Spinning Rod for Kayaking and Bank Fishing

I recently broke my 2 piece 6'6" spinning rod -- rated 6-15lb.  It is paired with a Shimano Sahara 4000 reel with 30lb braid.  I use it for casting spinners to salmon from the kayak and from the bank.  works for rockfish too.  Looking to replace the broken rod and hoping to hear some reasonably inexpensive suggestions.

Shakespeare Ugly Stik GX2 Casting Rod (2 Piece), 7-Feet, $39.95 everywhere - amazon, walmart, fred meyer, etc. I believe it is available for spinning reels and in different lengths and powers like light, medium, etc.

Barb, I'm very fond of the Daiwa DXS MH Salmon rods, but they're a bit longer at 8'6".  $50 - $60.  They're durable, very sensitive, and handle saltwater well.  Action is a bit on the fast side, but the same rod handled a good Chinook and a fine steelhead using the same Shimano reel + braid combo you're using.

Otherwise, the Okuma SST rods are also inexpensive and work well in the salt.  I use a 9'0" one for surf perch and a 7'0" SST for kokanee and trout.  Depends on where you buy one, some folks think they're more valuable than do others.  I don't think they're quite as sensitive as the Daiwa in spite of their higher modulus graphite, and their actions are softer than what Okuma labels them, but that's me.

If you want to go about twice as expensive, there's a couple of TFO rods I like.  I like their quality for the price, and I like their warranty.

There's a 7'0" St. Croix Triumph in MHF that is usually less than $100 that I've held in my hands and liked how it felt, and it's specs are closer to the rod you broke than the others, above.  Not as flashy as most St. Croix rods, but it looked well-made and felt sensitive in my world-famous "tap, tap, tap" test.

I have nothing against Ugly Stiks in the salt, but for bank fishing with spinners, I don't think they're sensitive enough to detect a light bite before the lure's been tasted and spit out.

Bimart and coastal farm and ranch both carry okuma sst and celilo rods.I love mine.own several of them.lots of options to choose from and bimart has them on sale regularly.

+1 on Bi Mart.  They have a great return policy.  As far as kayak rods, it's hard to beat an Ugly Stick for durability.  Have had tons of expensive rods but when floating down a river and getting hung up in tree branches.  They will hold up better than any Okuma/Lamismash for me.  Ugly Stick Light rods are very light and a blast to horse in salmon.

Lamiglas Cascade pro rods were on sale at bimart last week for around $79. I bought an 8'6" 10-20 spinning rod and like it. Caught a nice Coho on it a few hours ago casting spinners. Nothing wrong with a lighter ugly stik either. The heavier salmon rods seem too heavy if you are going to be casting it all day.

I ended up finding a replacement 6'6" rod from Ebay Shimano FXS 6-15lb rating...For $22 new.  I'm happy, and if it happens to go for a swim or break, I won't be too sad.  Probably not officially sanctioned as a salmon rod, but maybe that's how it was weakened to break in the first place.

Have been using some 8'6" MH and M Ugly Stiks for shore casting Aglias and Mepps for some time.  Never had any issues, other than occasionally casting into the opposite bank     Casting for a whole day is harder on the reel than the rod.

Haven't put these rods to use on the kayak yet.  They should serve as decent shallow trolling rods on my paddle kayak, but 8'6" might be longer than you like if you peddle.  I'm still working on trolling-from-a-kayak skills.

Okuma SST is a great rod for the money. There are a ton of different actions and I'm sure you can find on you'd like.
Ugly stik make a durable rod, but they aren't the most sensitive
Berkley air are another great rod for under 100$
Shimano convergence are good choice for under 100$

From the kayak I try to use a rod with a shorter handle/butt, and from the bank it doesn't matter as much. I use a 7ft MH for throwing spinners and twitching jigs. I use an 8'6 MH for most other applications

I use a 30lb PowerPro braided line and change the leader for different styles of fishing.

Hope this helps

I like most others on the water always have two rods (minimum:) in case of a rod or reel fail.  If you just drove an hour, or 5 hours and get out a mile or two only to break the rod- it's well worth the expense of the $39 Ugly Stik.  The Ugly Stik is workhorse of a rod,

I really enjoy having a higher quality rod as my primary though.  I use the Lamiglass rods for that- and just enjoy the heck out them.  I also have a couple of Okuma rods ( Bi-Mart) and for the money- those are really great too.  Even better - the 3 mentioned brands with a wet line and a fish on are really really really great!

Good luck in the rod shopping,
-Scott

I love my Shimano Compre spinning rod (MH) paired with a Shimano Symetre reel. One piece is the way to go, in my opinion.