Packard

The Falcon BuCoo M 6'6" with a moderate taper would be a good option. It is $100

They have other ones on Bass Pro too.

You get what you pay for...

Here is the link.

I have on of the cu-200 bantams and I found I could cast so much better with all the brake pins off. If you haven't tried that I'd give it a shot but casting 20' shy sounds like a problem to me.

Veritas is worth the extra $20 in my opinion. But between the Veritas and the Carbonlite, I'd go with the Carbonlite.

I use my BPS Extreme 6'6" MH for plastics and jigs. It's right in your price range and is a great value rod. Bass Pro has a great warranty and customer service. The Falcon Bucoo is also a great rod but I use mine for crankbaits. The BPS Extreme have a really thick cork handle though, I like it but I know not everyone will. The Falcon Bucoo has a split grip handle and is really thin eva. I find it a little hard to cast the Bucoo with the thin handle but have only had it for a week so hopefully I'll adjust.

If you don't need the exact handles you could give one of these a go.

They have a great value. The Lews Speed Spool and the Shimano Citica are great $100 reels. I have also heard good things about the Tournament MG.

I'm not a big fan of the vendetta, I'd spend the extra $20 for a much better $100 rod.

I agree, I'd save up to at least $200 for a decent set up. Then you can choose from a variety of $100 rods and spend the rest on a Citica or a nice used reel.

If your willing to buy on online, try to get a used reel as a good used reel is better than a new low quality reel imo. Look for a used reel in the Abu Garcia Revo Series, Shimano (Curado, Citica, Caenan), or Lews (Speed Spool or Tournamet MG). Try to spend a little less than half your money on that. Then for the Rod I would try to get one of the closeout Compre's or Crucial's but some of the house brands at Bass Pro or Cabelas are nice. I know the Cabelas Prodigy is on sale and have heard nice things about it. The flea market on this website has some nice deals as well.

The mat doesn't get too bad up here in Michigan. I have used my dads DX 703c and Core 100MG combo for plastics and it's nice but I don't see the need for having such a great rod for punching.

Exactly what I was going to say.

I know Heddon got sued by Smithwick for introducing a model of a spook with eyes on the bottom which was apparently copyrighted by Smithwick.

Good to know.

I went to a local tournament to spectate my friend and Shimano had a station with their new rods. I like how they feel in my hand and they have some nice specs for a $50 rod. I really like the new compre though. But your right I haven't fished it and I'm not the first one to recommend Shimanos new rods.

My favorite is the Shimano Sahara but that's $80. For $18 you can try the BPS TinyLite Reel. Bass Pro Shops TinyLite Spinning Reel

Yes, you can contact him here.

How do you flip from a kayak?

Shimano Sellus

I believe they are called a Warmouth up here which is a hybrid.

Rod: Falcon BuCoo 7' Heavy Reel: New Shimano Citica 200E or Used Shimano Curado 200E7 That would be a nice setup with a great value. It should be $200 or less and will suit your needs well.

I know that Sunline does that at the halfway mark on some of their lines.

Those are the only 3 I carry on my kayak.