20 Best Cheap Casting Rod (2022 Updated)

I love that Ugly Stik makes a 6′ one-piece medium-heavy casting rod. This is perfect for 95% of the fishing I do, and completely sufficient for the remaining 5%. I use this primarily for bass fishing paired with an Abu Garcia Ambassadeur 6601 (a large reel).

The rod I received was in great shape (I’ve had QC issues with other rods purchased online through other retailers). I also appreciate that this rod has the shorter handle style in the GX2 line – it makes the rod/reel combo feel more compact and less clumsy in my opinion.

Find the rod to be exactly as described by Shakespeare. A bit heavier than other rods in my fishing equipment but I don’t mind the weight. I really like the action of the fiberglass composite rod. For years I’ve fished the IM6 Berkley rods and would not trade them for anything but the additional whippyness of the Ugly Stik is to my liking and a lure cast used the gx2 rod really takes off.

I’m very pleased with my choice in this rod.

I’ve been using the 7′ med-heavy as my main bass rod for about a year. It was my first casting rod, and I bought it based mostly on price and the infamy of the Ugly Stik name. PROS: It it extremely durable, and there are no lure weight guidelines on these rods for a reason.

I’ve thrown everything from a 3/16 oz Texas rig to a 3oz catfish wire rig with no issues whatsoever. You can smack this thing into branches, doorways, and car doors without any fear of breaking the tip off.

CONS: This thing is heavy. I don’t know the weight exactly, but walking topwater lures is almost impossible for extended periods of time (unless you’re The Rock). Your arm will get tired almost immediately.

OVERALL: A very sturdy rod that can handle anything you can throw at it. I wouldn’t recommend it as your only bass rod; a full graphite rod would be much more versatile and comfortable for most lures and techniques.

Excited to get because I bought an entsport rattlesnake and it is good. This Camo rod came with 2 tops. 1st was broken upon arrival the 2nd broke while catching catching a 2lb fish. DO NOT BUY!!!

I use for baitcasting in a kayak. It is fairly stiff. It has held up to pretty harsh salt marsh. For the money, hard to beat

The rod LOOKS and feels great, that’s not the problem. Although you get 2 rod tips with it, they are of bad quality. My medium rod tip’s eye snapped off my 2nd time fishing with it.

overall, it is a strong rod which can land 50cm+ fish. caught 3 yakkas, 2 pike and a barracuda with this rod on our recent camping trip. went home happy with friendly and informative customer service.

some negative part of it are: the red coating gets off easily (doesn’t really affect the rod’s strength), and the part where you put your hook on the rod seems to tangle on the line regularly when casting.

also, this might be my fault but i bought a 2 piece rod and the first time i stuck the rod together, it was very hard to pull out. and later in our camping trip, the rod pieces were stuck up when we were packing up.

we tried all methods but didn’t work. in the end, we managed to pull it out but taking about 2 hours but the guards were ruined 🙁 we fixed it with glue though.

This rod is really durable, and totally capable of holding up when an unexpected monster hooks up; and my 5-14g cast weight rod never complains punching 30g lures out to sea. In saying that they definately compromise in some ways in favour of durability: the steel guides can squeak with wet mono line, sending tiny vibrations up the rod.

The grip is really high quality and holds the reel super securely, but the ‘cutaways’ make it thin enough that normal size hands have to really clench it, it doesn’t rest in your fingers when using bait like a normal round grip (though it’s fine for more “active” lure fishing).

the foam at the top of the grip is soft and not that sensitive, but it’s easy to lay a finger just above it to feel for vibrations. This rod suits me perfectly well since theres no need to baby it packing in and out of the bumpy 4by or loaning it to my family to bash around, but for someone with perhaps a cushyer car or looking for a more refined fishing experience there are other rods way more suited to their style.

the other rods just need more care and attention payed to them.

