New spinning rod advice needed

[pauldconyers]

I am thinking about buying a new spinning rod for LMB and could use a little advice. Most of my fishing is done with a 7' Lews Mach 2 combo baitcaster but I am looking for something to fish things that fall more on the finesse side of things, primarily fish shakey heads, wacky and t-rigged senkos and such.

 

Originally I was thinking about doing a 6'6" rod thinking finesse stuff would be a bit easier on a shorter rod. Now I've got a buddy telling at least 6'9" to 7'2" for longer casts and better hook sets so some thoughts on the rod length would be great help!

 

Not sure if I should do a medium or medium heavy. Do I need to make sure it has a fast action tip to give me better sensitivity?

 

Probably going to put 12 or 15 lb Sufix 832 braid on it. Either size fine or would you recommend one or the other for what I would be doing with it?

[Boomstick]

For what's typically regarded as finesse tactics, which involves something like a drop shot with even smaller soft plastics or a NED rig or the like, I would choose a medium-light power, extra fast action rod. For shaky heads and weightless senkos, a M/F rod is the way to go.

[tkunk]

• If you care about casting distance, you'll want a long rod.
• Match the power to the baits you plan on using. A 5" senko, which I consider heavy for a finesse bait, weighs about 1/3 oz, so you'll probably want a rod rated up to 3/8 oz.
• Fast vs. XF is personal preference. I like XF.
• For spinning gear, I don't think you need to go heavier than 10 lb braid. While bass fishing, I regularly catch 10+ lb freshwater drums and some other big critters on 5 lb braid, and I've never had any issues.

[PatrickKnight]

I fish 10 lb 832 and pull all kinds of stuff out of the river I fish without breaking off, so I would go with 10 lb. I don't fish any rods shorter than 7 foot in length and prefer them to be longer if possible. As far as power goes I think it would depend on the brand for example, St. Croix I would go medium but some others I would go medium heavy if a Texas rigged Senko is gonna be used often. When it comes to action I can not stand to fish any extra fast actions no matter the company and would prefer the slower side of fast or moderate fast if its an option.

[The Fisher]

7 hours ago, Boomstick said:

For what's typically regarded as finesse tactics, which involves something like a drop shot with even smaller soft plastics or a NED rig or the like, I would choose a medium-light power, extra fast action rod. For shaky heads and weightless senkos, a M/F rod is the way to go.

This ^^^

[FishTank]

I have a Fenwick Elite Tech 7'4'' M Extra Fast that I use for 4'' and 5'' senkos and it has been a lot of fun so far.  It is not sensitive as some of the other rods I have but it is a work horse rod and it is well made.  The long length and the x-fast tip make hook sets a breeze.  I think if I make the switch to braid, I will probably improve the sensitivity.