TackleTour

I fish primarily Lake Lanier and a local reservoir, neither of which has heavy grass. I have a G. Loomis IMX Pro Casting Rod 7'1" Heavy 854C JWR that is used for throwing hollow bodied frogs and Carolina rigs. Do you think a longer rod (like the IMX Pro 7.3 Carolina rig rod) would be better for these two applications?

The longer rods will cast a little farther and will move more line on a hook set..
The shorter rod will make it slightly easier to walk a frog.
It's a trade off, control vs distance.
Can't imagine there will be a huge difference between a 7'1 and a 7'4 assuming same power and taper.

I would say go with the 7’1”
Just my preference of the two

I currently use the NRX 873 and it rocks. I recommend checking out the new IMX Pro TWFR 884 or 885. It’s a 7’4” but made specifically for frog fishing. IMX Pro 874 is a 7’3” and would also work well.

As stated earlier the longer rod will allow you to cast further and move more line on the hook-set...I say go long

Rodster14 wrote:I fish primarily Lake Lanier and a local reservoir, neither of which has heavy grass. I have a G. Loomis IMX Pro Casting Rod 7'1" Heavy 854C JWR that is used for throwing hollow bodied frogs and Carolina rigs. Do you think a longer rod (like the IMX Pro 7.3 Carolina rig rod) would be better for these two applications?

I had NRX 854C JWR and 894C JWR, I cast lots of hollow body frogs... It is much easier and more accurate to cast with 894 on 1/2oz hbf (overhead cast). I sold my 854 after using a couple of times.

But when the fish in frenzy mode, I find it NRX 853C JWR is the faster than 894 in term casting. (we need to cast fast when we see the giant snake head comes to the surface)

WW

I honestly do not think that it makes that much of a difference. On the pros and on the cons.

I use a 7'3'' and I think it is great.

The type and amount of cover dictate things more for me. In open water or areas with lighter cover I want something that is not a broomstick. You will get far more action, versatility and have far more accuracy with a rod that is not a broomstick. Using the parameters of your question I don't think you will see a lot of difference in those lengths. Find you a good Mh to H rod in those lengths with a fast tip. If throwing in excpetionally heavier cover step up to a stouter rod and possibly a longer rod if needed.

Length does not matter much in the range you note. Balancing tip action required for good walking vs power needed in some vegetated applications the much bigger deal. MH powered rods often have tips better suited for walking the frog whereas most of these are underpowered in grass, matted moss.

I'm using a 7'3H powered rod but the reason is the tip & power it has. I use a Kistler HE3. Walks the frog well, relatively accurate rod, loads slowly and a ton of power. best combination of things for frogs that I've fished. I have multiple NRX894's and I don't really like them for frogs; not the best walking action.

It’s not the exact rods your mentioning but I was throwing frogs on a 7’6” 13fishing envy black heavy and a 7’ kistler helium medium heavy while I was in the market for a dedicated frog rod. The longer rod was better for heavier harder hooksets, for controlling the fish in and around cover, much longer casting abilities, more accuarate. Now there two completely different rods so obviously the envy was better in heavy slop but I was only trying to compare the rods in terms of length. I ended up getting the imx pro 884c twfr and love it so far! Light balance well, plenty of power. Fish from real heavy cover and slop to more open water with sparse grass and lay downs. Highly recommend the loomis 884c twfr.

Also you might check out the spec's on a Dobyns Champion XP DC 736 C. I fish Santee Cooper in heavy cover & this rod has the power to get them out of it plus it will not break the bank. They also have a open water version, Dobyns Champion XP DC 735 C. I chose the heavier power because of the heavy cover I fish. This my go to Frog rod, I am very satisfied.

DavidSA wrote:I'm using a 7'3H powered rod but the reason is the tip & power it has. I use a Kistler HE3. Walks the frog well, relatively accurate rod, loads slowly and a ton of power.

I would also second the HE3 H.... I have been using the 7' version. To me, this is the perfect chatterbait rod, but works well on frogs.

I recently picked up the Falcon 6'11" Jason Christie frog rod. It's more powerful than the HE3 H, but still has enough tip to work the frog. My only use has been some testing in our pond, but so far I really like it. Weight wise, its the same as the HE3 which surprised me.

I fish shorter frog rods than most. Nothing over 7' and I am 6'4" tall. I cannot understand the appeal of a longer rod. Even with the 7' rod, I can sometimes dip the tip in the water. Not to mention if you ever shore fish. I watched a shorter man trying to frog with a 7'4"+ rod and it looked awkward and uncomfortable. He had to keep the rod more horizontal than I would like. I can let my arms hang and go really tip down without worrying about the rod. I've pulled 7+ pound fish with 3+ pounds of grass and never asked myself if a longer rod would help.

To be fair my cover is never all that thick. To me the added leverage possibly gained is far outweighed by the ease of use and control I have over a shorter rod.

I switched to a shorter rod - Dobyns Champion XP 735 or 736 is the Dobyns Frog rod of choice mainly, but I found my tip in the water a lot since I fish off the back deck, so swapped down to a Champ XP 705. You wouldn't think 3" would make a difference but in that situation was just enough to keep the tip off the water.