One tough rod. First time out, I’m comparing the Ugly Stik Carbon MHF to a Lew’s Mach MHF. It feels like it weighs a tad more than the Lew’s, even though it may not (?). It’s a bit stiffer as well. I wasn’t sure where this would sit in my arsenal, so I left the barcode sticker on.

Got a nice bass, then hooked a 30lb flathead cat on a spinnerbait. Big fight. After 15 minutes, landed the cat. I’m keeping the rod, it did really well against a pretty dang big fish. Now I know where it fits: 3/8oz and up plastics and jigs, spinners etc.

I’ve broken Med graphite rods (intact, but shedding splinters) on big drums before. If I’m lucky, I’ll hook the Monsters of the Deep on this indestructible Ugly Stick and spare my fancier rods a harsh fate that this one just brushed off.

For all it’s toughness, I give it a “B” for fishability (with a Tatula R reel). I give the Mach a B and my best Big Bear an “A”. The Ugly Stik Carbon is a keeper.

My first rod ever from Favorite, and I love it. The rod is light, sensitive, has good backbone, and is the most beautiful rod I have ever seen or had. I feel proud to fish a a quality American made rod such as this one.

It is my go to rod for bass fishing, and I have used it for some light application saltwater fishing for shaker stripers. One thing that surprised is the strength of the rod, I had no problem boat flipping 3-4lb bass.

I now have 4 different model Defender rods and love them all. I hate that the new versions have cork handles as I prefer these older style blue handles. Rods are light, sensitive and we love them. The matching Defender reels are pretty nice as well and look amazing on these rods too bad TD is out of stock on them :(.

I bought this rod to match match slx dc reel. Felt great and looked great. I’ve had 30lb braid snap three times from wear in the last three weeks. I’ve never had that problem with my dobyns rods or hell even my Walmart rods.

Never buying a favorite again.

I chose this rod over the M1 to pair with my Daiwa Tatula LT 2000D-XH. Everyone says these are softer than their ratings. I’m not sure, it has a range of 1/4-3/4oz, so it’s probably a little more parabolic.

Fishes great and my combo i believe is just under 9oz which is basically 1/2lb😱 I really like the setup but it’s still too early to really give more input. I gave it 4 stars because i can hear the line through the rod itself when reeling it in.

The sound is from the line rubbing on the eyelets but transfers through the rod itself. Maybe this is part of the rod being designed to be so sensitive, idk. I’ve never experienced this sort of thing.

Overall very pleased with the rod and my setup. Thank you sportsman’s for having it in stock👍 We are limited on what we have available here locally at the bigger box stores.

This is my new All time Favorite rod! I picked up the 6’9″ Med Hvy. And lemme tell you something bucko. Paired with my Diawa TWS Tatula wound with 10lb braid, I can fish a Gary Yamamoto Senko Texas rig.

No split shot nothing. This rod is so strong for how light it feels. <333.

Got this for a creek rod for my wife las summer. She enjoyed it several times last summer without complaints. This summer she got snagged and got me to help get it off. I tugged back just to see how bad it was (wasn’t yet trying to break line) and the rod failed before the 1+ year old factory 6 pound test line did – the upper section shattered into several pieces, many of which were small and not found, and some hit me in the face and chest.

Reel can be salvaged, but will need to get a new 5’6″ rod. Would not recommend, but it is a cheap and usable setup for certain scenarios, but durability is very questionable.

This is simply my favorite rod. I have 2 medium heavy casting, medium spinning, ultra light spinning(to replace the ultra light spinning I sent to the bottom of a Missouri river). I have never broken one, love the price and feel like it preforms as well or better than anything else I have ever fished.

Reason I’m on this website right now is because I want to add another bait casting rob to my collection. I love the way it looks and preforms when paired with Abu Garcia’s Black Max bait casting reels.

I bought this during the start of the pandemic at Dicks sporting goods. It was paired as a combo with an Abu garcia black max reel. This rod casted far and was very sensitive. One day i snagged on a big branch, trying to slowly drag the branch to me to save my lure the rod snapped instantly into 3 pieces and i was extremely sad.

