Frog rods: long or short?

[NittyGrittyBoy]

I fish rivers with lots of overhanging limbs and tiny targets to hit. Side arm casting is a must. 6'6 MH/F for me. 

 

If I fished lakes more I would throw 7'3 

[Jermination]

i used to use a 7'9 omen black moderate action and would pin chik fish like nobody's business. Had an unfortunate incident while flying and it was snapped so now i throw one on 7'4 13 fate black h/f. half the lakes in this area the only use for a frog is to throw in the trees and shake the mayflies in summer

[deadadrift89]

Personally I fish a 7'1" Heavy. Never cared for anything longer. If I was younger that would probably be different ?

[J-rod]

On 1/22/2020 at 9:27 PM, A-Jay said:

Don't do a ton of 'frogging' but when I do  . . . 

For close in target casting work - I like a 6'9" Heavy dock skipping rod.

For fields of slop, where I want to reach out and touch someone - 7'6" H.

A-Jay

btw - the op lasted 3 whole days . . 

 

I'm glad I ran across this comment. I just picked up a Daiwa Tatula Elite 6'9" H skipping rod in the hopes that it will double as a good close-quarters frog rod. I'm usually in a kayak or shore fishing around cover, so I had to gamble on something shorter. 

I'm only 5'6, so walking a frog on a longer rod is a pain for me. If I need to fling for distance, I have a Clam Jason Mitchell Elite 7'1" MH that will get the job done if I need it to.

[WRB]

You can cast a 1/2oz  frog with nearly any bass rod more accurately using a shorter rod then a longer rod. It depends how and where you fish frogs. For example I bought a IRG 754 F frog rod for Clear Lake* in NorCal because it's over 43,000 surface acres about 1/2 being weed mats where frog fishing is outstanding. Fishing from a boat making longer casts to cover water a 7'5" frog rod with heavy braid is ideal. I use the IRG 754F for lots of other presentations like smaller swimbaits and big deep diving crankbaits, it's a good long ultilty rod. The longer rod helps to keep the bass up near the surface and control them better.

Before buying a frog rod I used my standard 6'10" MHF casting rod with mono line to cast around docks, smaller weed mats cover edges, brush etc for decades.

Tom

*Clear Lake is one of the oldest natural lakes in the country at nearly 1/2 million years.

[Hammer 4]

Being that I fish from shore often, I use a 7'4" for froggin to reach the areas I feel will hold the best fish. I do have a 7 footer, for when I need to be super accurate, or have limited space to cast.

[Born 2 fish]

I use a Diawia tatula 7’4” frog rod and really like it I used to use a 7’ but prefer the 7’4 

[FryDog62]

I like the Zolo Toadface at 7’2” and with a MH tip to work the frog, and a Heavy butt section to get fish out of cover.  Went back to my 7’4” Heavy rod for awhile last year and realized how much better the Toadface was at least for me..

[fishwizzard]

I have two, one that is 7’5” and one that is 6’3”.  The main advantage to the longer one is line pick up, the short rod is make challenging to get good hooksets on. 

[clemsondds]

15 hours ago, J-rod said:

I'm glad I ran across this comment. I just picked up a Daiwa Tatula Elite 6'9" H skipping rod in the hopes that it will double as a good close-quarters frog rod. I'm usually in a kayak or shore fishing around cover, so I had to gamble on something shorter. 

I'm only 5'6, so walking a frog on a longer rod is a pain for me. If I need to fling for distance, I have a Clam Jason Mitchell Elite 7'1" MH that will get the job done if I need it to.

This is what i am going with as well. Getting ready to order one. I am mostly throwing into wooded cover and need more precision, and so I’m hoping the shorter rod will help. Also it will make it easier to walk the dog. And as an added bonus, I can use it for skipping jigs. Guess we will see 

[OnthePotomac]

I am still using a really old KVD 7' MH and it is still working well for me on the Potomac beds.  With that Lake Fork frog tail hook there is no big hurry to "get'um up and out" because they are not going anywhere.

[bunz559]

Great topic. I was just recently searching for opinions on this as well. I usually frog with a 7'3 or 7'4. I started looking at the Expride 7'3 XH and the Megabass Valdivia (7'6). First time I've ever seen someone use a long rod frogging was last year when my nephew flew in from MN and picked up my punching rod (Dobyn's 805) and started frogging with it. Seemed to do him really well. I tried after and it was way too long for my liking. Also too heavy for the wrist. I've just decided to go with the 7'3 Expride. Fingers crossed that I didn't make the wrong decision. 

[Bankbeater]

I'll be using a 6'6" mh/f rod if I'm fishing from the bank, and a 7'0" mh/f rod if I'm in the middle of coontail casting out 360 degrees.

[clemsondds]

On 3/2/2020 at 6:42 PM, bunz559 said:

Great topic. I was just recently searching for opinions on this as well. I usually frog with a 7'3 or 7'4. I started looking at the Expride 7'3 XH and the Megabass Valdivia (7'6). First time I've ever seen someone use a long rod frogging was last year when my nephew flew in from MN and picked up my punching rod (Dobyn's 805) and started frogging with it. Seemed to do him really well. I tried after and it was way too long for my liking. Also too heavy for the wrist. I've just decided to go with the 7'3 Expride. Fingers crossed that I didn't make the wrong decision. 

Have you had a chance to try your expride? I’m looking to purchase more of those. I picked up a spinning 7’ and love it. For short frog rod, I’m going to try the tatula elite skipping rod but had the expride on the list. I’m thinking about getting one for squarebill. 

[bunz559]

On 3/8/2020 at 6:52 AM, clemsondds said:

Have you had a chance to try your expride? I’m looking to purchase more of those. I picked up a spinning 7’ and love it. For short frog rod, I’m going to try the tatula elite skipping rod but had the expride on the list. I’m thinking about getting one for squarebill. 

I have not. Unfortunately my guy didn't have any of the 7'3 in stock. I should be receiving it sometime this week. But I have a few Exprides that I have owned or still own. Currently I have the 7'2 H and the 7 M spinning. The 7'2 is tied with Keitechs most of the time and the spinning is either drop shot or ned rigs. 

 

I've owned the 7'2 ML and the 7'6 MH but have sold those rods. 

[Gazz]

On 2/29/2020 at 7:12 PM, FryDog62 said:

I like the Zolo Toadface at 7’2” and with a MH tip to work the frog, and a Heavy butt section to get fish out of cover.  Went back to my 7’4” Heavy rod for awhile last year and realized how much better the Toadface was at least for me..

How do you like the toadface overall? I’m in the process of likely getting one for my new chronarch. Do you use it for other application like swim jigs and bigger topwaters? I’ve also heard it’s great for underspins. 

[FryDog62]

11 hours ago, Gazz said:

How do you like the toadface overall? I’m in the process of likely getting one for my new chronarch. Do you use it for other application like swim jigs and bigger topwaters? I’ve also heard it’s great for underspins. 

Best frog rod I’ve had... and it’s very good for swim jigs and even Chatterbaits.  Very versatile... 4.2 oz is nice, was a great switch from my St. Croix that weighed well over 5 ounces.