What Rod Should I Get Next?

[Turtles_R_us]

I have an SLX DC that needs a rod, and I think I will get a Mojo Bass rod to go with it. The reel is a 7.2:1. What power, length and action should I get? I have a Lews mach crush 7' MH fast action and a Lews american hero 6'6" MH fast action as well. I fish small ponds mostly so I like Texas rigs, chatterbaits, squarebills, and such. I need a good frogging rod as well as a lighter medium action for treble hook baits. I know that sensitivity is not too important for these techniques so I can get by with cheaper rods. Should I just get another MH or go for one of the cheaper rods for my SLX DC?

[Born 2 fish]

Get yourself a ALX TOADFACE very nice rod for frogging and versatile for other applications.

[Turtles_R_us]

5 minutes ago, Born 2 fish said:

Get yourself a ALX TOADFACE very nice rod for frogging and versatile for other applications.

Lol I'm 15 and don't have a job yet I'm scraping the bottom of the barrel just for a Mojo Bass. Thanks for the suggestion though that might be a good option for me in the future!

[Fishes in trees]

My thoughts on the anti back lash computer controlled reels is that they work best for reaction baits, cranks, spinner baits, chatters baits and other stuff you might want to throw quite a distance, stuff you might be throwing into the wind or crosswind, and you want to worry less about backlash.  My next thought is that a 7.2-1 gear ratio is a little fast for that activity.   That reel would make it pretty easy to pull your baits through the water too fast.   I was learning fishing when 5-1 reels were considered "high speed", so you might find it much easier to slow down than I do.

My next thought is that friends of mine who still tournament fish tell me that the computer reels are great for skipping jigs & soft plastics under docks, and in this situation, the larger the gear ratio the better.  You might consider getting a good to great soft plastic/jig rod and learn how to skip baits.

I wish I had this skill, I'm not very good at it with spinning gear and I don't attempt it with bait casting gear because I'm familiar with my limitations.    But I've fished with guys who are good at this and being able to skip jigs 10, 12, 15 feet underneath docks gets your bait to a class of fish that most guys can't reach.   The guys I know who were good at this technique got a computer controlled reel as soon as they could and now they are noticeably better at it.

 

So that is my advice - get the best worm/jig you can afford and learn how to skip.   A decent frog rod would be a decent secondary choice, IMO.

 

I am aware that you're 15 and nearly any rod you get would be a significant gear upgrade - so after reading what all these different geezers tell you what you "should" or "might " do it is your decision, so get a rod that is different from you other two and just fish it & see what happens.

[FryDog62]

30 minutes ago, Turtles_R_us said:

Lol I'm 15 and don't have a job yet I'm scraping the bottom of the barrel just for a Mojo Bass. Thanks for the suggestion though that might be a good option for me in the future!

My opinion only, but I think St. Croix makes a quality product, but their rods in MH are pretty heavy and tip-weighted. If you want to stay in that $100-150 range, I would compare Daiwa Tatula or Tatula XT, Abu Garcia Veritas, or Shimano SLX. Dobyns Fury weighs a little more like the St. Croix MH's do but is very well balanced. I think the above rods will give you the same power as a Mojo MH but lighter and/or better balanced. Might be worth your time to travel to a retail store and hold side by side and compare weight/balance/action, etc. 

[swhit140]

59 minutes ago, Turtles_R_us said:

I have an SLX DC that needs a rod, and I think I will get a Mojo Bass rod to go with it. The reel is a 7.2:1. What power, length and action should I get? I have a Lews mach crush 7' MH fast action and a Lews american hero 6'6" MH fast action as well. I fish small ponds mostly so I like Texas rigs, chatterbaits, squarebills, and such. I need a good frogging rod as well as a lighter medium action for treble hook baits. I know that sensitivity is not too important for these techniques so I can get by with cheaper rods. Should I just get another MH or go for one of the cheaper rods for my SLX DC?

I would probably go with 7' Med Hvy, my next question is how much can you afford?

[GetFishorDieTryin]

2 hours ago, Turtles_R_us said:

I have an SLX DC that needs a rod, and I think I will get a Mojo Bass rod to go with it. The reel is a 7.2:1. What power, length and action should I get? I have a Lews mach crush 7' MH fast action and a Lews american hero 6'6" MH fast action as well. I fish small ponds mostly so I like Texas rigs, chatterbaits, squarebills, and such. I need a good frogging rod as well as a lighter medium action for treble hook baits. I know that sensitivity is not too important for these techniques so I can get by with cheaper rods. Should I just get another MH or go for one of the cheaper rods for my SLX DC?

If theres a Dicks near you check out the 13s rods.  For the money there awful hard to beat.

[Turtles_R_us]

33 minutes ago, swhit140 said:

I would probably go with 7' Med Hvy, my next question is how much can you afford?

150 is probably all I can at the moment, I will have more to play with when corona is over and I can get a job.

[Derek1]

Since you already have 2 mh rods, I would go with the dobyns fury 705cb. You can throw crank baits, spinnerbaits, lipless and a few other moving baits. Moving baits is where the dc shines in my opinion. $120 and enough change for line for the reel. Good luck and have fun. 

[PhishLI]

4 hours ago, Turtles_R_us said:

I will have more to play with when corona is over and I can get a job.

There're good reasons to save up and pony up once instead of going cheap several times only to end up spending more in the end, but there are exceptions.

 

If you want a really good frog rod that's good for so much more, take a look at the Lew's Carbon Fire 7'3" HF at DSG. It's often on sale for $59. Buy a $2 lure, do the survey online found at the bottom of your register receipt, and you'll get a coupon for $10 off a $50 purchase. Apply it and you'll get it for $49.

