Best two piece rod

[STREAMHAWAII]

I have a Honda Accord and was interested in a really good "two piece" rod for bass fishing. Possibly a 6'6" and medium. I've scoured Cabela's, Field and Stream but hadn't got one yet. It was hard to find a two piece without grabbing them all. What are ya'll recommendations and experiences? I also would have to get reel to match.

[Incheon Basser]

Anything with a spigot joint is going to be far better than one where the top piece fits over the bottom piece

[LCG]

I drive a similar car, Ford Fusion and if you put one side of the back seat you can easily fit a one piece rod. Food for thought. 

 

But most quality rods that are two piece should do. I am personally fond of fenwick hmg and St Croix Mojo and above. 

[burrows]

St. Croix mojo bass rods make a two piece rod starting at 6,8” medium.

 A good reel to go with it shimano casitas.

[NYWayfarer]

St Croix makes great 2 piece rods. I have a Triumph that has lasted me for years and that's one of their low end rods. Another good 2 piece rod is the *** Black.

 

My car is around the same size and I fit a 7' rod down the center when the seat is folded down. I only take 2 piece rods when I am going on trips out of state and need the trunk for luggage. I prefer using a 1 piece whenever I can.

[islandbass]

Shimano makes two piece rods also. They are one of the best bangs for the buck. I also have a Cabelas brand 2-piece casting rod and it is one of my favorite rods. 

Unfortunately, I don’t think they make it anymore but I will presume their current two piece rods ought to serve you well. 

 

I have a corrolla so I know the drill and use 2-piece rods. 

 

Fo those who have suggested laying a seat down and lay the rod in the middle so as to go with a one piece rod, my corrolla can accommodate a 7’ rod so no doubt a Honda could too. 

 

Here is the thing that is the show stopper that necessitates a 2-piece rod. 

 

Just leave your car secured but unattended for whatever reason, like even using the restroom at a gas station. That is more than enough time for any thief or drug fiend to bust a window and steal it. So now you’ve lost your rod and reel if it were attached AND now you have to deal with a busted window and all the hassle that comes with it. 

I myself am so anal about it such that I won’t give them a visual chance. Yeah, they could still break into my car with rods unseen in the trunk, but at least I wasn’t advertising in plain sight. 

[NYWayfarer]

56 minutes ago, islandbass said:

Just leave your car secured but unattended for whatever reason, like even using the restroom at a gas station. That is more than enough time for any thief or drug fiend to bust a window and steal it. So now you’ve lost your rod and reel if it were attached AND now you have to deal with a busted window and all the hassle that comes with it. 

I myself am so anal about it such that I won’t give them a visual chance. Yeah, they could still break into my car with rods unseen in the trunk, but at least I wasn’t advertising in plain sight. 

I don't know what is more frightening, a vandalized car and stolen rod or using a gas station restroom.

 

 

 

[STREAMHAWAII]

I have a baby car seat in the middle of the backseat. Game over for the one piecers. 

Can someone tell me if I can just USE a "Drop-shot" rod exclusively for bass? Like use it as a versatile pole? Or is it necessary to get a normal spinner pole. I'm not familiar at all with bait cast at all so I'll stick to spinner poles.

[Angry John]

The best at what price range.  I find people ask for the best and then have sticker shock.

[STREAMHAWAII]

11 minutes ago, Angry John said:

The best at what price range.  I find people ask for the best and then have sticker shock.

Well, about $100-$200 or so. I just got a Cabellas credit card so maybe pushing a little more?

[bobbyg]

I have a Shimano Solara 2-piece and have been very happy with it. Also, it ran about $20-25, so I thought it was very good for the money.

[STREAMHAWAII]

2 minutes ago, bobbyg said:

I have a Shimano Solara 2-piece and have been very happy with it. Also, it ran about $20-25, so I thought it was very good for the money.

I saw a yellow eagle claw drop-shot pole for about $80 but it was a one piece. Felt good but unsure of quality and reliability of that brand

[bobbyg]

21 minutes ago, STREAMHAWAII said:

I saw a yellow eagle claw drop-shot pole for about $80 but it was a one piece. Felt good but unsure of quality and reliability of that brand

I am probably not the best person to ask about "best" when it comes to fishing gear. I have always been the "best for my budget" type of buyer. This included 2 years ago when I bought that one on Walmart.com. I figured for $20 bucks, it was worth a shot, and I have been fairly happy with it. I couldn't tell you if it has great feel, action, or any of the other buzzwords that more experienced anglers would have for a rod. I just know that when I take my kids out, and I want to use a jig, or rat-l-trap while they are catching bluegills, it has been perfectly fine for me.

