Jerk/Crank/Chatter Rod

[DanteT12]

I am looking to add a third rod to my arsenal. I am looking for recomendations into what size/taper of rod. I primarily bank and kayak fishing, my local lake is grassy/shallow which I try to cater my rod and bait selections to. I currently own a St. Croix Bass Mojo Medium Light Spinning Rod that I use for most finesse applications, usually being Ned Rig/Neko/Weightless Worms/Shakey/Drop Shot. That seems to cover the bases well there. My second rod is a Dobyns Fury Mag Heavy I use for Frogs/Heavy Jigs/Swim Jig. I do a lot of chatterbait and jerkbait fishing, and would like to toss some squarebills in the mix. I want to cater to those presentations mostly. My dobyns IS cracked and I repaired, looking for something mid range that has good warranty. Suggests welcome. Thank You!

[JediAmoeba]

Its going to be tough to fit the bill for the techniques you mentioned but I would look into a 6'6" - 6'10" that's a mh with fast action.  It won't be perfect for any of the applications but will be pretty good for all of them.

[DitchPanda]

Id say that's asking a lot from one rod...I would have 3 different rods for those techniques...but one rod i say could probably do it is the Falcon Bucoo SR trap caster it has enough of a crankbait rod bend to keep a jerkbait of crank pinned but enough backbone to set a chatterbait hook..I have 2 in the old bucoo series I use for traps and squarebills mostly but have used them for small spinnerbaits and buzzbaits without issue 

[jbsoonerfan]

Another vote for a MH fast in a 6'10

[FishTank]

My personal favorite for a general purpose rod is either the St. Croix Avid 7' MH Fast or the St. Croix Avid 7' M Fast.  I have fished both from a kayak and like how they both can handle a wide variety of baits.  For what you are doing, I would say the M would be best. 

[BigShew2]

I'm with the previous posters, 610mh would be a good fit, can even do spinnerbaits. You may however be better suited to throw the jerkbaits on your spinning rod - easier to cast, and won't overpower the hooks on them. 

[FryDog62]

6’10” MH Shimano Zodias or Daiwa Tatula might work well for jigs/Chatterbaits although the handles are a tad long for jerkbaits. ALX Deputy is 7’1” and a bit more expensive but extremely versatile.  

[Pogues2300]

6'10" medium/ moderate fast Zodias would work for the jerkbait and crankbait, maybe a little light for the chatterbait depending on cover. As others have said you aren't going to find a rod perfect for all your desired applications.

[kayaking_kev]

I use a Fury 703c for jerkbaits, but it's also good with chatterbaits and squarebills.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

Those are three different rods for me personally. I like a fast action soft tip for jerkbaits so I’d look for that as it’s the least compromise for the other two applications. 

[Westcoast]

A kistler crank/rip/twitch would fit the bill pretty good for what you’re looking for. 

[Bandersnatch]

1 hour ago, Delaware Valley Tackle said:

Those are three different rods for me personally. I like a fast action soft tip for jerkbaits so I’d look for that as it’s the least compromise for the other two applications. 

Completely agree

[swhit140]

Falcon BuCoo SR Spinnerbait/Jerkbait BRC-5-168. Only $59.99

[junyer357]

Thats 3 rods for me too, but i understand its not always doable for everyone.  I like a short(6'4), fast rod on jerkbaits, a 7' med-mod for cranks, and a 7'3 glass composite for chatterbaits. Some good suggestions here already on rods, but it will be a compromise somewhere on which techniques any rod will work better than another either way. My advice is to save up and pair it with a really good reel, like a sv spool daiwa or curado 70, something that can also help handle the big difference in the weights of the lures listed you plan to throw. 

[Angry John]

For small square bills 1.0 and 1.5s jerk baits and 1/4 chatter baits from a canoe or yak my 66mf avid is the workhorse rod.  A smaller reel like the alphas keeps the weight down and maximizes the ability to cast lighter lures.  If your a shimano guy a core 50 may also be a good choice.  Run 8-10 lb line and enjoy.  I do not prefer expensive flourocarbon on this setup as I like the jerk baits to suspend not get pulled down by the line.

[MIbassyaker]

My 6'6" MF St. Croix Premier can do all of these pretty well.

[Finessegenics]

9 hours ago, MIbassyaker said:

My 6'6" MF St. Croix Premier can do all of these pretty well.

Do you find that the rod is more of a moderate fast than a true fast? I've played around with 6'6 M/F Croix's in store and they seem to have a good parabolic bend. What are your thoughts? Was looking into a Bass X 6'6 M/F for squarebills, cranks running up to 12 feet and topwaters. I know people say croixs generally have a slower action but I don't find that to be true with my avid x 7 MH/F. 

[MIbassyaker]

3 hours ago, Finessegenics said:

Do you find that the rod is more of a moderate fast than a true fast? I've played around with 6'6 M/F Croix's in store and they seem to have a good parabolic bend. What are your thoughts? Was looking into a Bass X 6'6 M/F for squarebills, cranks running up to 12 feet and topwaters. I know people say croixs generally have a slower action but I don't find that to be true with my avid x 7 MH/F. 

 

It's not my experience that st. croix is actions are slower generally, but the premier does seem a little more parabolic.  Maybe it's the SCII blank, which the Bass X also uses, while the Avid x has the SCIII.  St. croix rods do generally seem to have pretty soft tips though, regardless of action.

[Boomstick]

I have a Daiwa 7'2" MH/R (mod. fast) glass rod that would fit the bill nicely. It has a good amount of backbone so that's good for spinnerbaits and chatterbaits, and some play in the tip -- try to give sweeping hooksets when fishing a larger hooked lure. It's pretty good for fishing square bills in grass, when a faster tip is preferred and works pretty good for jerkbaits too. Pretty much an all around moving bait stick if there ever was one.

 

A M/F rod that runs on the heavier side, usually a 8-17 line rating will also work pretty well, like the St Croix Mojo Bass Jerkbait rod or the the Premier that MIBassyaker mentioned. I just got the Sierra 703C for my oldest son for this year and the tip is on the mod. fast side and I would think that would be a fantastic choice as well -- he plans to fish weightless and lightly weighted soft plastics, topwaters, cranks and jerkbaits on it. The Fury should be similiar. I think the Tatula Glass would be a better choice if you plan on fishing 1/2oz chatterbaits or spinnerbaits as it has a solid backbone to it, but you can fish weightless and lightly weighted soft plastics on the 703C.

On 3/12/2020 at 6:35 PM, FryDog62 said:

6’10” MH Shimano Zodias or Daiwa Tatula might work well for jigs/Chatterbaits although the handles are a tad long for jerkbaits. ALX Deputy is 7’1” and a bit more expensive but extremely versatile.  

The 6'10" Tatula has a bit too much tip imo for a jerkbait, but is a great rod for soft plastics, jigs, chatterbaits, spinnerbaits, etc.

[Mr.C in Texas]

Dobyns 734 would be a great choice or a 703 if you want to go lighter.  I use a custom ml spinning for finesse, 703 mid weight/bladed and 735 for frogs/jigs.  I kayak, bank and inshore wade fish so I don’t want to cart around a bunch of rods.