Dropshot Rod Recomendations

[Travis O]

I am looking for a new dropshot rod to purchase.  I have been using an abu garcia veritas for the last year or so and have been fairly happy with it.  I have been dropshotting much more lately and would like to upgrade to something a little lighter and with more sensitivity.  I also have felt that the veritas is a little clunky to fish with, the blank remians pretty thick all the way out to the rod tip and for some reason this bothers me.  I recently bought a falcon bucoo open hook model because I loved how light it was and thought that it was plenty sensitive while playing with it in the store.  I thought that I was going to fall in love with the rod, but when I took it fishing, I absolutely hated it.  I could not feel anything, the only way I could tell if I had a bite was to see the rod tip move.  I also felt the action was all wrong for a dropshot rod. 

 

That being said, I pretty much have my decision narrowed to a few different rods.

 

First is the abu garcia Villian rod.  I have not been able to handle one of these yet and cannot even find a review for a villian dropshot rod.  Has anybody used this rod as a dropshot rod?  If not, how do other rods in that lineup compare to the veritas?

 

Second is a Lews Team Lews rod.  I have some other team lews rods and love them for how light and sensitive they are.  They do not have a dropshot specific rod, but have a 7' ML F that might do the job.  Has anyone fished a dropshot with one of these?

 

The last option is something from Fenwick.  The one rod manufacturer that keeps coming up in my research for a dropshot rod is fenwick.  I know the old elitetech was the cat's meow for dropshot fishing but they no longer carry that rod.  Is the newer smallmouth series comparable?  To be fair, this is the most innexpensive rod of the bunch so how about the fenwick aetos?   Would this be a better option?  I noticed that the only ML rod they offer is 7'6".  Does anybody dropshot with this long of a rod?  I can see where it would be an advantage for making long casts in ultra clear water, but will I be overworking the bait?

 

Thank you for any thoughts on these rods.

[smalljaw67]

I use the Elite Tech smallmouth 6'9" M-XF spinning rod as a drop shot rod but it is really versatile so I use it for shaky heads as well. If you wanted something in that length as a dedicated drop shot rod then the sister to the rod I have is the 6'9" ML-F spinning rod also in the Elite Tech smallmouth series. I know a few people that use that rod as a dedicated drop shot rod and I can see why, these rods have crisp, lively actions with a lot of sensitivity which is probably due to how light they are and the reel seat feels great to hold. I use casting rods the majority of my fishing but when I'm using a finesse technique I really have a hard time putting the rod down, now remember, I have a few of these so I'm biased but that is because I don't think you can do much better and I also would be saying the same thing if they were priced the same as the Aetoe, which I have 1 of those too.

[BradGuenette]

Take a look into the Dobyns SSM 692sf as your primary drop shot rod. It also excels as a shaky head and darter head rod!! Has plenty of sensitivity, nice soft tip but the backbone you need. Dobyns Savvy Series is the best $150 rod on the market! Dobyns has a great warranty and they stand behind their rods.

[skeletor6]

  On 11/26/2013 at 11:37 AM, smalljaw67 said:

I use the Elite Tech smallmouth 6'9" M-XF spinning rod as a drop shot rod but it is really versatile so I use it for shaky heads as well. If you wanted something in that length as a dedicated drop shot rod then the sister to the rod I have is the 6'9" ML-F spinning rod also in the Elite Tech smallmouth series. I know a few people that use that rod as a dedicated drop shot rod and I can see why, these rods have crisp, lively actions with a lot of sensitivity which is probably due to how light they are and the reel seat feels great to hold. I use casting rods the majority of my fishing but when I'm using a finesse technique I really have a hard time putting the rod down, now remember, I have a few of these so I'm biased but that is because I don't think you can do much better and I also would be saying the same thing if they were priced the same as the Aetoe, which I have 1 of those too.

 

^^^^Agree***

 

Take your last option of fenwick. Many claim the Smallmouth series as one of the top dogs for its price range. The ML/F would be a good technique specific dropshot rod used for light line and light weight shots. The M-XF is more of an all-around spinning rod that can dropshot as well.

 

My "if you find a good deal" choice is a Shimano Cumara Gen 1. A good steal would be a used CUSDX72M or CUSDX68M. 

[Bass Junkie]

I know you didn't mention them, but I'd be checking out the Drop Shot models in the new Daiwa Tatula line 

[Virtuoso]

  On 11/26/2013 at 2:32 PM, Bass Junkie said:

I know you didn't mention them, but I'd be checking out the Drop Shot models in the new Daiwa Tatula line

After two trips with a couple different models. I think they may turn out more like the R series reels than the regular.

[sprint286]

Check out the Denali Rosewood drop shot rod  http://www.denalirods.com/rosewooddropshotrod.aspx

or if you are on more of a budget the jadewood has you covered  http://www.denalirods.com/jadewooddropshotrod.aspx

[Travis O]

Thank you guys for all of the recomendations.  I know that every rod manufacturer out there probably has rods that would fit the bill.  These were really the only brands that I am interested in because of past dealings with them.  I will probably give the elitetech a try and see how it works out. 

[.ghoti.]

right now TW has tha Daiwa TD-X dropshot rod on sale for $140. If I didn't already have one, I would be all over that. It would be difficult to find a better drop-shot rod at that price.