I too, have been looking for a few months now for a dedicated set-up for that. I'm just your average Joe, and so it's taken me a while to sort through everything. I can't say anything about the reel at this point, but if I were going to buy a frog rod right now it would probably be the Shimano Compre 7'2" Medium/Heavy X-Fast action.
From what I've learned, some of it depends what kind of environment you will be fishing in, but this rod seems really good to me for the price and here's why... It's over 7ft, but under 7'6" which seems like an ideal length because it gives you enough rod to pick up line fast on the hookset and get more leverage. But it's not so long that it becomes difficult to keep the tip down without hitting the water when you're trying to walk-the-dog.
You can use a Heavy for frogs, but it seems like the consensus is that M/H makes for easier and more accurate casts. If you were in super-heavy cover all the time, you might want to use a Heavy instead.
The X-Fast action seems important to me, because it should allow for the best hooksets. Basically, when you slam back to set the hook, it will allow the tip to bend, but then she's gonna stop relatively quickly and slam that hook into their mouth.
And then, of course, there is the price and warranty. This rod is only about $100 and has a lifetime warranty. That seems pretty hard to beat in my opinion. I haven't found anything with similar specs even close to that price range. I would love to hear if anyone else has.
But anyway, like I said, I've never actually used this rod, I've only dreamed about it several times, and it worked very well in my dreams. Some day when I get some extra money, this is where it will probably go for my frog rod.
