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I agree with Mancave - Fenwick elite all the way. I’ve caught some serious lake trout on my 24” ML rod Also have an UL for panfish. Another plus is theprice.
A 20 or 24 inch Jason Mitchell meat stick would fit what you are looking for. sensitive tip but a good back bone to them. I just started running them my self this year and really have gotten to liking them. the other option would be a noodle type rod.
a couple years have passed, some new stuff has hit the market as well as my tackle box, and i'm gonna submit that i always want to have 3 rods handy when fishing for gills:1. 26"-30" ultra-light power extra-fast action rod. this one's for jigs, small spoons, and the new micro jigging lures such as the eurotackle micro z-viber. standard stuff for bluegills. plenty of backbone to set the hook and plenty of sensitivity in the tip to detect those finicky bites. right now i'm loving the Jason Mitchell Meat Stick for this rod, retails around 40$. 2. 24"-28" medium-light moderate rod. this is for larger spoons and jigging lures, think clam leech spoons or jigging rapalas. this is for when big gills are aggressive and focused on minnows (happens more often than you'd think). the hits are gonna be strong, and you need less tip so you can work the bait more effectively. i caught my 3 biggest bluegills last season on this setup, and i'm excited to give it a go again this year. i'm currently running a 13 fishing Vital, which retails for about 15$.3. 18"-24" light power slow action rod. this is a deadstick, which i don't fish without. either run a tiny minnow on a split shot rig, or a bit of nightcrawler on a jig; the point is to have an easy meal next to your active jigging presentation. i like to keep my deadsticks shorter so they take up less space in the shelter. just make sure it's not a total noodle: the point of a slow action rod is to let the fish move away with your bait a bit further, especially important if you're using circle hooks. i'm working on updating this rod at the moment as i'm currently running an old Silver Eagle rod, which is no longer available on the market.
What did you settle on, Abbatoys? Just wondering what you fish with and if you like it!