About a week ago I started looking around online at new rods to pair with my new reel, and I had just about decided on ACC Crappie Stix until I did a search on this forum. Now I'm not nearly as convinced that this is the rod for me.

I do mostly bank fishing on rivers and occasionally lakes, and while I target crappie, I do wind up getting into other fish on a semi-regular basis (gar and blue cats love tearing up my jigs). So I need something with some backbone, but also with some finesse to work the jig and enjoy the fight.

I currently use an Abu Garcia Cardinal STX30 and 8' Pro Angler rod and love this combo. Only reason I'm upgrading is both the reel and rod are about 12-13 years old now.
I probably would have already purchased another 8' Pro Angler if they were in stock, but I'm looking around in case they don't re-stock them. I also wouldn't mind a tad more sensitivity if I can keep from sacrificing backbone. The PA rod has plenty of backbone.

I've really narrowed it down to ACC, Pro Angler, BoneHead, Vexan, and a new company I came across called Slabz Crappie Rods.
Most likely going with another 8'

Since I'm nowhere near any dealers that carry these rods, can anyone tell me more about their experiences with any of these?