 

My brother has 2, and I have 1 myself. Great hookup  ratio throwing frogs. I fish choked out lakes and have pulled tons of bass through forests of Lily pads with this rod. I've exceeded it's upper lure weight rating hundreds of times throwing Shellcracker G2s and Gantarel Jr's.  Got a bunch of fish throwing a Beast Coast Miyagi rigged on an Owner 6/0 Beast hook, and Magdraft Freestyles rigged on the same. I've tried to kill it but it won't die. None of that wouldn't matter if I didn't like the way that it fishes, but I do. It does it's job well, and I like the Winn grips. Anyway, with the savings you can pick up a Medium stick to cover the lower end of the spectrum and you'll be sitting pretty.

[swhit140]

4 hours ago, Turtles_R_us said:

150 is probably all I can at the moment, I will have more to play with when corona is over and I can get a job.

There is a good amount of rods under $150.00 so you'll have a lot of choices to look at. Good luck and hope you find what you like.?

[Turtles_R_us]

1 hour ago, swhit140 said:

There is a good amount of rods under $150.00 so you'll have a lot of choices to look at. Good luck and hope you find what you like.?

thats kinda my problem lol

[Deephaven]

I'd look at FB Marketplace or CL for a deal.  Always some here in MN for that class of rod.

[Teal]

Here's a novel idea, why not get 2 rods.  The daiwa aird rods are great for 59 bucks and can be found for 50.  Get the 7'0 heavy for frogs, then get you a good CRANKING stick with the remaining 100 bucks.   I think the Lews CRANKING stick sells for 50 bucks.   Then down the road once you get a job and some money, you can upgrade rods one at a time.   I wouldn't worry about sensitivity with those applications anyway.  

 

Good luck 

[MN Fisher]

19 minutes ago, Teal said:

Here's a novel idea, why not get 2 rods.  The daiwa aird rods are great for 59 bucks and can be found for 50.  Get the 7'0 heavy for frogs, then get you a good CRANKING stick with the remaining 100 bucks.   I think the Lews CRANKING stick sells for 50 bucks.   Then down the road once you get a job and some money, you can upgrade rods one at a time.   I wouldn't worry about sensitivity with those applications anyway.  

 

Good luck 

I agree with the Aird-X - I still have my Aird-X H/F for flipping/pitching/frogging...one of the rods I didn't upgrade this year.

 

Another one in the $50 range is the Okuma Stratus VI  from Dicks - normally $79.99, currently selling for $49.99. Comes in 7' MH/MF - I have the spinning version of this and it's actually a fairly decent rod for cranking.

[Turtles_R_us]

12 hours ago, Teal said:

Here's a novel idea, why not get 2 rods.  The daiwa aird rods are great for 59 bucks and can be found for 50.  Get the 7'0 heavy for frogs, then get you a good CRANKING stick with the remaining 100 bucks.   I think the Lews CRANKING stick sells for 50 bucks.   Then down the road once you get a job and some money, you can upgrade rods one at a time.   I wouldn't worry about sensitivity with those applications anyway.  

 

Good luck 

The hard part is convincing my mom to let me lol. She says I have too many and I only have 2 casting rods and 2 spinning rods lol.

[Teal]

10 minutes ago, Turtles_R_us said:

The hard part is convincing my mom to let me lol. She says I have too many and I only have 2 casting rods and 2 spinning rods lol.

Well go ahead and practice the argument... You are probably gonna have a wife some day.   So go ahead and get good at this now.   

[Hewhospeaksmuchbull]

22 hours ago, Derek1 said:

Since you already have 2 mh rods, I would go with the dobyns fury 705cb. You can throw crank baits, spinnerbaits, lipless and a few other moving baits. Moving baits is where the dc shines in my opinion. $120 and enough change for line for the reel. Good luck and have fun. 

IMO this is a great suggestion, It's a great jerkbait rod also.

 

Something to consider that hasn't been mentioned is the warranty/replacement/upgrade policy, Dobyns has a lifetime no questions asked policy, do the others? https://dobynsrods.com/warranty/

 

A good argument for Mom, how many shoe's are enough. On second thought, probably best to leave that one alone.

[Turtles_R_us]

52 minutes ago, Hewhospeaksmuchbull said:

IMO this is a great suggestion, It's a great jerkbait rod also.

 

Something to consider that hasn't been mentioned is the warranty/replacement/upgrade policy, Dobyns has a lifetime no questions asked policy, do the others? https://dobynsrods.com/warranty/

 

A good argument for Mom, how many shoe's are enough. On second thought, probably best to leave that one alone.

Ive made that argument... she tried to deny it but one look in her closet says it all.

[Hewhospeaksmuchbull]

Careful, or else you'll get their second favorite thing to do with them.

 

[Derek1]

Well men, as a collective I think we need a better argument then the shoes. It just doesn’t hold up. 
good luck picking that third rod. When I was at that point, I found that third one to be the toughest one to decide on. #1 is easy. #2 not so tough after  you spent some time on the water, with #1. That third one is tough. There’s just to many things you wanna try. If you didn’t have a reel I would vote medium spinning outfit. Have fun. 

[Born 2 fish]

On 2/3/2021 at 11:51 AM, Turtles_R_us said:

Lol I'm 15 and don't have a job yet I'm scraping the bottom of the barrel just for a Mojo Bass. Thanks for the suggestion though that might be a good option for me in the future!

If that’s the case get your self a 7’6 mh bass pro crankin stick. It will be a great all around rod at a budget. I use the exact rod for my buzz baits and really like it. And you can pick one up for about 80 bucks or les on sale.