Top water rod (spinning) help needed

[Rodney Smith]

One of my favorite ways to catch bass is on a little 1/4 Rico or Megabass Pop x. I fish bigger poppers on casting gear, but I prefer spinning rods for this technique. Last year, I tied a popper onto a Loomis GLX 6’10 Shaky Head rod. I caught more fish on that set up and almost anything else last year. I always felt like I was using the wrong rod though (I guess because it was an extra fast tip and was a little long). Since then, I have tried other rods and haven’t found the right one. I am considering the Loomis IMX Pro 6'9" Med Jerkbait 812 JBR. What are your thoughts?

[CroakHunter]

If it ain't broke don't fix it. 

[Rodney Smith]

Too late.  I sold the Shaky Head rod last year to buy a Conquest. I could buy one just like what I had, but I thought I might as well see if there is something better.

[smalljaw67]

I have the absolute best rod for those types of topwaters and it is a casting rod. The problem is the rod is discontinued but they show up every now and again on ebay. The rod is a Fenwick Elite Tech Smallmouth 6'3" medium power, moderate fast action and it is a popper fishing machine! The handle is very short so it actually has more blank in front of the reel seat than most 6'6"" rods so you can get nice distance on a cast. The beauty is in the tip section, soft but not too soft so it allows you to work a popper with precision as well as small walking baits up to 1/2oz. If I had to find a rod that is close it would be the G.Loomis JBR 752C, I had that rod and it was also great for poppers and smaller topwaters, in fact it feels a lot like the Fenwick but it has a little less power, I wouldn't go past 3/8oz with it. For me a shorter rod works better for poppers and small walking baits, for my larger topwaters I've been using a Hammer Rods 6'9" heavy power as it has a mod fast action and that would be my next suggestion. The Hammer Rods 6'9" medium heavy, it is a like a half power over rated meaning it fishes like a stout medium but the action is perfect for 1/4oz poppers yet still has the power to use a larger model if you wish.

[Junger]

Edit: Oh I just realized you're looking for a spinning rod.

 

I just bought the 6'8" Lew's Speedstick Custom Plus Topwater, it's my first Lew's rod and I'm impressed with it. For me the biggest thing I wanted was a shorter handle, and this Lew's is 6.5" from the trigger to the butt. It's 6' from the front of the reel to the tip. It's a ML/F and has a soft enough tip for popping, but just fast enough to make walking easy as well. It's rated for 1/8-1/2oz lures, but I find it to shine more in the 1/4-1/2oz range. I can fling a 1/8oz Teeny Pop-R, but there's no rod load and it's all momentum. I've only taken it out for once after work, and I'm 3/3 on LMB hookups so far and will be fishing it a lot more tonight and Sunday.

 

 

Edited June 15, 2018 by Junger