Jerkbait / Light Topwater / Shallow Crankbait / Soft plastic rod

[Boomstick]

One of the things I hope to pick up for next season is a a rod to fish jerkbaits, poppers, squarebills and soft plastics. Today I was at the Dick's / Field & Stream, and they used to carry the Mojo Bass lineup but the only casting rods they bother stocking anymore was a rack fill of the Jig & Baits rod, and a couple of the soft plastics rods. I was hoping to be able to look at the soft plastics rod, the jerkbait and topwater rod.

 

The soft plastic rod is one I'm considering, but it's 7'1" and doesn't have very much tip (more of a moderate fast than a fast I'd say). I would prefer something a few inches shorter to work a jerkbait or popper easier. They have a 6'8" M/F rod labeled as a jerkbait rod (that is rated for 10-17lb line, so that tells me it's probably on the heavier side) and a M/XF which is labeled as a topwater rod and is rated for 8-14lb line, which sounds more inline with what I'm looking for. Does anyone have any experience with both of these rods and if so what would be better for the applications I listed?

 

I'm also open to other suggestions, but I am a bit partial to the St. Croix Mojo Bass line and Daiwa Tatula line (they have a largely suitable rod as well, but it's 7' long) as they're solid rods at a good price point.

[Choporoz]

16 hours ago, Boomstick said:

 Does anyone have any experience with both of these rods and if so what would be better for the applications I listed?

I'll start by answering the first question: no, I don't have experience with those rods.

 

I do, however, have a St. Croix Rage 7'1"MF, and a 7'4" St Croix Mojo cranking rod.  If I'm not mistaken, the graphite Mojos today are built on the same blank as the Rage (SCIII graphite with IPC.)   For me, that Rage is by far my favorite for smaller treble hook lures -- I used it for everything with trebles under about 3/4oz except for jerkbaits.  It is a phenomenal rod for cranks, blade baits, lipless, poppers, small walking baits, etc.  The tip is actually slower than my other two MF casting rods and isn't as great for single hook applications as those. 

16 hours ago, Boomstick said:

One of the things I hope to pick up for next season is a a rod to fish jerkbaits, poppers, squarebills and soft plastics.

So....I guess what I'm saying is that for me, I need more than one MF rod at all times.....sorry.... I have a Fenwick MF that I use for light (1/8-1/4oz) plastic and finesse jig presentations.  For jerkbaits, I use a third MF rod (and spinning rods) that have faster tip than the two I mentioned above.   That Rage just has a little too much give in the tip for confident jerking.

[Boomstick]

3 hours ago, Choporoz said:

For jerkbaits, I use a third MF rod (and spinning rods) that have faster tip than the two I mentioned above.   That Rage just has a little too much give in the tip for confident jerking.

This was the impression that I got from the 7'1" M/F Mojo Bass labeled as the "Plastics" rod as well. I currently have a M/F spinning rod that has a lot of tip that I can use for jerkbaits as well, but would love a casting rod for these presentations, and I am thinking the 6'8" M/XF topwater rod might be the winner here but I wish I could get my hands on one.

[jimmyjoe]

   I have the 7'1" Plastics rod. I use it as an all-around rod, for which it's great. It's not the best plastics rod unless you really load it down, like a deeper T-rig or Carolina rig. I didn't buy the 6'8" M/XF, but I should have. One of my friends did, and it seems to be perfect for soft lighter soft plastics as well as poppers and WTD. It's not good for buzzbaits and chuggers, though: too fast. Of course, he's a hair-trigger fisherman, too. That might make a lot of difference.   jj

[Boomstick]

50 minutes ago, jimmyjoe said:

   I have the 7'1" Plastics rod. I use it as an all-around rod, for which it's great. It's not the best plastics rod unless you really load it down, like a deeper T-rig or Carolina rig. I didn't buy the 6'8" M/XF, but I should have. One of my friends did, and it seems to be perfect for soft lighter soft plastics as well as poppers and WTD. It's not good for buzzbaits and chuggers, though: too fast. Of course, he's a hair-trigger fisherman, too. That might make a lot of difference.   jj

I wouldn't ever really need to fish a buzzbait or spinnerbait on it. Is it decent for smaller squarebills too?

[J Francho]

I could throw all of those on my Avid AC62MXF or my newer AVC68MXF.

[Boomstick]

5 minutes ago, J Francho said:

I could throw all of those on my Avid AC62MXF or my newer AVC68MXF.