Was a lovely rod, landed many nice bass on it but all good things must come to an end eventually.

Bought this for deep diving crank baits sight unseen. I like the feel but not enough backbone for anything over 10-12 foot diving. Will likely relegate it to shallow cranks and squarebills.

I got this rod in march and I was fishing this afternoon and the stupid rod just snapped in half and fell into the water along with my reel so now I don’t have a rod or reel. I got the first series as well and that one snapped in half too.

I am highly dissatisfied and would not recommend to anyone.

Fantastic rod! Always been a fan of Duckett Rods. Very high quality and excellent feel!!

I bought this baitcasting combo about a year ago now just before July and it was a great buy. For the price, you are getting a very solid rod and a decent reel. After about a year of fishing and multiple drops completely in the water, the reel casts a bit less but still nothing to be ashamed of.

The handle on the reel has the smallest of side to side movement. Overall it’s holding up great for 12 months of rough use. This combo was my first baitcaster and a couple of weeks ago I got a new reel and rod from abu garcia.

Big difference but then again you get what you pay for most of the time. One thing to notice is that the combo is pretty heavy for what it is. Also the cork end of the rod, about half an inch broke off last summer after about 2 months.

Still works great. The rod is definitely the eye-catcher in this reel and rod combo as it is very good for the price of both. To sum up, if you are new to baitcasters, I would suggest buying this combo to try out.

If your more experienced with fishing and have used one before and you know you want one, don’t bother with this deal.

I purchased this rod maybe a year ago. Shakespeare has since replaced two of them due to quality control issues. I am now on my third rod. After looking closely at my first rod, I noticed that the second and third guides from the tip had been mounted off-center by about 10-15 degrees.

I went back to the store at which I purchased the rod. They did the paperwork to get me a replacement, no charge or hassle. After closely inspecting the replacement rod, I noticed that the wrap which secured one of the guides to the blank was cracked and had partially fallen off.

I sent pictures to Shakespeare, and they replaced the rod. This time, I was charged for shipping. I am now on my third rod. The tip guide is slightly misaligned versus the rest of the guides, and is tilted to the left.

Overall, it is not too bad. I have a 10+ year old Ugly Stik Lite that still functions perfectly and suffers from none of these quality control issues. I also have and Ugly Stik Inshore Select that is perfectly finished.

If you are truly set on this rod, I would recommend you avoid any online purchases, and only buy a rod that you have thoroughly inspected at a brick and mortar store.

The tip is crooked. It dogs legs off to the right. Nothing serious. It’s the price to be paid for ordering without a “personal touch” Packaging was not up to par for a rod. Other shippers put a rod in a hard thick tube to prevent breakage/damage.

This rod was packed in its factory cellophane wrapper and then in a thin cardboard box. NOTHING else. No tip padding or any other protection. Unknown is that is why the tip got tweaked.

I needed a new casting rod and figured I’d splurge a little this time. I’ve always heard how nice the St Croix rods are made and I’m not disappointed! It’s a very nicely made rod and I can’t wait to get out and use it.

FedEx also bent my shipping tube pretty bad, but luckily it was above where the rod was actually sitting. Thankfully there was no damage to the rod itself. Even though it’s not a Fuji reel seat, it seems very well made and should hold up just as well.

In my opinion, this is a very well made rod and has a 5 year warranty to boot. For the price, I’m very happy with this purchase. Might have to pick up the Mojo now too as my other reel is jealous.

I bought this rod in June 2022 and the reel seat broke just as many of these rods have. This rod is a piece of junk, garbage. Do not buy this rod. It’s a joke that St. Croix say they make the best rods on Earth.

I would not have given this one star, but you have to give it at least one. If I was Bass Pro I would remove all St. Croix products from my shelves. Also when my reel seat broke my casting reel hit the boat and came apart then went into the water where I lost the side plate to the reel.

Now I have to get a new side plate for my reel if I able to get one, and I bought the reel new with the rod.