[LCG]

1 hour ago, STREAMHAWAII said:

I have a baby car seat in the middle of the backseat. Game over for the one piecers. 

Can someone tell me if I can just USE a "Drop-shot" rod exclusively for bass? Like use it as a versatile pole? Or is it necessary to get a normal spinner pole. I'm not familiar at all with bait cast at all so I'll stick to spinner poles.

A drop shot specific rod may not be the best all around rod for general bass fishing. I think your better off with an all around rod that you can drop shot with. Power of the rod depends on the cover you are fishing. But as a general rule a good all round rod would be 6'6"-7'6" medium fast. I really enjoy my st Croix mojo wacky 6'8 m-xf which is available in a two piece. I also use a fenwick hmg 6'9 ml-f if the cover is light. Both rods drop shot very well. 

[fishnkamp]

OP are you looking for a spinning rod or baitcaster. I see where you mentioned a "drop shot rod" so I am assuming that you want a versatile highly sensitive spinning setup. If I am correct let's start with the reel. There are some very good reels to choose from like the Pflueger President XT or a Diawa Exceler LT and below them in price are the Daiwa RG-AB and the new version of the Pflueger President.  So at Cabelas those reels run between $50 and $80. I would consider a reel around the 30 size in a Pflueger or a 2500 top 3000 in the Daiwa models.

 

I looked on the St Croix website and do not see any ST Croix Mojo spinning rod available in 2 pieces, however the St Croix Premier series offers the same basic rod in a 6'6" version called a PS66MF2. It is a medium power- fast taper 2 piece rod and this rod would make a nice combo with almost any of those reels. I used to fish with a casting version of that rod. It had nice sensitivity and fished well.

I really like to set my spinning rods up like this. i will fill my spool half way with Stren mono in 14 pound test. Then IO fill the rest with Berkley FireLine in 14 pound test ( 6 pound test diameter). Finally I add a 5 foot leader made of 8 pound mono or copoly like P Line Cxx.

 

[LAO162]

Check the auction site frequently.  Quality 2-piece rods are often won at a pretty significant discount compared to their 1-piece counterparts.

 

Fenwick offers 2-piece rods across it spinning line-up.  There are a couple in the Elite Tech Bass Series. (~149).  There's also one in the Aetos series (~$199).  

[J Francho]

There's several models that would work in the St. Croix Avid line.

[fishwizzard]

MajorCraft has a ton of 2-piece rods across most of their ranges. 

[STREAMHAWAII]

5 hours ago, fishnkamp said:

OP are you looking for a spinning rod or baitcaster. I see where you mentioned a "drop shot rod" so I am assuming that you want a versatile highly sensitive spinning setup. If I am correct let's start with the reel. There are some very good reels to choose from like the Pflueger President XT or a Diawa Exceler LT and below them in price are the Daiwa RG-AB and the new version of the Pflueger President.  So at Cabelas those reels run between $50 and $80. I would consider a reel around the 30 size in a Pflueger or a 2500 top 3000 in the Daiwa models.

 

I looked on the St Croix website and do not see any ST Croix Mojo spinning rod available in 2 pieces, however the St Croix Premier series offers the same basic rod in a 6'6" version called a PS66MF2. It is a medium power- fast taper 2 piece rod and this rod would make a nice combo with almost any of those reels. I used to fish with a casting version of that rod. It had nice sensitivity and fished well.

I really like to set my spinning rods up like this. i will fill my spool half way with Stren mono in 14 pound test. Then IO fill the rest with Berkley FireLine in 14 pound test ( 6 pound test diameter). Finally I add a 5 foot leader made of 8 pound mono or copoly like P Line Cxx.

 

Sticking to spinning reel only yes.

[islandbass]

Look to see if Shimano still has their 2-piece compre MH spinning rod. This is what I have, use and love. It can be used to drop shot and I know because drop shotting is one of my favorite techniques. I use it for just about every technique. T-rigs, senkos, crankbaits, you name it. It can do many things. It’s a utility rod at its best. 

