This is what I have. Would like to stay in the same ballpark on price. My thoughts are to get a setup good for flipping. Let me know what u think.

Kistler Magnesium TS 6'9" medium-heavy W/shimano caenan 6:5:1
Shimano Sojourn 6'6" medium heavy actiom-fast w/bps qualifier
Kistler Magnesium TS 6'9" medium heavy w/h20 express mettle
H20 express precip 7ft caroling rig w/ shimano citica 200e

A Dobyns Champion 735 with a Revo SX or STX

the Citica 200 E and the H20 express rod is a good combo but for a little more you could bump up to a Falcon Original 7'0 H. Especially if you take advantage during a rod riot!

or even the low rider

Dobyns champion 804 with a revo winch.

Falcon Head Turner or Amistad paired with a Lews Tournament Pro Speed Spool TP1H

Looks like both of those are $400+ combos to me

Dobyns Savvy 705 or Duckett 7' MH with H20 Mettle should keep you under half the price of those first other combos and roughly in the same range of what you've got. With a flipping combo, I'd spend my money on the rod and buy a cheaper reel.

Dobyns Savvy 766flip and Lews speed spool 7.1:1

My rod locker is so over slanted towards Falcon fishing that I'm really hurting for lighter duty stuff.

Maybe a 7 ft, mh St Croix Legend Tournament with a 7:1 Revo MSG.

Does BPS carry dobyns rods? I gotta put my hands on everything before I buy it. I don't recall seeing them at academy.

for flippimg the reel is unimportant, i could flip with my line tied to the end of the reel seat.

Get a good flipping rod that you like and feel comfortable with when you flip. Throw any dang reel on there., put your money in the rod on this combo.

for flipping i wouldn't get anything shorter than 7' unless you are under 6' tall..

Good point. I'm 5'10", seems like everything gets in the way at my height.

I need another pistol-grip 5&1/2 footer... prolly gunna get a St.Croix MH 5.6 and put an Abu Revo something with magnets and spool it up w/17lb green mono...yup I'm down to two short pistol-grip casting units and there wearing out quick, one has tape holding the cork handle together and the other I keep having to glue the middle guide back in the wrap...LOL

Boy's it hard to beat the feel of that Quantum EXO 100... I'm not a Quantum man, But would love to throw one of these all day... and at $249.99 its cheaper then the New REVO MSG and feels lighter....Check it out..

Academy and BPS don't carry them. Cabelas claims to carry them, but they only had one baitcasting Dobyns rod last time I was in there. Where are you located? Dobyns has a list of their dealers on their site. Fishin World in Dallas carries them, as does Southwest Parts & Service I believe. LFT in Emory also carries them if you're ever out near Fork.

I'm just east of longview, but work near Shreveport. I will check out there website.

I couldn't have typed that better my self...lol
You have good taste my friend...

All pro apx rod on any of the Lews reels.

You cant beat a ABU Garcia Veritas Rod and ABU Garcia Revo MGX reel.

No. It's not a good point. The reel is important. The magnetic brake reel spools (Daiwa) start faster,with less effort,than the physical brake reel spools(Shimano) You want to get the lightest rod and reel you can afford. Fatigue becomes an issue when you Pitch it 1200 times a day. Pick up the rod and reel in your hands,before you buy,and get what is comfortable for YOU:not somebody else. You need a medium heavy,fast action rod. I'm 5 11 and use 6 1/2 foot rods. I would not go shorter than 6 1/2. Get what feels comfortable and balanced to YOU. Enjoy.

I use a Kistler 7ft Jig-n-Toad rod paired with a Quantum Kinetic 7.0:1. I love it.

Dude I'm 5'10 and my true flipping rod is 7'11 with a quantum smoke 100. I don't use short rods. For flipping I want a fast reel and a long rod to take up line and get that fish away from whatever cover I'm flipping in. But that's my opinion. I have never bought into the 'if your short use a short rod' theory. I also have 3 7'3" I use for varying flipping techniques around sparser cover such as boat docks. But overall the 7'11" gets the most use to brushpiles and blowdowns along the bank.

you coming to the classic,we will have the full line up there.

I am 5'8" and I use the Doblyns Savoy series 735 which is a really good jig rod and is 7'3" long. I just thing the Champion series is a little better if you do not mind the extra money

I'm planning on at least coming to the expo. Although I oughta be watching the pros, the company I work for is holding a 2day tourney on the red the weekend following the classic.