I believe that uses the same blank if I'm not mistaken? I'm sold!

[J Francho]

Yes, SCIII blanks.

[Chance_Taker4]

7' Kistler KLX Feel N' Reel M Fast. It will give you a soft tip and a stiff backbone.

[burrows]

I have the mojo jerk bait rod and it can work for all those applications stated above topwater jerkbaits square bills and weightless soft plastics wacky rigs and such. I use it mainly for flukes I like glass for treble baits.

 

 

 

[Boomstick]

On 10/26/2018 at 8:21 PM, Burrows said:

I have the mojo jerk bait rod and it can work for all those applications stated above topwater jerkbaits square bills and weightless soft plastics wacky rigs and such. I use it mainly for flukes I like glass for treble baits.

 

Thanks! Looks like I'll be picking up either the jerkbait or topwater rod. I do use glass for a lot of my moving baits as well, but I was hoping for a faster tip for jerkbaits and topwater.

 

I do love my glass rod for most moving baits as well, but I figure a M/F rod should cast lighter baits a little further and add some nice versatility to my setup.

[Ksam1234]

On 10/21/2018 at 5:56 PM, Boomstick said:

One of the things I hope to pick up for next season is a a rod to fish jerkbaits, poppers, squarebills and soft plastics. Today I was at the Dick's / Field & Stream, and they used to carry the Mojo Bass lineup but the only casting rods they bother stocking anymore was a rack fill of the Jig & Baits rod, and a couple of the soft plastics rods. I was hoping to be able to look at the soft plastics rod, the jerkbait and topwater rod.

 

The soft plastic rod is one I'm considering, but it's 7'1" and doesn't have very much tip (more of a moderate fast than a fast I'd say). I would prefer something a few inches shorter to work a jerkbait or popper easier. They have a 6'8" M/F rod labeled as a jerkbait rod (that is rated for 10-17lb line, so that tells me it's probably on the heavier side) and a M/XF which is labeled as a topwater rod and is rated for 8-14lb line, which sounds more inline with what I'm looking for. Does anyone have any experience with both of these rods and if so what would be better for the applications I listed?

 

I'm also open to other suggestions, but I am a bit partial to the St. Croix Mojo Bass line and Daiwa Tatula line (they have a largely suitable rod as well, but it's 7' long) as they're solid rods at a good price point.

I would

go with the dobyns fury CB for what your talking about.  I have both a mojo bass rod and a dobyns fury and I prefer the dobyns.  It’s a dobyns fury 705CB rod. It says it has a moderate fast action but it’s not really moderate if that makes sense. I have used it for jerkbaits and loved it. Haven’t lost any fish and you can wrk it pretty fast. 

[Boomstick]

12 hours ago, Ksam1234 said:

I would

go with the dobyns fury CB for what your talking about.  I have both a mojo bass rod and a dobyns fury and I prefer the dobyns.  It’s a dobyns fury 705CB rod. It says it has a moderate fast action but it’s not really moderate if that makes sense. I have used it for jerkbaits and loved it. Haven’t lost any fish and you can wrk it pretty fast. 

Do you generally prefer a more moderate action for jerkbaits and poppers? I was hoping to go with a lighter action and faster tip rod, as I feel that gives me better control over baits where you jerk or walk. I use a MH/MF rod or a M/F spinning rod currently for the same sort of baits, which actually work well but I was hoping to get a rod that could fish topwater, jerkbaits, squarebills and weightless soft plastics. This way I can use it or my kids can use it which will give us a variety of tactics we can use. I should also be able to cast lighter weight poppers better with a medium rod.

 

I will say that I got my oldest son a Dobyns Sierra 704C and it's definitely a solid rod with a nice and strong tip. It seems to have a bit more tip than the Mojo Bass Jig rod so it can definitely handle those heavier, 1oz jigs just fine.

[Ksam1234]

31 minutes ago, Boomstick said:

Do you generally prefer a more moderate action for jerkbaits and poppers? I was hoping to go with a lighter action and faster tip rod, as I feel that gives me better control over baits where you jerk or walk. I use a MH/MF rod or a M/F spinning rod currently for the same sort of baits, which actually work well but I was hoping to get a rod that could fish topwater, jerkbaits, squarebills and weightless soft plastics. This way I can use it or my kids can use it which will give us a variety of tactics we can use. I should also be able to cast lighter weight poppers better with a medium rod.

