Trying Out Braid-Advice Needed

[Balshy Fishing]

So, since the lake I go to has some milfoil & hydrilla and I'm going to start fishing in lilly pads with the many frogs I have, can anybody suggest a type of braid or something strong enough to maneuver through this? I have a 6'6 MF rod.

 

I've only used 10-12 lb mono on everything so I need some deep advice for this one!

 

Thank you guys! 

[Wayne P.]

Most 50# braids are the same size as 10# mono, that is good start.

[deep]

Your rod is underpowered.

[Balshy Fishing]

Your rod is underpowered.

 

That's the type of answer I was waiting for. 

 

How underpowered is it? 

 

What do I need to get in order to make braid work? 

[Shockwave]

Deep is right.  My personal preference is a 7 ft Heavy with 65# Suffix braid for the environment you're describing.  You're gonna need a rod with good backbone to wrench a bass out of the slop he's gonna dive into after hitting your frog. 

[Jd_Phillips_Fishin]

7'3"H-7'6"H with 50-65lb braid is what i'd use

[*Hank]

7'3"H-7'6"H with 50-65lb braid is what i'd use

Same here.

[BassinLou]

Some may prefer short rods, but my recommendation for froggers is minimum: 7ft MH, 7 speed ratio reels, and 40 lb braid. Ideal, in heavy cover: 7'3" 7 speed ratio reel (hawgtech handle) and 50lb braid. This kind of setup is a tank.

[MIbassangler30]

Same here.

Me three.

7'4" H rod. 7.1 or greater gear ratio reel. 65 lb Power Pro braid. Probably my favorite all around setup. I can use it for a lot more than you would think or most people would recommend. I feel comfortable fishing almost anything but treble hook lures with it.

[Fin Stalker]

7' MH F. 40# braid can handle just about anything you throw at it. I like a 7:1 reel for this application.

[MassBass]

I don't think you need a pool cue to fish a frog. But you definetly need braid. 50lb test powerpro superslick is good.

[Ozark_Basser]

At least a MH. 50# braid is a good recommendation.

[Glenn]

Depends on how tall you are.  Taller people like longer rods and vice versa.  I'm 5' 8", so a 7' 3" is plenty for me. 

 

For this setup, I'd use a 7' 3" MH rod with a fast tip, a reel that's at least 6:8.1, and 50lb Seaguar Smackdown braid.

[papajoe222]

You are talking baitcaster, right? Most spinning rods won't have a fast enough tip.

[Bluebasser86]

I'll echo what has been said, your rod is very underpowered. I wouldn't go lighter than a 7' MH/F for frogging. I prefer 50lb braid, but you can get away with lighter if you really want to. 

[SirSnookalot]

A

[deep]

That's the type of answer I was waiting for. 

 

How underpowered is it? 

 

What do I need to get in order to make braid work? 

 

 

The rod is fine for braid. I think it's underpowered for frogging/ slop work. A MH or a heavy would be better.

[Master Bait'r]

Fwiw the lowest I would go with a frog or specific heavy cover setup would be MH/30# braid.

You really do want more backbone and a nice heavy line for heavy cover. Makes a huge difference!!!

[Fin Stalker]

Something that hasn't been mentioned about the set-ups they are recommending is the hook set with the heavier rigs. Frogs tend to have heavy wire hooks and you need to be able to drive the hooks home. I'd be willing to bet that using your current set-up even if you are getting hits you're missing fish because you can't get a good hook set.

[BooyahMan]

If the cover you're fishing isn't that heavy, it CAN be done with a MF but I can't say it's a great idea. I was okay earlier this year with a couple of my MF casting setups before the lily pads really got thick and I got my PB last year on a MF spinning rod. Is it recommended? Not really. In heavy cover, you can basically forget it. With a 3lb+ fish in thick vegetation, you can get into trouble real fast with your rod. When it comes to frogging in heavy cover, I have no intention of playing with the fish. I have every intention to reach the biggest and baddest bass that's hiding in the darkest and hardest to reach spot and I want to pull it out of there as cleanly as possible. A year ago I would have scoffed at using a heavy action rod for fish less than 10lbs, but now I never leave home without it. 

 

Similarly to a lot of other posters in this thread, I run a 7' Heavy casting rod with 50 to 65lb braid. 

[Balshy Fishing]

Thanks everybody! I have a spinning setup so any advice would be amazing!

[vmabuck]

I got a 7' 6" E-Motion Heavy action rod for this exact scenario.

Love the rod and it was $60 at Academy. Can't beat that...

[SchlottyD]

Im using 65 lb power pro but I am the odd man out with an older 6ft Lews Speed Stik all fiberglass medium heavy fast action with TONS of backbone. Older daiwa bw2 with drag locked that is a WINCH. $15 combo LOL, pawn shop score because it needed a rod tip and reel seat clamp. I prefer shorter rods brcause right now I am primarily on the bank in overgrown areas.

[BassinLou]

To the OP, I wasn't aware you fishing with a spinning rod, I assumed you were using a M B/C rod. I have not used a spinner for frog fishing for over 15 yrs now, however I do remember that when I did throw them they were on a 7ft MH spinning rod. Hopefully that helps. Ultimately though, I believe a B/C setup will serve you better in this and other applications. Best of luck to you.