[Michael]

My past 2 rods under 6' meant for trout, panfish, and fishing heavy tree covered shoreline access haven't been too reliable for all the fishing pressure put on them.

I'm looking for recommendations on a light or medium-light action rod that has a reasonable price and is sturdy on the upper half.

As for reels to go with it, I currently have a cheaper Shimano that has been seeing some wear recently. Bail lose, reel handle easily loosening, reel handle stiff after tightening screw, and a few other little things. What would be a good reasonably priced reel that can hold enough 4 and 6 pound test mono for the fishing I would do to go with the rod of recommendation?

[chud059]

I use a 5'6" ugly stick with 6#mono and a shimano spirex reel. I'm a fan of shimano and if you have a walmart or Kmart around you, they have some shimano AX series that are discontinued and you can get them at a great price. I know some people on this board don't like ugly sticks but I've had this rod since since1987-88 and the only thing I've had to replace was the tip once. That's my opinion.

[BassRican]

I just love my light action combo that I bought last year. I found an Allstar Select 5'3" light action rod for $25 at Dick's and matched it with a Shimano Sahara 1500 for $69. I used some coupons and bonus bucks as well. Sweet setup that I use to catch white perch, trout, and other panfish. I found that the action is perfect for what I like. It has just the right backbone and sensitivity without being too flimsy. I cant stand UL rods (personal). I guess its a Florida thing .
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When in doubt, rip their lips out!

[therieldeal]

my favorite rod for this purpose is an olddd fiberglass shakespeare rod, ML action, 4 1/2 feet long. It's black, two piece, with a metal junction between the two halves. It's probably older than me (i'm 26) and i've never had a single issue with it. It's not fancy (wire rod guides) but has never let me down. I landed an 8 pound carp on it once with 6 lb test line!

maybe see if you can find something like this at a yard sale?
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PB's:
LMB - 4 pounds - Stump Pond, Thompson
Carp - 11 pounds - W. Thompson Lake, Thompson

Still searching for some toothy critters big enough to be worth weighing...

[Michael]

I'll see what I could find at a local pawn shop and WalMart.