Which of these rods for S-waver 168?

[RenzokukenFisher]

I wanted to get into some swimbait fishing so I bought 2 R2S S-waver 168s to get started. I dont want to commit to a whole swimbait setup yet so I was wondering which of my current baitcast rods would best suit the 168?

 

 1. Shimano Expride 7'3 XH fast action.

 2. St. Croix premier 7'0 MH fast action.

 3. Irod Genisis 7'2 MH moderate fast.

 

All rods will be used with braid. Thank you for the help.

[MN Fisher]

The Shimano - it's the only one rated for the weight of the S-Waver...the other two come up short, and I'd never want to cast a lure heavier than the rod's rating unless I was very, very careful.

[Hammer 4]

I throw my 168 on my Irod gen III sb 783, does a great job of casting that weight.

[MN Fisher]

3 minutes ago, Hammer 4 said:

I throw my 168 on my Irod gen III sb 783, does a great job of casting that weight.

If you read closer, my friend, he's trying to NOT purchase a new rod...but use what he already owns.

 

I still stand by the Expride XH

[Hammer 4]

Just now, MN Fisher said:

If you read closer, my friend, he's trying to NOT purchase a new rod...but use what he already owns.

 

I still stand by the Expride XH

I realize that. Just pointing out what power, action and length I find works best. Of those listed, I'd go with the Shimano also.

[BoatSquirrel]

Easy answer-use the bendiest of these rods.  

[Bass Rutten]

The expride is the only one that will handle that lures weight and even though it’s technically a mod fast it’s still very stout and probably too stiff for a treble hook lure especially with braid, with mono it might be doable. I use my xh expride with copoly for weedless rigged beast hook and jig hook swimbaits. Only one way to find out if it works for you, tie one on and send it.

[RenzokukenFisher]

3 hours ago, MN Fisher said:

The Shimano - it's the only one rated for the weight of the S-Waver...the other two come up short, and I'd never want to cast a lure heavier than the rod's rating unless I was very, very careful.

Okay that makes sense. I'll go ahead and give a shot with the expride then. Thanks!

51 minutes ago, Bassjam2000 said:

The expride is the only one that will handle that lures weight and even though it’s technically a mod fast it’s still very stout and probably too stiff for a treble hook lure especially with braid, with mono it might be doable. I use my xh expride with copoly for weedless rigged beast hook and jig hook swimbaits. Only one way to find out if it works for you, tie one on and send it.

I'll throw a long mono leader on there so hopefully that would help some but I agree it seems a bit stiff for treble baits. For now I'll just send it! Thank you.

[PhishLI]

6 hours ago, MN Fisher said:

I'd never want to cast a lure heavier than the rod's rating unless I was very, very careful.

I wouldn't argue that point, but there are exceptions depending on the rod. Normally I'd be throwing 1.5oz class hard swim baits on either a Champion 794 or an Irod 7'8 SB Junior, but there are places where I wade that simply won't allow for those length rods. I can only wade out so far off shore, and overhanging tree branches in full bloom are a problem with a 2 foot lure drop before the cast, and an over head swing. However, I can squeak by with a 7'3" rod. In a pickle, I set up a reel with 20lb Big Game on my Tatula XT 7'3" Heavy F rated up to 1.5 oz. No problem slinging out those baits on that stick. No lobbing either, but full swing for the fences bomb casting. It doesn't even feel overloaded at all. Plenty of bass caught up to 6 lbs too. In fact, I actually like this combination for those baits as I'm not a big fan of the extra long handles found on most swim bait specific rods, excluding the IROD SB Jr with its shorter than usual handle length.  So, as I mentioned earlier, it depends on the rod.

[Bassin_Harrison]

I throw my 168s on a 7’3 Heavy/Fast (my frog rod) which is rated for up to 2 oz surprisingly.
 

Should I throw it on there? Maybe not, but I don’t throw swimbaits enough to spend the money on a set up for them. It has worked well enough when I’ve managed to pull a bite. Braid to mono leader.