Need a decent pan fish spinning rod

[Gangley]

I recently recieved an Abu Garcia Cardinal 501i reel for christmas that I will be using for crappie and perch.  I have no spinning rods for this reel and am looking for a decent rod to go with it for pan fishing.  I use arificial lures that range from 1/32 to 1/4, with most being on the lighter side of that parameter.  I would like to stay around 75 dollars or less if possible.  What rod is a decent match for that spinning reel considering the type of fishing that I will be using it for?  I'll add that I'm pretty rough on rods so a warranty, even a 1 yr warranty, would be nice.  Thank you for any and all suggestions.

[zero limit]

Just came back from cabelas with a mojo 7' m/f for $70.00 listed for $90.00 but had to buy $10.00 more stuff to get the deal with the $20.00 off coupon going to put it with my sahara 2500.

[Gangley]

i think a madium action might be a tad too much for what this reel was intended for.  thank you for the suggestionthough, Ill keep it in mind.

[zero limit]

i think a madium action might be a tad too much for what this reel was intended for. thank you for the suggestionthough, Ill keep it in mind.

they also had ml/f for the same price

[Goose52]

Your reel is more of a "light" reel (not ultralight size) but since you want to fish closer to 1/32oz baits, you will need an ultralight rod. I have an older Shimano UL spining rod but I don't know what the "hot" rod is nowadays. If you don't get some UL recommendations in this thread, do some catalog browsing for UL rods.

Also - give some thought to the length that you want. My UL is 5' since I bought it to fish some smaller streams with lots of overhanging trees, etc. If you fish open water, you can get UL rods in 6' or longer and perhaps pick up some casting distances. Still - it's hard to get a 1/32oz bait to "load" a longer rod.

If your lower level for bait size was 1/16oz, you could then look for light-power rods that might be a better balance for your reel. Just comes down to what baits you're sure you want to throw and then picking the rod.

[flipinstick88]

I picked up a St. Croix AVS60ULF a couple months ago; its freaking sweet. Also has a lifetime warranty.

[xxmurrxx]

I got a st croix permier 7ft ul 2 peice rod. Little more than 75 unless you find a sale.

I would probably go with a light action if I had to buy again.

Great panfishing rod. 5 year warranty.

[Blade-Runner]

St. Croix Triumph 6' Lite is a great all-around panfish rod. Matched w/ a 10-series reel and 4-6 lb. mono.

I fish 1/32 Layman jigs w/ beemoths no problem.

Plus it's got just enough strength to handle those pesky schoolie green bass who take your slip-bobber/minnow under...

[KSRonH]

sent you pm

[trevor]

Honestly, a Gander Mountain 6' ultralite. its only $30 and is great for bluegills and crappie. so many ultralite rods are either short 4'6'' or long 8' plus, and 6' is perfect for me. its held up to abuse and is actually REALLY sensitive compared to my st croix and shimanos. caught plenty of 10" plus gills on it!

[trevor]

Also, the GM rod has at least a one year warranty. You'll be amazed how far you can cast light lures with 4lb line and a medium spinning reel. I agree with the one guy from

In-fisherman - casting distance is more important than a perfectly balanced reel

PS check out the website "Bluegill - Big Bluegill". It is the most imformative panfish website ever, with very helpful guys that got me into targeting big gills!

[Stasher1]

My local BPS has last year's Micro Lite graphite rods on clearance for about $28. I picked up a 7' ML spinning model a couple hours ago.

[SirSnookalot]

6'6 light action 4/10 shimano clarus $59, lifetime warranty

[Gangley]

Well, I passed by a Gander Mountain while out today and decided to stop in to have a look.  Seeing how I am using fairly light lures, I thought it best to check out the ultra light rods and go from there.  I wound up getting a Gander Mountain Classic IM7 Graphite in 5'6" Ultra light.  Its very "flimsy" so I am confident that I can get the distance needed when using my smallest of lures.  Since I was there, I went ahead and got a Pflueger President 6735 and an H&H rod to go with it.  I figure its about time to learn the ins and outs of fishing with spinning combos so why not right?  Thank you everybody for the great feedback and suggestions, I greatly appreciate them all.