I have had 5 bass x poles now. All 3 bass x with yellow and green writing have had the glue fail very quickly. 1 was immediately when I put reel on it. Others failed a month or so after using. I was very conscious about not over tightening the reel seat after the first failure but didn’t matter.

The bass x with blue writing has a different style of reel seat and has never failed after 4 years. St criox needs the fix this issue before people start losing expensive bait casters in the water!!!.

bought 2 of the 7 foot Medium/Heavy baitcasting rods from my local Walmart. both of them are defective, the reel tightner will not stay tight, you make a cast and as your retrieving the reel just slides back and forth and side to side.

quite possibly the worst rods I’ve ever boughtn.

I purchased this rod for largemouth bass fishing with with braided line. This rod has enough power and sensitivity for me to set the hook and horse a big bass on to my boat effortlessly. I was a little worried it might have been damaged thru the mail, but all was good.

I will definitely buy again.

I bought this about 3 months ago. I will admit that it felt pretty good and casted pretty well as it should. That being said, the very first fish I caught with it, the reel fell off because the “threads” where you tighten the reel was not properly fixed to the rod.

Ok no biggie. A little hot glue and that was fixed. The 2nd and 3rd time I used it the guide inserts started popping out. Dont know if I just got a lemon or if anyone else has had these issues, but I wont buy another one.

Bought it on sale for 30 bucks, Cannot beat that price. Fully expected it to be a throw away rod, a cheap backup, or a loaner. However I love this thing. I only take 2-3 rods with me and this is always one of them.

I have caught plenty of bass (under 5lbs) and been snagged more than I want to stay. This thing has held up just fine. It is a very sensitive rod. No need to worry about missing or not feeling a bite.

The rod is light weight and very comfortable to hold and handle. Plus it looks cool. The reel is alright. It’s obviously not the best but for the price it gets the job done. At this price point no need to change it out.

This is a great beginner/budget rod for anyone. Seriously at this price I might just buy another one.

I originally put 6 lb mono on this combo and hated it because I couldn’t get a good long cast out of it and some backlash. I put it away for a few months and then decided to try 2 lb mono and use it for Crappie, Bluegill and Redear.

The change made a huge difference. The sensitivity and speed of the retrieve are perfect for catching small panfish with 2 lb line. I can feel everything when I’m running a small jig across the bottom.

I still wish it would cast a little further but for $45, I’m very pleased with this combo for this type of fishing. As soon as I find one on sale, I’ll get another.

Daiwa Wilderness Trolling Rods are affordable, all-purpose options built with all the features of high-end rods! These rods are perfect for all around trolling, use with planer boards, downriggers and dipsy divers.

The handle is made with strong no slip EVA grips, making them durable, yet comfortable to use all day.

This line from Lew’s are great rods. I own a few different ones. Really like the American Tackle Microwave Guides. They keep your line true so that you can cast further, and more accurately. The Winn grips are also awesome.

Very comfortable to hold for long periods. The rod is light, sensitive, and strong. I haven’t caught anything sizeable on this medium pole yet, only a couple of large mouth around 1 pound. I did have to pull them through some weeds, and the rod faired well.

I bought this pole for myself as a birthday present. When I took it out on the water and used it I was so surprised on how light weight it was!!!! Can’t express enough on how light! I have used all sorts of brands and nothing came close to how nice it feels in your hands.

Other rods it feels like a workout when you spend all day on the water running crankbaits or swimbaits. Constantly casting out and reeling back in, but with this rod it was a dream! If you buy one I promise you will not regret spending the money!!.

The handle is awesome! The rod is great however it is a very soft rod! Medium slow. Tip is very soft! Makes a good cranking rod! However I needed a stiffer rod. Compared to rods I have the reason for the lower rating is they rate a medium heavy and it’s not MH at all.

I was in need of a fishing rod to replace the last of my two piece bass rods. I did a little research trying to find one in my price range. I found “13 Fishing” as one with very good reviews, so I was happy to find that Fishing Online had a 13 Fishing Defy Gen 2 on sale at a great price.

