenght 6',line 10-20lb.,lure wt.1/4-5/8oz.JAPAN VERSION

-ALL STAR BCM-6,lenght 6',line 10-20lb.,lure wt. 1/4-5/8 oz.

Cork handel.

I fish just with spinning long rods(over 9')and for these reason i sale the rods.

$20 each rod pick up in Houston or pay $18 S&H

First, let me put on my vest and helmet.

Ok.

I have grown to really like the Bass Pro rods that are IM6 with cork handles. Affordable at about 30$, light, easy to carry and to cast.....and they look good to. I still use heavy old Ugly Sticks for my bait rigs, but for casting artificials all day, I love that light weight rod.

just my 2 cents

No rods under 100 , save up with another 100 .

I can't believe this post came back after the years have gone by. I also can't believe how little I knew back then. I learned my lesson and so should everyone else. Cheap rods are cheap for a reason and really expensive rods are really expensive for reasons only God himself could explain. Find the lightest rod you can for a price you are willing to pay. My current line up still includes those American Rodsmith Titanium rods ($49 each) but only for using on my kayak as I won't care if they fall out with the cheaper Shimano Sienna reels on them. I use better stuff on land and when on boats. I am feeling more confident on not losing anything from the kayak (one year yakking and no loss yet) and am starting to take out nicer stuff. I own a couple Carrot stix (Salty type), Falcon XG Coastals and am looking to purchase the TFO HOW line up soon. I guess your stuff just gets nicer the more confident you feel. Who knows, maybe one day I'll own a reel or rod that I pay over $100 for(thank God for the internet and finding huge deals) but I know I'll never own cheap [censored] again as that stuff has found it's way into the garbage or donated to people who have nothing. Reel game has stepped up to Curados and Stradics as well.

I've switched from Carrot Stix, to Falcon, to Kistler since I've read this post. They are all great rods, it's just what you're willing to compromise price for. Are rods priced higher because they are better? Sure, if you're willing to fork over the money to prove it to yourself. My next upgrade will probably be to Duckett or Dobyns, but since I can't afford them; my Kistlers will be my favorite rods.

I agree that the best rod is going to be the one that you feel comfortable spending the money on, period. I have used everythig from the old Berkley Stinger to Quantum Tour, BPS, G. Loomis, American All-Star, and the list goes on.....
My favorites of all of them is a good old fashioned Lightning Rod or the new BPS Bionic Blad or Tourney Special. Not because they were necessarily better than a Loomis but for the fact that they never failed me and for $50 or less why would I spend money that has been proven needless to spend? I would love to hear about any first hand experience with the new Berkley Lightning Rod Shock if anyone can comment.