Topwater Casting Rod questions

[Bird Jones]

Looking at getting a casting rod for top water prop lures and I have a few questions.

 

I have a 6' 8" St Croix Mojo Bass MHF and St Croix calls it a jig and worm rod which is what I use it for.  Looking at the chart for this rod the "Topwater" rods are MXF.  Is there a reason why my existing rod wouldn't be a good choice?

 

This leads to another question.  My understanding with treble hook lures is you want a slow rod, not fast ones like St Croix is saying.

 

I use braid and monofilament leaders.  

 

I need a 2 piece rod which is why I went with St Croix for my worm rod and would like to spend less than $200.

[WRB]

Top water prop lure like a Whooper Plopper you cast and retrieve without a lot of rod action. As long as you can effectively cast the lure no reason your combo wouldn’t work well. With braid set the drag about 3 lbs so the treble hooks don’t tear out.

Tom

[new2BC4bass]

I'd also like to point out that 4 of my crankbait rods say 'Fast' on them.  Two say 'M' which can either stand for Moderate or Medium action.  One says Mod-Fast.  Not much of a standard is it? 

 

[MiceNReets]

Try it out.   If you feel it doesn’t work for that style of fishing  then you can adapt to see what makes it work or just get a new rod

[casts_by_fly]

when you say prop lures, do you mean ploppers, buzzbaits, or a devil's horse type baits (also a tiny torpedo)?  My head went with the 3rd option.  Clearly Tom went with the first.  

 

the short answer is that most any rod will work for most any teqhnique.  There's no reason why you shouldn't just use the rod you have.  It will work just fine.

 

If you have a debt to pay to the bait monkey though and 'need' a new rod, then you can make some other choices.  For a devil's horse style prop bait or a tiny torpedo, they are fairly light (can be 3/8 oz) so something with a little bit of tip is easier for casting.  The medium/extra fast would be a good choice. A MH/F is also a pretty good choice.  If you're talking about ploppers and buzzbaits though, you probably want a little more rod.  I don't throw tiny ploppers.  I rarely throw the 90's.  My usual is a 105/110 size which is 3/4 ounce.  My buzzbaits are 3/8 or 1/2 oz which comes out around 3/4 oz total weight.  That's a lot for a rod rated to 3/4 oz.  I also want a bigger, longer rod for fishing them personally.  I use a 7'4" 1/2-1 heavy/fast in that case.

[Reel]

I also use a MH worm rod for my large Whooper Plopper ( 130 size) and it works well.

[FishTank]

You should be fine. I always use a MH Fast for the topwater lures mentioned.  I can't recall having an issue.