Need Help With Buying Topwater Rod

[Matthew Veillion]

I would use this rod for super spook jrs and pop-rs and maybe a couple times a frog when theres alot of junk.. I dont want my rod to be hitting the waterand i cant afford all kind of rods for each bait. I just want one for generally super spook jrs and pop-rs and occasionaly a frog

[Fishes in trees]

Good luck with this. You're trying to find a one rod for two very different techniques. For Spooks and Poppers, I like a fairly short rod, Medium action and kind of tippy, so I can get the distance I want and do the dog walking thing by jerking down instead of to the side. The old 5'6" pistol grip rods work good for this if your wrists can stand it. I'm using an older (10+years) 5'9" straight handled rod I got at Walmart. I think it is a Mitchell Fulcrum.

Fishing frogs in slop is a different story. I use a Flipping stick, used to use 25 lb Mono and now I use 65 lb braid.

Anyway, to not answer your question, good luck finding a rod to do both those things well. Sometimes you've got to compromise. Pick one that suits the kind of fishing you'll do most.

[roadwarrior]

St. Croix Avid AVC66MF

[K_Mac]

I have an old 6'6" St. Croix MH glass rod that works well with spooks and poppers. It is rated 1/4-3/4oz, and with 12# CXX it works fine. As mentioned above, a longer rod with a little more power and a faster action is my choice for frogs in grass. Most prefer braid for this application.

[Matthew Veillion]

Well i mostly use spooks and poppers so im not going to buy a heavy duty frog rod, i barely fish frogs anyways

[NitroZ9]

For the spooks and poppers, you might want to consider the Denali Michael Murphy signature jerkbait rod. It's a 6'8", medium and it was designed with a shorter handle to make it easier to work baits with the rod tip pointed down. I throw all my topwaters on it in addition to jerkbaits.

[Matthew Veillion]

I use my 6'6" right now and u have problems with my tip hitting the water, would a 6 foot be fine? Also what action and all?

[jimmykm21]

Well i mostly use spooks and poppers so im not going to buy a heavy duty frog rod, i barely fish frogs anyways

Why not then buy just a cheap heavy power ugly stick package.

Put some 50 pound braid and keep it just for frog fishing?

You could probably get all that set up for under 70$ , that includes the cost of the braided line.

Once you have it , I'm telling you will use it more than you think.

[craww]

The BPS cabonlite 6'9'' XF MH should do okay for you. I got it for throwing my sammy 95's. Really lightweight and I prefer the XF for working those baits on a LONG cast. Might be a little light in the britches for Heavy froggin. But will work in a pinch.

[Matthew Veillion]

I might fish a frog.once for every 20 times i go, ill just use my topwater rod when i have to

[kschultz76]

Sounds like you're looking for something shorter, but I just picked up a St. Croix Legend Tournament Bass 6'8" M XF Topwater rod from their Bargain Room online. It is the previous model before the 2012 redesign and was nicely discounted. This work will work well with smaller soft plastics as well.

I've been playing with it in the mid size creek in my back yard, and it works both Pop R type baits like the Storm Rattlin Chug Bug, and walk the dog type baits really well. The XF action helps with moving the baits a distance as well as letting the fish get a good hold with that top water hit before you set the hook.

I liked the rod so much I went back and purchased two more LTB's from their bargain that suit the type of fishing I like to do.

Go check it out. http://www.stcroixrods.com/shop/catalog/Freshwater-23-1.html# The listings don't give you all the specs as far as lure/line weights, but they're all comparable to the current 2012 model line, and if you call St. Croix they're really helpful and will give you all the info you need.

[zell_pop1]

Team Daiwa S 6'3" MH 1/4 to 1 oz. will work just fine.

[rangerjockey]

x2 on the Denali Murphy signature. Just a great walking bait or Yellow magic rod in addition to being a great stickbait rod.

[11justin22]

I like shorter rods for top water, easier to work the bait with. Medium action

[iceintheveins]

I prefer softer glass or composite rods, except with frogs, which call for MH or H graphite.

[BFG79]

You cant go wrong with either the St. Croix AVC66MF or the Shimano Crucial Topwater 6'8" M MF. both are great rods and are also good a choice for jerkbaits