For many years, I carried a 5'6 med/hvy pistol grip casting rod on board. A composite rod with a slight tip flex, for fishing a Zara Spook. My old rod finally broke in June this year after many years. An older friend recently gave me an old rod he hadn't used in many years. A Fenwick 5'6 pistol grip casting rod, probably made in the early 90s. I cleaned the rod up good, swabbed the guides for grooves or nicks, and all is good. With a good cleaning, the rod looks almost new. This style of rod, though unpopular now, works excellent for fishing a Zara Spook. The shorter handle length never gets in the way when you work the lure, and the shorter rod never contacts the water, either elevated in the boat, or bank fishing. It also helps with the ages old problem many guys have with topwater lures: Jeking the bait away from a bass before he actually has the lure in his mouth, and missing fish on the hookset. The shorter rod can't take up as much slack as say a 6'6 or 7 ft rod, and can help give you those 1 or 2 seconds to. actually feel the fish before you set the hook. Hall of Famer Charlie Cambell of Forsythe Mo, is an expert with a Zara Spook. I was lucky enough to meet him many years ago at a fishing expo at BPS in Springfield Mo. He outlined his tackle for Spook fishing, and always used a 5'6 pistol grip casting rod, 14lb mono line and a high speed reel. Does anyone else like a shorter rod for Spook fishing? If not a pistol grip, than a short handle style? This fall, I'll be throwing some Spooks on my new "old" pistol grip rod. It works the best for me.