It was shipped in a very sturdy tube and was nicer than I expected. It’s very light and has good comfortable grip. I got to use it if a fishing trip and it handled very well. I would definitely recommend 13 Fishing and Fishing Online.

Maybe 2 hours total on the pond and the shaft snapped. Not on a snag or a fish or. anything. Just snapped while resting the handle on the ground and the rod against my arm dealing with a mild tangle.

Happened at a very obvious weak spot just above where the halves connect at the next guide. Really disappointing for what’s supposed to be a reasonably strong rod.

This rod pairs well with my lightweight 13 fishing Concept C. I also switch it out for my other 13 fishing reels that feel just as good with it. Plenty of heavy backbone for 1oz+ jigs or top water frogs.

I have 5 different Defy rods across the line up. This is my go-to rod. I don’t believe you will find a better rod for this price point.

This is a very nice rod. I’m currently using it for reds. The rod has a lot of backbone and just enough at the tip so that I can cast some lighter weight baits with fairly good accuracy. The rod is light weight and has allowed me to fish all day with little arm fatigue.

So far this rod has lived up to my expectations. I’m very pleased and if the rod preforms this well on a consistent basis, I will certainly purchase another.

I’m like everyone – throw the ‘ole Jackhammer all the time in Spring / Fall. Have rotated through rods for this application and finally landed here! The 7’4 MHM is truly perfect for Chatterbaitin’. Grabbed on last Spring, picked up another in Fall.

If you need a Chatterbait rod, you won’t find anything close at this price point!.

I purchased this rod for throwing deep diving crankbaits and it absolutely did the trick! The action is perfect for feeling that “thump” when dragging bottom with deep divers. Additionally, the rod has a great parabolic bend for keeping the fish pinned.

I 100% recommend if you’re in the market for a new cranking stick.

I have always wanted to try a Fenwick (especially the HMG series). I finally bought the 7 footer. This thing casts a mile with any brand/weight line. Its super light, super sensitive, casts all size lures well, balances perfectly with my shimano Stradic, and has backbone for days.

I have rods from every maker including bass pro (carbonlite) and this rod gives you top shelf performance for a mid shelf price. Im upgrading all my rods now and I am going to try Aetos fly rod too. Sports writers are saying the performance hype about it for the price.

Everyone should own at least 1 fenwick rod before they drive their boat to the pearly gates.

I have yet to find another rod at $100 that I like more than this one. I got the ML version with split grips. The split grip models are advertised for kayak and wade fishing because they have a shorter butt length.

It works perfectly, it is so nice no longer having the butt of the rod hitting my pfd while I’m casting or working a fish in. The ML has plenty of backbone and I’ve pulled in a couple new PBs with it since putting it to work.

I love this rod. It casts super crisp and accurately. It’s also ridiculously sensitive. I can feel the braid texture through the guides and when I’m bouncing jigs on the bottom I really feel things out.

I put a Vanford on my ML and that combo is just stupid light, I can cast all day with it and never get fatigued. I’m looking to get a M for my next combo. One potential drawback for any kayak fishermen reading this, is the diameter of the split grip corks.

I don’t know if this applies to the standard handle version, but the diameter on the split grips is smaller than what you will be used to for inshore rods. It’s more in-line with what you’d expect on a freshwater rod.

For most rod holders this won’t matter one bit. Personally though, I run the Stealth QR2s and they work by pinching the rod in place with a rubber cam. This rod handle is just a hair too skinny to be solidly gripped by the cam.

If you run the Stealth QR1s though, I suspect it would be fine.

I hate it when someone breaks a rod from freeing up a snag and then calls the rod garbage. The rod is not garbage but the owner doesn’t know how to free a snag. When you get snagged which right off the bat is your fault.

You don’t pull back on the rod like you just caught a fish. That can break the rod because unlike a fish there’s no give in the snag. You point the rod at the snag and pull straight back. Hold the spool so you’re just pulling the line and not using the rod at all.

