Jerkbait/topwater Baitcast Rod?

[sglenn12]

Hey everyone! I am looking for a bait cast rod that would be good for topwaters like poppers and spooks but something i could also throw jerk baits on. I've been looking at the new line of rods Lew's has come out with called the Custom Speed Stick and the 6'8" medium light rod has my attention. Would this rod be too light for jerk baits? Any other recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

 

Thanks!

[bassboy107]

what is your price range? I have a 6'6" medium St. Croix mojo bass jerk bait rod that I throw all of those things on no problem. retails for $110

[DFrench97]

Welcome! I prefer a 6'8'' - 7'' M/F for those techniques.

[rangerjockey]

Depending on how much you want to spend the loomis twr802 works really well for both applications.

[conorsixtakc]

That's a spook I was throwing with my st. croix mojo jerkbait rod in my avatar pic... hopefully this helps 

[Chris at Tech]

St Croix Avid 66MF

[smalljaw67]

You're going to get a ton of suggestions as there are two sides to this , one is the shorter medium power, fast action guys and the other is the longer, medium and medium heavy with moderate action guys. I'm somewhere in the middle, I use to be a solid shorter, fast action guy but I have become accustomed to using a 6'10" MH-MF rod as well as a 6'6" ML-M casting rod and with that I can try to give you a little insight. I love the moderate action now but I only like it for certain baits, baits that are suspending and in that 1/4oz to 3/8oz range. I love Pointer 78s, Twitch stick and X-Rap 8s and Super Rogue Jr.s on the moderate action rod and larger 7/16oz and up baits I like a fast action rod but it has to have somewhat of a soft tip to it, most medium power rods are perfect. There are pros and cons to each, shorter faster rods are great for working the bait aggressively during warmer periods with more active fish and they offer more control in general but you also give up some fish fighting ability with limited flex, while moderate action rods offer great fish fighting ability and generally longer casts but you give up a little control on your lure, it ends up coming down to what works for you. I have tried both but watching a friend use a moderate rod I found I was too aggressive with it when I first tried it but now I have the hang of it but it still doesn't give me total control but in cold water with long pauses it isn't necessary. The rod you are looking at, the Lews 6'8" ML-F topwater rod is going to be good for jerkbaits and it isn't going to be too light, the reason it goes to 1/2oz is due to the tip and that rating tells me the tip is going to be right and it will be close to a moderate fast as they have it rated for a topwater rod, same deal with jerkbaits, small treble hooks that requires a certain degree of finesse to avoid pulling them out yet a certain degree of backbone to avoid the fish having control during a fight. I think you'll bb fine with that rod even with 1/2oz jerkbatis or even 5/8oz, good luck.

[roadwarrior]

St Croix Avid 66MF

 

That's my dedicated jerkbait rod, too!  The tip is soft which makes

this an ideal tool for treble hook lures.

 

 

 

[speed craw]

I personally use a Dobyns  704cb graphite for jerk baits , top water  , many reviews on tackle tour , you tube etc . 

[Montanaro]

6'6" medium power fast action.

Like the length for walking the dog and popping slack without slapping the water. Moderate action would be too wimpy when trying to work the slack.

[fishindad]

I use a Falcon Cara Weightless Worm rod. It's 6'7" and XF action, MH power and the tip is perfect, to me. I think it's perfect if you're doing double duty but they also have a McClelland jerkbait rod, which may be better (I have no experience with that rod tho).

[Megastink]

I just got a 6'6" M Duckett Terex baitcasting rod. All I can say is "wow"! So light, soft tip, good backbone. Exactly what I wanted!

[Sonik]

I am now an avid fan of the Cabela's Tournament ZX line. Don't knock it until you try it. I feel they are better than my *** Blacks and on far with the Lew's Custom Speed Sticks. I have all Lew's reels and looked at the Customs and liked them. I saw the ZX looked similar (which doesn't mean squat) and then that they had Winn grips, not standard EVA. I tried their crankbait rod and have been in love with it. They also sell a jerkbait/topwater rod that's 6'9" medium/fast. They go on sale for $69 a lot. You can do 2 ZX to 1 Custom for that and that's what sold me.

[BassinLou]

A Dobyns 704 or 7ft Avid will work great for those applications.

[fisherrw]

A phenix x10

[BasshunterJGH]

6'6"-7' medium fast is my preference for a jerkbait/topwater rod. I like two different combos or at least 2 different reels or spools for jerkbaits and topwaters because of line. I like 10-12 fluoro or mono for jerks, and 16-20 lb mono or braid for topwaters. I guess 20-30 lb braid with leader as needed would be a good in-between. Anyways do you have a price range for the rod itself? Around $200 there's plenty of options, as you can see. Dobyns, phenix, and st croix are excellent choices.

[Mike L]

A phenix x10

Good choice.

I use the X11 as my all treble hook rod except for anything on top because of my line choice.

Mike