I use a 5'10 GL3 it's got the backbone to handle small/moderate bass and cats to walleye it's also a great crappie rod..

I have 2 Loomis a SJR 783-2 GL3 and the SJR 700 GL3.  I had a 6'6 Triump 2 pc and loved it but honestly I would never trade my 2 Loomis's for anything.  By far the best rods I've ever handled and caught fish on.  I have a 7' Md/lt Daiwa Steez SVF Graphite rod that is unbelievably light and well constructed but haven't caught any fish on it yet but only used it once...  And I've messed with and caught a trout on my girlfriends 6'8" St. Croix Avid Pearl and that is a very nice stick to I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a higher end rod with a shorter butt section for comfort etc.  But, nothing comes close to the classic Loomis rod lineup.  I have messed with NXR's and new GL2s and I personally wouldn't buy one and don't like how they feel.  I think Loomis lost some of the luster when Shimano took them over even though Shimano really only pumped a TON of $$$ into product R/D and didn't change much...  I want to pick up a NFC Edge rod the new line from Gary Loomis himself (Not like TFO with his name on it) he actually came back to the business for this one...  But atm it's a tad out of my reach...  Low end are $350 and the Top end Steelhead/Salmon rods are upwards of $600+...

Coldfront:
in the early 80's rod choices were limited.. Graphite was new and fiberglass was the norm.. I owned a Ranger bass boat and fished a lot of tournaments around 1986-89, ugh..  Having to make thousands of casts in a set time meant you needed something strong, light and made for the type of lure.. Lucky a friend became a St. Croix dealer and I got rods at cost.. They were GREAT rods.. Most all are still in performance today except my ul trout rod.. It broke while falling..
If I were to post a picture you would see they all Proudly say, all components Made In USA..
I purchased another St. Croix 4'6" Ul rod about 10 or so years ago, it didn't display that USA as proudly and at the bottom of the handle a little sticker said assembled in USA with components made in China.. The Price was Retail at around $70.00..
It was a good rod but again I fell and it broke just the same..
Lesson learned.. It's not so much how much money you spend on a rod but how much you like it.. 

my question would be, why such long (spinning) rods for trout ?
unless one is trolling or casting heavy lures I see a longer rod as a big dis avantage.. A 4'6" or 5' one piece rod UL or micro light seems (to me) like the perfect set up for walking through brushy streams.. Having to break a rod down while walking through brus means carying 2 sections instead of just guiding 1 through ..
I really don't like 2 piece or long rods (for trout) as somehow they always seem to get broken.. The 2 piece is the weak link and inhibits some action on such rod, again IMO..
 
As said before, it's not so much the brand name any more , it's how you like the rod and is the price right..
 
Coldfront:
here is when that little sticker meant something:
Most all these are 30 or close too years old and in great condition. My last, and will be my last St.Croix is the fly rod in the tube.. It's an Avid I bought around 8 years ago.. While the blank says USA it Had a little tiny sticker on bottom of handel that said made in China but the price said otherwise

Got ya and that makes sense for those situations . Okuma makes a nice 6'6" ul

sorry for the delay but graveyard shifts are tough on me..
A few sayings that I believe in:
Live by the sword, die by the sword. If you talk the talk then you better walk the talk and finally , a picture is worth a thousand words..
So here is a good value long trout rod for which you described the use.
I picked this up on a whim while steelheading in a tackle shop for $29.00 for the exact reasons described.. Generally I'm a mountain brook, stream, small river or pond trout fisher but thought this might come in handy.. It did and is as said a good value rod:

 

 
 
 
 

Me either but that's what being a walking zombie will do to one.
Celio is my model. Got it 2 winters ago. Good rod . Hope you enjoy yours.

As far as shifts go, I have always preferred the midnight shift. I guess it proves it because I am here at 2:00 am writing this. I did look at an Okuma SST at Dicks this year. Me being so indecisive, I walked out not buying it because I wondered if it was any good. I should have bought it since they were on sale.

I got an SST in 8'6'', not bad for the price. A bit rod heavy but not too bad. Put an Epixor baitfeeder on it an have used it for trout, steelhead, salmon, eyes, and catfish.

My #1 rod for trout is a GLoomis 5'2" UL Trout Series. It is a mod-fast action and this is the best stream trout rod I've ever owned. I bought this one a few years ago....about 2 years before that I had a GLoomis 5'8" from the same series and, although it was also a great rod, the length was odd for me. One day I was tying or baiting up while standing in the water and I must've inadvertantly bent the tip at an odd angle in the process and broke it right off (Cabelas replaced it). The 5'2" length is a better fit for me I guess so I sold the longer one when I saw Loomis came out with the smaller rod size. I have 2 of everything and I always carry a back-up rod when I go fishing....which I often use just to change things up. My back-up trout rod is a Bass Pro/Browning Citori in....you guessed it.....5'2" length. I've had this rig for about 7 or 8 years and its like an old friend now. It is paired with a Pflueger President 6725 and l am a huge Pfluger Reel fan also. Athough the Loomis rod is a better rod, I can never bring myself to replace this one because its just a great feeling rig and is time tested and battle tested. It is always reliable and feels good in my hand as I have large hands and this rod has a thick diameter cork grip. BPS doesn't have this rod in their catalog anymore but if you can find one, I think you would be well pleased with it.

bump...........

I have a 5' UL st. croix trout series rod with a 500 size shimano symetre and 6 lb. tectan line. Back up set up is a 4'6" UL okuma celilo with a size 20 pflueger trion reel.
 
I'm starting to like the longer rods though. We sell a ton of ul rods for trout in the 6' to 7'6" range. The daiwa ultra lights a nice. They give you a bit more control and casting distance. They can be a pain fishing small streams when you have to bushwack.
 
A friend of mine uses 1 setup for all his fishing. Its a 4'6" browning ul rod and size 20 pflueger trion. For trout he uses 4 lb. line, steelhead and bass 6 lb. He catches just as many fish as anyone.