You’ll either pull out the snag or break the line/leader. Which is much better than breaking the rod. The HMG is a good rod and won’t break if you know what you’re doing.

Had this rod paired with a Nasci reel for a few months now and it’s served me well so far. Mostly walleye and smallmouth fishing in some Canadian shield lakes. Can’t say enough how great it feels ergonomically, the grips and handles just fit nicely in your hand and the quality is to notch.

Should serve me well for many years to come.

I bought this rod a couple months and been using the 6’10 med. as a jerkbait rod. The feel of it is well balance and light to the hand. It’s good at horsing fish in the boat. Feel better than some of the expensive rod I owned.

I purchased three of these SLX spinning rods. Two were the same length and the third was a bit different. I ended up giving one to a buddy. All three rods broke between the first and second eyelet at the tip of the rod in the first season.

I always keep mine in our boat rod storage and I don’t know about the rod I gave to my friend. Also have heard from others who have purchased these rods of issues breaking in the same spot. Buy something else!.

Unfortunately, this model missed the mark. I have gone through 4 SLX rods, thankfully, Academy has handled all of the exchanges for me. The first rod broke on the second fishing trip. Reeling in a 5lbs bass, the tip snapped.

The second one snapped mid core while casting a small top water lure, well within the weight range of line and lure. The 3rd had another rod tip break on a 1lb bluegill. I reluctantly exchanged again for the same model.

When I arrived at the ranch, the reel seat lock’s cover was loose. I figured it’s only cosmetic and can be glued down. Then I went to cast a $12 lure only to watch it sail out to the middle of the pond due to a snapped line.

I looked over the rod and found the guides were in poor condition and cut the line on casting. I took it back, and Academy let me trade it for a Dobyn’s. I can’t applaud Academy’s customer service enough, but avoid this Shimano rod.

I bought two of these and paired them with Abu Garcia Revo Inshore Reels. The rods are amazing. Lightweight, fast but strong action, and will cast a lure/ bait as far as you could possibly want to cast it.

Great for trout and bass fishing. Highly recommend.

I bought the Zodias MH 7′ to replace a broken Shimano Cumara. Initially I didn’t expect anything to match the perfection of the Cumara. BUT. this rod is a very very wothy successor to that rod. The looks of this rod alone are MIND BLOWING.

Top that off with the weight and the fact that this blank is the most “Crisp” feel to a rod I have ever touched. Super rigid without being overpowering. I can’t really explain the feel of this rod, you would have to touch it.

I put a Shimano Scorpion on the rod and my goodness I look for excuses to use this thing. Get you one of these. SO WORTH THE MONEY!.

Great craftsmanship. Looks like a Jdm rod. Unfortunately made in China. Light tip with a strong backbone. Good single hook rod for jigs and swim-baits.

I have the MF spinning and MHF casting. They are amazingly sensitive yet strong. I compared the spinning to my Gloomis e6x and it was no comparison. Save a few bucks and get this!

I’ve always been a bargain fisher I guess you could say. Always looking for great product for a great price. And that’s what i thought here with this rod. I never owned a favorite rod and I seen a lot of pros going to this rod so I figured it must be something to them.

so I bought one a week ago and let me say this the rod looks bad to the bone feels great. And I was excited so when I got home a put my okuma TCS on it and threw it a few times with brand new line and I seen my line had burns in it and I could feel a lot of friction through the rod as I reeled.

I thought it must been the line so I tried new line. And the same thing so I return it and got another rod got it home and the same thing and also set the hook on a fish and the eyes/guides broke off so I went with what I know to be the best of the best and that’s Duckett.

I test rods and lures this is ? my favorite of favorites I used to lose fish ? sence using this one the first 5 days I got a 37 “ and 42 inch northern pike!! before the just let go this rod hooks up !!! ?‍☠️AARRR !!!.

I bought this rod today and it is great! It casts far, it is sensitive, and it is great for getting fish out of weeds! This is definitely the best bass rod that I have purchased???