Drop shot rod recommendations?

[bassfshin24]

Hey guys. So I recently broke my drop shot rod which wasn't anything special. $100 Shimano Clarus. The past few years I have started drop shotting a ton more and I am finally going to get a decent drop shot rod. Price range is anywhere from $150-$200. I will be pairing the rod with a new Shimano Stradic Ci4+ 2500. 

One question that I have is do I go with a 6'9/6'10 or 7'2 rod. I do a lot of vertical fishing for smallies but I also pitch the drop shot to weed lines as well. There are a couple of rods I have my eye on but just want some more feed back. One of the rods is a Phenix M1 7'2 M action and the other is a 6'10 Castaway Skeleton V2. I haven't seen any reviews on the Castaway rod but the 6'10 version has my eye.

There are so many rods out there for that price range that I just can't decide. Warranty is a big thing for me so Shimano is definitely out. They should have kept their old warranty policy. Other mfg with only a 1 or 2 year warranty is out too. One of the reasons I liked the Phenix is it has a limited lifetime warranty. 

Any help or suggestions would be much appreciated. 

[blckshirt98]

+1 billion for the Phenix M1 7'2" MXF rod - I've caught more fish on a dropshot on that rod than all of my other rods combined!  You can use it for other things as well such as small crankbaits and other finesse presentations!

[WIGuide]

Have you taken a look at the St. Croix Avid X ML/XF? That model would make a great ds rod and it's got a 15 year warranty. Personally if you fish a drop shot a lot vertically, I'd go with the shorter rod simply because it's easier to hold it under the cone of your transducer. I actually cast a dropshot a lot too and a 6'9"/6'10" is a great length for either. 

[blckshirt98]

To WIGuide's point, I forgot to add that I'm a shore guy so I can't speak of using a DS from a boat.  I have also used a 6'8" MXF Cumara and an 8' Phenix Elixir for a dropshot rod and both work fantastic, but as you can tell I'm not particular about rod length.  The M1 is the most versatile which is why it's caught the most for me, and the Cumara and Elixir work because I use small hooks (#2,4, or 6) and nose hook my baits so I really don't need much of a backbone to get the hook in.  If I were going to get a dedicated finesse drop shot rod I'd go with something in the ML neighborhood.

[WRB]

For a baseline lets use MegaBass Orochi XX drop shot rod developed by Aaron Martens.

6'11" ML, XFast, 4-12 lb line, 1/16-1/2 oz lures. 3 year warranty, $275.

G.Loomis drop shot rod DRS822S.

6'10", Med, Xfast, 4-10 lb line, 3/16-1/2 oz lures, $100 warranty, $270.

St. Croix drop shot rod TBC610MLXF.

6'10", ML, Xfast, 6-10 lb line, 1/8-1/2 oz lures, limited lifetime warranty, $270.

*ALX Diplomat drop shot rod.

6'10", ML, Xfast, 4-10 lb line, 1/16-1/2 oz lures, 10 year warranty, $209.

Major Craft Don Iovino finesse spinning rod.

6'9" Med, Xfast, 5-10 lb line, 1/8-3/8 oz lures, 1 year warranty, $180.

Tom

* my choice, slightly over budget.

[Darren.]

Welcome aboard!

There are a ton of choices in your price range.

My experience is limited, but I've had Shimano Compre,
Bass Pro Carbonlites, St. Croix Premiere, Avid, and above
your price range, the St. Croix Legend Tournament, and a 
few other brands.

For me, the Carbonlites are excellent rods at the $100 point.
But for warranty, St. Croix's Avid and up are hard to beat.

I actually replaced my Avid (broke + warranty upgrade) for the
Legend Tournament rod. Big difference in quality.

I'd probably look at the Avid, Avid X series, although I did find
Avids to be a tad tip-heavy, but that's in my hands, you may
find them perfect.

Edit: My action recommendations are ML, especially in the St.
Croix line. I have ML in the Carbonlite and my LT is ML. Love
the action. The Croix is more in between the ML and M range.

Good luck

Edited November 21, 2016 by Darren.
Added rod actions

[Fishin' Fool]

At your price point the St Croix Avid X ML is probably your best bet? Personally I lIke the longer rods myself and use a G Loomis NRX 872s (7'3") but that is $575 retail.

[bassfshin24]

Thanks for the info so far. I like the idea of the shorter Rod myself. I'll let ya know what I decide. Sure wish I lived further south. Boat is getting winterized tomorrow and into storage this weekend :-( 

[Darren.]

1 minute ago, bassfshin24 said:

Thanks for the info so far. I like the idea of the shorter Rod myself. I'll let ya know what I decide. Sure wish I lived further south. Boat is getting winterized tomorrow and into storage this weekend :-( 

My Legend Tournament ($250) is 6'3" MLXF

My Carbonlites are 6'6", but one of them I cut 
the butt end down so it is 6'3".

My other two spinning rods are both BPS Micro
Lite rods, one is travel at 5'6" and the other 6'.
both are excellent for drop shot.

FWIW

[ChrisD46]

For the money , that new  Garcia Ike series technique specific purple drop shot rod would be on my short list . 

[fishnkamp]

ChrisD46 beat me to it the Abu Garcia "Ike Series" 6'10 ML spinning rod is really nice,

Also look at the Dobyns Sierra series SA 692SF

[burrows]

On 11/21/2016 at 5:22 PM, Darren. said:

My Legend Tournament ($250) is 6'3" MLXF

My Carbonlites are 6'6", but one of them I cut 
the butt end down so it is 6'3".

My other two spinning rods are both BPS Micro
Lite rods, one is travel at 5'6" and the other 6'.
both are excellent for drop shot.

FWIW

Do you prefer a short handle?because you fish from a kayak? I ask because I been wanting to get a kayak for quite some time now. All my rods are 14 to 15 inch handle.

[Darren.]

40 minutes ago, Cheesefrank said:

Do you prefer a short handle?because you fish from a kayak? I ask because I been wanting to get a kayak for quite some time now. All my rods are 14 to 15 inch handle.

Actually, yes I do. On one of my Carbonlites I cut 
about 3" off the butt end so it is now around 6'3"
and it works pretty well.

That said, longer handles don't bother me too 
much overall, especially when standing....