When comparing different rods for spinnerbait fishing, there are a few important qualities. The best rod has a balance between sensitivity and strength. You should stay within a medium to heavy power rating and lengths between 6'9" and 7'1".
Sensitivity is the most important quality. It's super important that you're able to feel the lure's blades thumping in the water. With enough practice, you'll be able to tell when your spinnerbait has grass on it from a change in vibrations.
Whenever noticing this, shake or pump your rod to knock debris off your presentation. One of the worst things you can do is retrieve your bait with a big clump of grass on it and scare the fish away.
See our guide to the best spinnerbait reels for further spinnerbait equipment reviews.
Spinnerbait Rods
Okuma Scott Martin TCS - 6ft 9in Med-Hvy
5 Stars | 147 Angler Reviews | $100 - $200
The Okuma Scott Martin Tournament Concept Rod TCS is an all-purpose rod designed by professional tournament angler Scott Martin. He recommends this rod for spinnerbait fishing, especially when using Colorado blade baits.
A shorter rod will help your accuracy when making casts into thick cover. Colorado Blade spinnerbaits are more technical than willow-leaf blade baits. They move slower, stay in the strike zone longer, and are best fished on a 6'9" medium-heavy setup.
This rod was designed for specific tournament applications, and it really shows. You won't find a better-balanced spinnerbait rod with this much sensitivity anywhere else. If you're looking for the best baitcasting rod money can buy, this is it.
Scott Martin recommends using a slower reel with a 6:1 gear ratio. 17lb P-Line fluorocarbon is also our suggested line since the heavier strength is needed to pull fish out of cover.
Okuma PCH Spinnerbait Rod - 7' Heavy Action
4.6 Stars | 57 Angler Reviews | $158 - $200
If you're looking for a specialized willow leaf spinnerbait rod, the Okuma PCH 7' Heavy Action Rod is a great option. The heightened sensitivity in the blank allows you to feel your bait thump during your retrieval.
Anglers use this as a signal for whether or not their bait is covered with weeds or grasses. A sensitive rod will let you know when your bait stops thumping and when you should jerk the grasses off your line.
This 7' heavy action rod is great for long casts and powerful hooksets. It also features Zirconium inserts making the rod compatible with all line types. With all these great qualities, this is one of the best spinnerbait rods ever made.
Falcon Bucoo SR Lizard Dragger - 7' Rod
4.8 Stars | 25 Angler Reviews | $90 - $110
A great affordable rod option is the Falcon Bucco SR Lizard Dragger 7'. It has a very reasonable price tag, which is a surprise considering the quality of the product. When fishing around docks in precision situations, Falcon's original model is best. In regions with thick grasses and more vegetation, the heavy model is ideal.
This rod is extremely sensitive while remaining firm as well. It's comfortable in hand and makes long days on the water far more enjoyable. For anglers confused about the model names, the "Lizard Dragger" rod is heavy-action and a great versatile piece of equipment.
St Croix Mojo Bass - MH/Fast 7'1"
4.5 Stars | 29 Angler Reviews | $110 - $170
The St Croix Mojo Bass Series is a versatile rod that has tremendous value for the price. It's extremely light and has plenty of backbone for powerful and confident hooksets. This rod great for all spinnerbaits, but especially willow-leaf blade baits.
Few companies make as affordable and high-quality rods as St Croix. Not only is it half the price of comparable fishing rods, but a 5-year warranty backs the Mojo Bass.
Our recommendation is to use the rod measuring 7'1" long with medium-heavy power and fast action. It's ideal for spinnerbaits but can also be fished with swimbaits, glide baits, and wake baits. Since the blank is strong, you can easily fight largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, striped bass, and even pike.
Overall, the St Croix Mojo Bass is a crazy good option for the money.
St Croix Legend Tournament - 6'8" Rod
4.6 Stars | 18 Angler Reviews | $200 - $300
If you have a higher budget and want the best St Croix rod that money can buy, the St Croix Legend MH/MF 6'8" is what you're looking for. For anyone getting to advanced technique-specific rods, St Croix is the best there is.
This is a fantastic rod for both spinnerbaits and buzzbaits. It has an insanely long casting distance, but the 6'8" model is still short enough to skip under branches or docks well. You'll see the best performance when using lures that weigh less than an ounce. While it casts larger baits, you may have to cast shorter.
The most impressive quality of this rod is the 15-year transferable warranty backed by St Croix Superstar Service. This can only be described as unbeatable and is 3x the warranty length for other products. It just goes to show how much confidence the brand has in this fishing rod model.
