Topwater rod help.

[HdnRibs]

I am getting ready to buy a dedicated topwater rod and I am really confused. Right now, I use a 7'6" ML spinning rod (which I taught myself to walk the dog on) and a Phenix Recon 712. I just bought a NIB Daiwa Fuego for the Recon and spooled it with 8lb line. That is the reel I am planning on using, but the line will change. They are both really light, but the Recon has a much stiffer tip. Almost all of my top water lures are 1/2 oz or less. I am not really satisfied with either rod, so I need to get a more appropriate rod.

I talked to Gary Dobyns a couple of days ago, and he recommended one of his Savvy or Champion 733s. I picked one up, and from just holding it in the store I don't really know. It sounded to me that Gary mostly fishes spooks. That is one bait that I don't have, but will. My inclination was to just buy a Savvy as it would look great with the Fuego, but I have an 854c & an 893c NRX rods. The 733 seems to fit fairly well between those rods. The biggest difference, spec wise, is the XF actions on the NRXs. Is the 733 really that different? Or, Even though it seems a little heavy, should I be using my 854c?

On a side note, if I change out the line on the Fuego, what should I try? Maybe that change will make the Recon "feel" better when I cast. That maybe my real objection to the Recon. The Recon sure casts better with a Core spooled with PPSS. That is what I had on the Recon when I was just playing with it. It was my first real baitcaster. Thanks.

[steve1206]

The 854 is too much rod. A 20-30 lb braid would be a good topwater line to give a try, but make sure the rod is not too heavily powered, as the braid will be less forgiving. Since you mentioned Loomis, the CBR 845/785 works great for topwater....although if your worried about style, the red and orange will clash--LOL

[dragon1]

For 1/2 or less, I would stick to a med/"2" power and choose your length, brand model and budget accordingly.

What length do you prefer?

[civicrr]

Although I've never fished a Recon, a light powered rod rated 1/16-3/8 seems too light for walking topwaters to me. Even my smallest/lightest walking lure, the Gunfish 95, would be a handful I bet. If the tip is soft enough, maybe use it for poppers. I prefer to use crankbait rods for poppers.

733 is a great stick for walking lures - Gunfish 95, Super Spook Jr, Super Spook, Sammy 100, etc. Depending on what I'm doing/fishing, I'll use the 733 or a 705CB Glass for walking lures. If I had to have just one stick for walking lures, it'd be the 733. Soft enough tip & action to keep fish pinned. Soft tip & fast recovery makes working the lure a breeze. Powerful enough to get 'em to the boat. It is also a great weightless 5" senko/fluke rod too.

[njbasscat]

In the Dobyns lineup I would recommend 684CB or 704CB for topwater. If you fish heavier cover the 705CB is a good option. If you feel like laying out more money, the Megabass X4 Black Elseil is a fantastic topwater rod.

[MTBF]

Using a 6'9" Medium Power Extra-Fast action Shimano Cumara baitcaster for my 2" Poppers and 3.5" walking baits. Seems to do the job well with 12lb Mono. Perhaps the 802 or 852 NRX rods might be worth a look if your looking for a ex-fast action on a medium power blank.

If you can find the Cumara's that 6'9 is a favourite of mine this past summer. I am sure there are nicer out there tho.

[HdnRibs]

Thanks for the help. Your replys have spawned a road trip to atleast 4 or 5 tackle stores!

I think I will go back to the store today and wiggle the 733 and the 704, if I can find them. The 704 may be able to do double duty for me, but the 733 has the most votes.

Cumara's are hard to come by in the Sacramento area right now, but I will look for one of those rods today also. Might find a bargain and it may feel better in my hands.

What is really different about a good topwater rod and just any old rod? I could just buy any rod labled topwater and call it a day, but I would like something that actually works well for the task. And that is a good question in itself. What is it really doing and why?

Anyway, sorry for the rambling, I am good at it.

[njbasscat]

Thanks for the help.

What is really different about a good topwater rod and just any old rod? I could just buy any rod labled topwater and call it a day, but I would like something that actually works well for the task. And that is a good question in itself. What is it really doing and why?

Anyway, sorry for the rambling, I am good at it.

I like crankbait rods or rods made for treble hooks. They have a slower action which helps keep the fish on. In the northeast where I fish a medium power rod does the job well. I can cover a wide range of poppers and walkers although I don't use really big stuff like down south and out west. If the cover is thick I step up to a med heavy. I think it greatly depends on the region you are fishing. If I had a chance to hook into a 10 pound bass I would throw much bigger baits and a heavier rod. Since you are dealing with reaction strikes, you don't need a sensitive or expensive rod. I would choose action and balance over sensitivity when picking out a topwater rod.

[BigG]

I fish topwater a lot and use Dobyns 684CB, 685CB, and 705CB rods. Their moderate fast actions work well for topwater and I use them for jertbaits before topwater weather. If you like longer rods the 704CB and 705CB would be great. If you have the money pick a Megabass X4 in F3 - F5, these sticks are sick.

[Johnny A]

I fish topwater a lot and use Dobyns 684CB, 685CB, and 705CB rods. Their moderate fast actions work well for topwater and I use them for jertbaits before topwater weather. If you like longer rods the 704CB and 705CB would be great. If you have the money pick a Megabass X4 in F3 or F4, these sticks are sick.

I use a lot of topwater as well. I break it down into dogwalking with X Pods and Giant Dog X's or small poppers like the MB Pop X. Dogwalking is easier of the two as most rod companies have a topwater rod in their line ups, it's more of a crapshoot with lighter baits.
Abu has the Vendetta 6'3", which is good for lighter baits while maintaining good power over the fish. Evergreen has the Pantera, at 6'2" and actually designed for crank baits.

[HdnRibs]

Ok, so, after looking at rods and taking into consideration the information on this site and others, it looks like, there is just a little more to topwater than I thought.

It looks like I can break topwater down into at the minimum, at least for me, two parts. Spooks (large walking the dog type baits) and smaller popper type baits. Of course, to handle this overly simplification of the problem, I can get by with only 2 new rods!

It looks like a 733 will handle the Spooks, and provide me with a third worm & jig type rod. Then, I need a lighter crankbait type rod for the poppers. Does this sound correct?

If so, then I have another decision to make, do I want both rods, or just the lighter rod? Right now, I really only have 1 Spook, and a lot of small topwaters. Also, I am using spinning gear for my light crankbaits. So, the logical path is to just buy a light CB rod which will serve double duty for me by retiring the spinning combo, and then make a decision later if I ever really want to throw (a lot of) Spooks. With that, there goes my original plan to just buy a Dobyns 733 and be done with it. The Dobyns is now on the backburner since it would be primarily for the Spooks, right? Am I on the right track here?

Going this route, I only have to buy a rod, I am leaning towards the 704, since I already have the reel. But, since I am waiting for Black Friday to pull the trigger on this, I have plenty of time to convince myself to do the TT thing and just buy both and a new reel!

[cornmuse]

just buy both and a new reel

We have a winning answer!

I'll tell you that fishing a Fenwick 6' 3" m/m with small poppers is big fun. Getting a lightish cranking rod to work poppers and small wake baits, light cranks and smaller jerk baits isn't a bad idea.

[civicrr]

Buy the Dobyns 733 & use the Recon 712 for poppers......

[HdnRibs]

Went to the bay area to get my son for Thanksgiving and stopped in at Hi's.

The reel will have to wait.

[Dink Dawg]

I use a Savvy 733 micro for spooks and super spooks. For everything else ( lighter ) the Champion 704CB. The 704CB triples as my JB rod and lighter crankbait rod.