 

Here’s the deal for me. I have some technique specific rods like my Lamiglas certified pro drop shot special. This rod is amazing. But, dang Nabbit, it’s a 7’ one-piece rod. So unless it’s weekend warrior time AND I know I won’t be doing something else after fishing, like meeting up with the wife afterward, my lovely one piece rods stay home and my 2-piece get the call 90% of the time. 

 

7’ 2-piece M Cabelas mag touch casting rod

6’6” 2-piece MH Shimano Compre

7’ 2-piece Ultra-lightOkuma Celilo 

 

The cabelas and compre were about $100 MSRP but I got the Cabelas for $25 and the compre for $40. Once in a while Cabelas has their 50% off sale combined with $25 discount for something a I can’t recall. All I know was it was a score. The price on a compre was half off so it was about $50. It rang up for $40 some and change. I honestly told them that the price was incorrect and asked to have it verified. Manager confirmed the price. I would have bought more but there weren’t any left.   Moral of the story is look for good deals because they’re out there and be honest. Karma can be a ...bear. 

 

These rods cover pretty what my fishing environment entails. I don’t think this would work where heavy cover rule but I don’t face that.  Not only that, my rods have battled not only bass but trout and salmon. Utility defined. 

 

These are my trunk rods and they get the most play. If my rods were kids, I might be guilty of rod neglect. 

 

 

11 hours ago, NYWayfarer said:

I don't know what is more frightening, a vandalized car and stolen rod or using a gas station restroom.

 

 

 

The gas station, of course lol. ? 

[thinkingredneck]

Ugly stick.

[haggard]

On 2/26/2018 at 12:58 AM, STREAMHAWAII said:

I have a Honda Accord and was interested in a really good "two piece" rod for bass fishing. Possibly a 6'6" and medium. I've scoured Cabela's, Field and Stream but hadn't got one yet. It was hard to find a two piece without grabbing them all. What are ya'll recommendations and experiences? I also would have to get reel to match.

Experience: Just started fishing last year, freshwater bass (and whatever else hooks up).

 

Recommendation: St. Croix PC66MF2 for a high quality, yet not over the top price, 2 piece, medium power, fast action, general purpose bass rod. Typically $120.

 

That's a baitcaster - if you want a spinner I think they offer the same in a spinner format.

 

I admit I don't have a lot of experience with different brands, but own and use Ugly Stik GX2 and a several St. Croix (UL, L, M, MH, all in fast action). the 6'6" M/F is without a doubt, no question, my "if I had to have just one" rod.

 

St. Croix is said to be a little stiffer than some other brands so the M might be more towards MH without being a full blown MH. This can work in your favor as a general purpose bass rod because it gets you the ability to handle heavier fish or denser cover without going MH. But if you fish a lot of heavy cover consider MH/F instead - that seems to be the norm rather than M, at least from what I've seen in my limited experience.

 

The PC66MF has become my #1 go-to rod for freshwater bass fishing in open water. Or the 2-pc PC66MF2 if I know I need to be more portable or want to store it out of sight in the truck cab. Keep in mind I generally prefer a little on the lighter/finesse side of things as opposed to heavier, prefer the sensitivity and bite detection abilities of the lighter rod.

 

Sometimes the key to figuring out what your best rod is... is to find it and then ask what it won't do. For the StC 6'6 M/F, what it doesn't do well for me is panfish (too heavy a rod) and (I would guess, never tried it) pulling bass out of heavy cover (pads, stumps, laydowns).

 

No doubt there are plenty other makes/models out there besides the above. I just don't have any experience with them.

 

Reels, a whole 'nother subject and won't bore you with details, but I'm partial to Shimano and have some, so if you have questions about specific reels let me know and I'll be glad to give you my opinions/reviews (Shimano: Caenan, Conquest, Sahara, Sienna, Ultegra).

 

[STREAMHAWAII]

Thank you all! I Had gone with the Premier. I tried it and I caught a small bass. 

[ZebcoZak]

My go to travel rod is a Fenwick Aetos MODEL # AET66M-FS-2

 

 

6'6" medium fast 2 piece spinning.  I toss this in my truck and it fishes all year with me.  I can throw just about anything up to 1/2 ounce with it in all presntations and it is just killer.  I paired it with a Pflueger Patriarch and 8lb tatsu.  I have used it for drop shot and have also hooked a suprise 42" musky on a shakey head fishing a creek and it never has let me down.