 

I will say that I got my oldest son a Dobyns Sierra 704C and it's definitely a solid rod with a nice and strong tip. It seems to have a bit more tip than the Mojo Bass Jig rod so it can definitely handle those heavier, 1oz jigs just fine.

I don’t want a completely moderate rod but the small trebles or trebles in general re better with a moderate type rod. The dobyns fury 705CB is a moderate fast. It’s hard to explain it but it’s just the perfect amount of tip yet bend that allows to not loose fish. I feel like it’s not moderate fast as other rods but also not truly fast, it’s hard to explain but I bought the rod for exactly what you say and love it. I use it for jerkbaits , cranks, lipless baits and

topwater. You can really work it or just use slow twitches. I can cast anything I would say from 1/4 oz up to 1 oz no problem. I actually traded my Irod genesis 2 rod in for the dobyns and I am pleased with it. It’s light weight and sensitive to for the price. 

[Boomstick]

39 minutes ago, Ksam1234 said:

I don’t want a completely moderate rod but the small trebles or trebles in general re better with a moderate type rod. The dobyns fury 705CB is a moderate fast. It’s hard to explain it but it’s just the perfect amount of tip yet bend that allows to not loose fish. I feel like it’s not moderate fast as other rods but also not truly fast, it’s hard to explain but I bought the rod for exactly what you say and love it. I use it for jerkbaits , cranks, lipless baits and

topwater. You can really work it or just use slow twitches. I can cast anything I would say from 1/4 oz up to 1 oz no problem. I actually traded my Irod genesis 2 rod in for the dobyns and I am pleased with it. It’s light weight and sensitive to for the price. 

I agree that more flex is better with trebles for hooksets for sure, I was just thinking more in terms of action. I use a MH/MF for most of my moving baits now and it's generally fine with most moving baits as long as they're around 3/8oz or heavier (I've thrown 5/16oz cranks on it without an issue). It's a stiffer tip for treble hooked baits but I believe I've only lost two fish on it (one was by far the biggest fish I've ever hooked but I hit my kid in the face setting the hook which was my bad) and it's stiff enough to work a jerkbait effectively but the biggest issue is throwing 1/4oz baits is rather difficult.

 

What's the power on the 705CB like? Is it a solid medium or does it run on the heavy side? (I know the Dobyns rods run a little lighter than their rating).

 

Also does it have enough of a tip to fish a weightless soft plastic? I could see this rod being used a bit for that too.

[Ksam1234]

24 minutes ago, Boomstick said:

I agree that more flex is better with trebles for hooksets for sure, I was just thinking more in terms of action. I use a MH/MF for most of my moving baits now and it's generally fine with most moving baits as long as they're around 3/8oz or heavier (I've thrown 5/16oz cranks on it without an issue). It's a stiffer tip for treble hooked baits but I believe I've only lost two fish on it (one was by far the biggest fish I've ever hooked but I hit my kid in the face setting the hook which was my bad) and it's stiff enough to work a jerkbait effectively but the biggest issue is throwing 1/4oz baits is rather difficult.

 

What's the power on the 705CB like? Is it a solid medium or does it run on the heavy side? (I know the Dobyns rods run a little lighter than their rating).

 

Also does it have enough of a tip to fish a weightless soft plastic? I could see this rod being used a bit for that too.

The 705CB is actually a medium heavy as I fish around a lot of grass and its lightweight. You could fish plastics on it and light weight lures. 1/4 would be fine. But ad you said the dobyns are a little lighter than your most Mh rods. I have the mojo bass like I said and it’s not as much of a broomstick like the mojo. I guarantee if you got it that you would love it

[Boomstick]

4 minutes ago, Ksam1234 said:

The 705CB is actually a medium heavy as I fish around a lot of grass and its lightweight. You could fish plastics on it and light weight lures. 1/4 would be fine. But ad you said the dobyns are a little lighter than your most Mh rods. I have the mojo bass like I said and it’s not as much of a broomstick like the mojo. I guarantee if you got it that you would love it

I'm definitely going to have to consider the 705CB as well. Seems like each rod will have their advantages and disadvantages. Thanks!

