Budget Frog Rod

[Brett's_daddy]

Okay, so my current froggin' rod is an iRod Fiber Fred's Magic Stick 7'5" Heavy/Fast. It works great but it's also my heavy top water rod and my small swimbait rod as well. I'd like to get another rod that I could use for froggin' and maybe heavy jigs etc. I'm thinking either a Dobyn's Fury 735C (I can get one of their like-new refurbs for $85 shipped) 7'3" Mag Heavy/Fast, a Shimano Exage 7'2" Heavy/Fast or a St. Croix Bass-X Heavy/Fast 7'4". I'd like to keep the price at or under $100 (I like the Dobyn's and Shimano as I know I'd be getting a better rod than the money I'm paying for them)...which would you choose and why?

[PhishLI]

I don't have an answer for you as I've been looking for one myself. I stopped by a local B&T the other day and held an Exage and I was fine with the handle. I looked into them further and found TW has them on clearance. I've got my eye on the 7'6" HXF. I wade alot and sometimes need to really launch them to hit different spots from one location. For 79 bux I think I'm going to roll the dice. My brother has the St.Croix Bass X Heavy Fast 7'4". He loves it, but it doesn't suit me. Like most everything, rods are such a personal thing.

[Catt]

Lew's TP-1 Speed Stick $99.99 at Academy!

 

Just bought 2 Lew's TP-1 Black Speed Sticks, one is a 7' 4" Heavy Fast it'll chunk a Horny Toad a mile.

 

The more I use Winn grips the better I like em ?

 

[ChrisD46]

Dobyns Fury FR735c. for $119 or the before mentioned Lew's would be good choices . The 15% off TW sale is just around the corner on Memorial Day .

[CroakHunter]

I'm a fan of the 735 and also the tp-1 speed stick mentioned. The 7'3 heavy speed stick is a great frog and pitching rod. It is much stouter than the dobyns which is why I prefer it for frogging heavy vegetation

[GeekOutdoors]

Just bought a Shimano SLX 7'2" heavy/fast and they also make it in 7'5" H/F if you prefer longer rods

[Brett's_daddy]

2 hours ago, ChrisD46 said:

Dobyns Fury FR735c. for $119 or the before mentioned Lew's would be good choices . The 15% off TW sale is just around the corner on Memorial Day .

I can get a refurbished (or accordinging to Dobyn's staff I spoke to nearly new) Fury 735C for $85 shipped.

[BassNJake]

3 hours ago, Catt said:

Lew's TP-1 Speed Stick $99.99 at Academy!

 

Just bought 2 Lew's TP-1 Black Speed Sticks, one is a 7' 4" Heavy Fast it'll chunk a Horny Toad a mile.

 

The more I use Winn grips the better I like em ?

 

And here I thought all your baits were bottom bouncers ?

Now Catt is chucking horny toads ....

 

I knew you had some tricks you weren't letting us in on

[Brett's_daddy]

I also found an Okuma Scott Martin Signature TCS rod, 7'3" Heavy/Fast for $93 on eBay...not sure how good these are but the specs are similar to the other frog rods I'm considering and so is the price...any word on these?

[Kidflex]

36 minutes ago, Brett's_daddy said:

I also found an Okuma Scott Martin Signature TCS rod, 7'3" Heavy/Fast for $93 on eBay...not sure how good these are but the specs are similar to the other frog rods I'm considering and so is the price...any word on these?

The TCS rods are surprisingly good. Highly underrated and very capable rods. 

[813basstard]

Bass Pro Shops Tourney Special 

7’6 Heavy Fast.

Was in sale for $29

[lmbfisherman]

3 hours ago, BassNJake said:

And here I thought all your baits were bottom bouncers ?

Now Catt is chucking horny toads ....

 

I knew you had some tricks you weren't letting us in on

I'm more stuck on, that he likes the Winn grips!  

2 hours ago, Brett's_daddy said:

I also found an Okuma Scott Martin Signature TCS rod, 7'3" Heavy/Fast for $93 on eBay...not sure how good these are but the specs are similar to the other frog rods I'm considering and so is the price...any word on these?

Like Kidflex, the Okuma rods are underrated.  If I didn't like my Loomis and Shimano sticks I'd probably be an Okuma guy.  I still have an old 2 pc saltwater stick that I use when I go to Florida.  (2 decades now) 

[ww2farmer]

3 hours ago, Brett's_daddy said:

I can get a refurbished (or accordinging to Dobyn's staff I spoke to nearly new) Fury 735C for $85 shipped.

Go this route...you won't be disappointed. Plus that rod is great at multi-tasking. 

[Catt]

4 hours ago, BassNJake said:

And here I thought all your baits were bottom bouncers ?

Now Catt is chucking horny toads ....

 

I knew you had some tricks you weren't letting us in on

 

You will only underestimate me one time!  ?

[BassNJake]

2 hours ago, Catt said:

 

You will only underestimate me one time!  ?

And that would be one time too many, lesson learned!!

[Brett's_daddy]

Well, I just ordered the refurb Dobyn's Fury 735C for $85 shipped! I like my 734C so I'm sure I'll like this new one just as much. Thanks to all who commented on this post, appreciate it!

[BassKicker42]

On 5/15/2019 at 2:30 PM, Brett's_daddy said:

Well, I just ordered the refurb Dobyn's Fury 735C for $85 shipped! I like my 734C so I'm sure I'll like this new one just as much. Thanks to all who commented on this post, appreciate it!

Where did you find that price??

[Smalls]

10 hours ago, BassKicker42 said:

Where did you find that price??

They sell refurbs on their website. 

[Brett's_daddy]

15 hours ago, BassKicker42 said:

Where did you find that price??

Go to their web site dobynsrods.com, either call them or email them. They have lots refurbs they just haven't had time to put on the web site yet 

[Fishes in trees]

If you live near an Academy Sports, check out their H2O house brand.  Some guys like then and some guys don't.  Me, I have 3, 2 bait casting and 1 spinning.   The bait casters are 7' and on the light side of MH and I like them for pitching.  I got them to replace a 6'10" Falcon Eakins Jig Special and I found them very similar in quality and action.   I got a 6'6" Light spinning rod, to throw size 5 Shad Raps and similar weight baits and something about it just isn't right, so it hasn't seen the water.   It will probably make some buddy of mine a decent crappie rod, once them get something to trade that I want.  I got all 3 of these rods on close out at less than $50 and I think the spinning rod was closer to $20.

 

Back to the subject of Frog Rods - currently I use an older Fenwick HMG 7'4" with a Calcutta TEGT and 65 lb braid.  It will throw a half ounce frog (closer to 3/4 oz after I finish putting BBs inside and a stout split ring) as far as I've needed it to.   Downside of this rig, it's a little heavy, so while it is nearly always in the boat, I don't throw it all that often.  Last year I used the "finesse frogging" spinning rig much more often, and I got bit more on the finesse approach.