Adding a Heavy power rod and a Whopper Plopper rod - which two? or one?

[jimanchower]

I'm pretty green when it comes to bass fishing but I'm a bit of a gear head, and the current and upcoming sales have me scheming. I also fish primarily out of a kayak, so rods in the 7' or just under range are in my wheelhouse. I primarily fish lakes, ponds, creeks, and rivers in Mississippi but I hail from Chattanooga so those well-known reservoirs are within range.

 

My two stoutest rods are a Shimano SLX 7' Med Heavy/Fast and a Dobyns Fury 705CB. I use the SLX primarily for single hook applications (jigs, chatterbaits, Texas rigs, buzzbaits), and the Fury for crankbaits and Whopper Ploppers (75, 90, 110). I'd like to add heavier jigs, frogs, deeper crankbaits, and the WP 130 to my tackle box. A Heavy/Fast rod certainly seems to be in the cards. Something like the SLX 7' (rated up to 1.5 oz) or the Fury 664C (rated up to 1oz) seems to fit the bill. The Champ XP 706CB (1.5oz max) has really caught my eye as well. It seems like a great rod for the 'Plopper 130 and of course for deeper cranking. That said, I think I've narrowed it down to two paths:

 

Compromise with one rod: The SLX 7' Heavy/Fast fits into my lineup quite well, and can certainly handle the stuff I want to throw, but isn't as well-suited to the treble hook stuff. I could go Dobyns or St. Croix here as well, but would probably need to go with a 7' rod for casting distance if I'm throwing topwater with it.

Versatility with two rods: The Fury 664C can do the heavier jigs, frogs, etc. and the 706CB can do heavier topwaters and deeper cranking. Lots of versatility, but quite a bit more expensive, obviously.

 

I'm looking for any input, particularly given how power and action can tend to vary between manufacturers and even between different models. I have heard that the SLX may be a bit heavier power relative to the norm, and Dobyns' rods the opposite. Any input appreciated.

[Nelson Delaney]

St croix makes a 7’4” heavy in several different lines.   I use the avid x for frogs, 130 ploppers, plastic swimbaits.....

[jimanchower]

2 minutes ago, Nelson Delaney said:

St croix makes a 7’4” heavy in several different lines.   I use the avid x for frogs, 130 ploppers, plastic swimbaits.....

 

Hmm that does look like it would do the trick. Longer than I'd like but I guess that's just a compromise. I have a St. Croix Bass-X Med/Fast that I like but don't love. I wouldn't be afraid to try another of their rods though. Thanks.

[Nelson Delaney]

 

2 minutes ago, jimanchower said:

 

Hmm that does look like it would do the trick. Longer than I'd like but I guess that's just a compromise. I have a St. Croix Bass-X Med/Fast that I like but don't love. I wouldn't be afraid to try another of their rods though. Thanks.

If you have $700 to spend you could get one of the new legend xtremes.... ???

[kayaking_kev]

The SLX heavier rods are poorly balanced.

 

I have a Fury 663c, and the 664c will not handle heavy jigs or frogs and definitely not the 130 Whopper Plopper. You will need at least a 5 Power Dobyns.

 

I had a Champion 736cb Glass and it could probably throw the WP 130 and deep crank, so I would think the 706cb should as well. The 736 was heavy though, weighing 6 oz.

 

It sounds like you don't really deep crank that much so I might think about it going with one rod like a 5 Power for all of it. I've had two Dobyns 5 Powers, an Xtasy 755c & Sierra 735c, out of those two I would say the Sierra is better suited for what you are looking for. They have even more flex than other Dobyns series rods, and you can Jig, Frog and probably throw the WP 130 and get way with a little deep cranking with it.

 

I have to say though, the 130 is huge and pushing the limits on a Dobyns rod rated up to 1.5 oz. I have every size of WP, including a 130 and have never even thrown it. Are you using it to fish for Musky or something? If not, the 110 is plenty of big enough for Bass, I usually stick with the 90 or 75 and will even be getting the new size 60 on BF.

 

On a side note, Ugly Stick Gx2's really make good WP rods also if you wanted something cheap.

[jimanchower]

1 hour ago, kayaking_kev said:

The SLX heavier rods are poorly balanced.

 

I have a Fury 663c, and the 664c will not handle heavy jigs or frogs and definitely not the 130 Whopper Plopper. You will need at least a 5 Power Dobyns.

 

I had a Champion 736cb Glass and it could probably throw the WP 130 and deep crank, so I would think the 706cb should as well. The 736 was heavy though, weighing 6 oz.

 

It sounds like you don't really deep crank that much so I might think about it going with one rod like a 5 Power for all of it. I've had two Dobyns 5 Powers, an Xtasy 755c & Sierra 735c, out of those two I would say the Sierra is better suited for what you are looking for. They have even more flex than other Dobyns series rods, and you can Jig, Frog and probably throw the WP 130 and get way with a little deep cranking with it.

 

I have to say though, the 130 is huge and pushing the limits on a Dobyns rod rated up to 1.5 oz. I have every size of WP, including a 130 and have never even thrown it. Are you using it to fish for Musky or something? If not, the 110 is plenty of big enough for Bass, I usually stick with the 90 or 75 and will even be getting the new size 60 on BF.

 

On a side note, Ugly Stick Gx2's really make good WP rods also if you wanted something cheap.

 

I think you see what I'm getting at, and your advice is really sound - thanks.

 

A friend who knows a thing or two (to say the least) throws a WP 130 on some of my local waters with good success so I sort of keyed in on that. I like my Fury 705CB and thought having a scaled-up version might be even better, but you're right that the 75/90/110 should be plenty big for what I'm fishing. I do prefer the shorter rods, but I'll check out the 5 power rods in those lines. Thanks for your input.

 

(FWIW I have a 6' Ugly Stick that I could throw my little WP 60 on! I like having a drop shot on it though)

[kayaking_kev]

31 minutes ago, jimanchower said:

(FWIW I have a 6' Ugly Stick that I could throw my little WP 60 on! I like having a drop shot on it though)

 

For the 18' & 19' season I threw the WP out of kayak on small rivers for Smallies using a 6'0 Ugly Stik Gx2 Medium 2 piece with pistol grip and it always did a great job.  I really like the shorter handles for kayaks, the overall length doesn't matter as much to me as long as I'm sitting high enough off the water, because I like to side cast.

 

Sierra does have a 705c, but nothing shorter unfortunately.