[Hopslam]

I own a 7'1" Legend Tournament "Plastics" casting rod. I feel like the action is a little soft as well. Tried using it for a 1/4oz T rig, and weightless senko and I couldn't get a great hookset with it. Ended up having multiple fish shake off. I'm used to my 7'4" legend elite for single hook baits and that thing hits the fish hard. Last year I used my 7'1" for jerkbaits, and open water square bills with success. Used it for lipless cranks around grass as well and it landed alot of fish, however I also lost a few nice ones that shook off. Could just be the hooks on that lipless. Never lost one on a vision 110 with that rod. Lots of information, but I hope it helps with your decision! 

[WRB]

Take a look at Major Craft Don Iovino  6'8" Splash-It rod, I use it for the presentations you stated.

Tom

[Spankey]

Great post. Is there any way you can get to a decent shop that carries a good selection of Rods? Maybe a shop that is set up for bass guys?

 

My thought on that is you can touch a bunch of them and make a true comparison. Yes the marking on the rod mean something but all that goes out the window when you have 4 or 5  decent Rods in front of you and your are deciding which one has just that right feel. Just a thought. I know about the loyalty thing with st. Croix Rods. They are my rod of choice also. But as of lately I have picked up a few Abu Garcia Rods that I like everything about them. 

 

Im not telling you to buy an Abu Garcia rod. But my last couple of Rods I went in with one expectation and came out with something different. Glad of my choice decision. Hope you can get to a shop with a good selection. 

[Boomstick]

2 hours ago, Spankey said:

Great post. Is there any way you can get to a decent shop that carries a good selection of Rods? Maybe a shop that is set up for bass guys?

 

My thought on that is you can touch a bunch of them and make a true comparison. Yes the marking on the rod mean something but all that goes out the window when you have 4 or 5  decent Rods in front of you and your are deciding which one has just that right feel. Just a thought. I know about the loyalty thing with st. Croix Rods. They are my rod of choice also. But as of lately I have picked up a few Abu Garcia Rods that I like everything about them. 

 

Im not telling you to buy an Abu Garcia rod. But my last couple of Rods I went in with one expectation and came out with something different. Glad of my choice decision. Hope you can get to a shop with a good selection. 

We have a Field and Stream that used to carry almost the full Mojo Bass line, but they now only seem to be stocking the plastics and jigs rods. Most other stores around here usually don't have any medium rods in stock at all unfortunately. Our Cabela's which is a bit of a haul can be hit or miss depending if they just made an order or not.

[Spankey]

8 hours ago, Boomstick said:

We have a Field and Stream that used to carry almost the full Mojo Bass line, but they now only seem to be stocking the plastics and jigs rods. Most other stores around here usually don't have any medium rods in stock at all unfortunately. Our Cabela's which is a bit of a haul can be hit or miss depending if they just made an order or not.

I hear that. I have a bit of a haul to get to a decent shop also. So I'm not running to the tackle shop all that often. Almost never in season. But you mention Cabelas, if you were to have them order in a couple or few rods that you were certain one or so would be that right fit, than just take what will work for you. All will work out. I have my heart set on getting the Abu Garcia "Winch" for X-mas. Than I'll make it a winter project to find the right rod. There is a "Winch" rod but i don't want to buy it sight unseen. I've touched the Reel and I like it.

[Boomstick]

4 hours ago, Spankey said:

I hear that. I have a bit of a haul to get to a decent shop also. So I'm not running to the tackle shop all that often. Almost never in season. But you mention Cabelas, if you were to have them order in a couple or few rods that you were certain one or so would be that right fit, than just take what will work for you. All will work out. I have my heart set on getting the Abu Garcia "Winch" for X-mas. Than I'll make it a winter project to find the right rod. There is a "Winch" rod but i don't want to buy it sight unseen. I've touched the Reel and I like it.

I did get my hands on the St. Croix Mojo Bass Topwater or Jerkbait rod last year (can't recall which) but I do recall it didn't feel too stiff. According to Cabela's website, they have both rods in stock at the E. Hartford Cabelas, so maybe if my youngest son has a hockey game that way or a day off of hockey, I can make it down there one of these days.

[Boomstick]

So I thought I should post an update. I ended up getting the St. Croix Mojo Bass Topwater rod (M/XF). I figure I will go with action first. I also got a Daiwa Tatula Glass M/R cranking rod, so should I find that I do lose too many fish on the M/XF rod, I can always try that however I get the impression that even while it's an XF rod, there should be enough give to land most of the fish I hook without problem.

 

I can't wait until spring now