Looking for a new top water rod and need some input.

[Black Ice]

I need a new top water rod as I have to work to hard with my 6'6 MH rods to fish my spooks. I'm hoping a 7 ft medium will give me that walk the dog action a little easier. I'm looking at the Shimano Crucial, falcon coastal, falcon lowrider, lowrider salt and falcon cara all in 7 foot medium action. Do y'all think this will work? Also I fish a lot of Zara Spook Jr's. and would love to hear y'all's favorite go to top water bait and color!

[KHoes203]

Yes those are all excellent choices. The 7' will give you the walk the dog action.

[Black Ice]

Yes those are all excellent choices. The 7' will give you the walk the dog action.

I have to work for it with my 6'6 MH Falcon cara. I have a 6'10 mh crucial and a 6'8 lowrider but all are MH action.

[hoythunter02]

I like that Falcon Coastal in 6' 8. 89.99 at Academy. Putting a Curado on one.

[RACK]

St.croix Legend Extreme series 7' M might be the baddest rod on the planet !

I did a 10 mile float last weekend on the colorado pitching the banks and grass with a Rapala X-Rap in chartuase ghost with a red and white skirt tied to 12# fluoracarbon and they flat out destroyed it.

[Black Ice]

Keep me comin guys don't forget to tell me your favorite top water lure.

[Mayhem]

I have a new Waterloo that is the best thing I ever fished with. I looked at the falcon and they can't hold a candle to the Waterloo.

[Mayhem]

Skitterwalk.

[JayKen86]

I like that Falcon Coastal in 6' 8. 89.99 at Academy. Putting a Curado on one.

Good choice :thumbup:

[blacksunshine]

Tell Rorey to post up his custom rod

[cajuntec]

The rod you are using should be fine for fishing spooks. What you didn't mention is what type of line you are using and what your technique is. If you are "pulling" the bait with your arms, you are working too hard. It should be light downward twitches of the rod with a very short pause between each twitch. I equate it to the same cadence and technique I use for a hard jerkbait, but with lighter twitches. If the line you are using has too much stretch, you won't get the power you need to the bait to get it to come all the way over. If the tip is too stiff and you are also using braid, you could also be overpowering the bait. You need to find the right combo of line and tip to work the spook correctly. I happen to use a Abu Garcia Veritas VRC66-5 (marked as a M, but it feels more like between a M and MH) for Super Spook Jr's, which are my favorites. I don't think I've thrown a full size Spook in years, and they may be a little heavy for my current rod. I'd probably throw them on one of my Abu Garcia Veritas VRC70-6, which are 7' MH rods. Depending on the tip of the rod I'm using, I'll either use 17 lb Trilene XT, or Spiderwire Invisibraid 30 lb. I use the Invisibraid a lot, even on topwater poppers. Haven't had any issues with it, so I keep using it.

Before you switch rods - try switching lines. You might find out that you have the perfect rod and didn't know it.

My favorite "go to" topwater baits are all hard to come by these days, as they aren't made anymore. Bulldog poppers, which disappeared from the fishing scene years ago, are my favorite popper style baits. Bang-O-Lures with the little tailspinner are my favorite calm-water topwater. When the water is like glass in the morning, I'll toss one of those near cover and try to make the lightest splash I can. I'll let all the waves dissipate, and then I'll give it the slightest little twitch to make that tail spinner rotate a time or two. Then let it settle again. Some of my most violent strikes have come on that little bait. My favorite topwater lure still in production is the Super Spook Jr. in Okie Shad color.

All the best,
Glenn

[gator89]

The rod you are using should be fine for fishing spooks. What you didn't mention is what type of line you are using and what your technique is. If you are "pulling" the bait with your arms, you are working too hard. It should be light downward twitches of the rod with a very short pause between each twitch. I equate it to the same cadence and technique I use for a hard jerkbait, but with lighter twitches. If the line you are using has too much stretch, you won't get the power you need to the bait to get it to come all the way over. If the tip is too stiff and you are also using braid, you could also be overpowering the bait. You need to find the right combo of line and tip to work the spook correctly. I happen to use a Abu Garcia Veritas VRC66-5 (marked as a M, but it feels more like between a M and MH) for Super Spook Jr's, which are my favorites. I don't think I've thrown a full size Spook in years, and they may be a little heavy for my current rod. I'd probably throw them on one of my Abu Garcia Veritas VRC70-6, which are 7' MH rods. Depending on the tip of the rod I'm using, I'll either use 17 lb Trilene XT, or Spiderwire Invisibraid 30 lb. I use the Invisibraid a lot, even on topwater poppers. Haven't had any issues with it, so I keep using it.

Before you switch rods - try switching lines. You might find out that you have the perfect rod and didn't know it.

My favorite "go to" topwater baits are all hard to come by these days, as they aren't made anymore. Bulldog poppers, which disappeared from the fishing scene years ago, are my favorite popper style baits. Bang-O-Lures with the little tailspinner are my favorite calm-water topwater. When the water is like glass in the morning, I'll toss one of those near cover and try to make the lightest splash I can. I'll let all the waves dissipate, and then I'll give it the slightest little twitch to make that tail spinner rotate a time or two. Then let it settle again. Some of my most violent strikes have come on that little bait. My favorite topwater lure still in production is the Super Spook Jr. in Okie Shad color.

All the best,
Glenn

Glenn covered it all. The rod choices you are looking at would all work. My favorite and go to top water is a mirrolure she dog in bone or chartreuse head and black body.

[Black Ice]

Glenn covered it all. The rod choices you are looking at would all work. My favorite and go to top water is a mirrolure she dog in bone or chartreuse head and black body.

Is this for bass?

[Stick1]

I'm not a huge fan of all star rods in general, but I do really like their "top water special" model. I probably throw spook jrs for 90% of my top water fishing and this rod seems absolutely perfect for that application. I run braid with about an 8 ft mono leader and use a loop knot to attach the lure. This combo makes "walking the dog" almost effortless. They are relatively cheap as well.

[Black Ice]

The rod you are using should be fine for fishing spooks. What you didn't mention is what type of line you are using and what your technique is. If you are "pulling" the bait with your arms, you are working too hard. It should be light downward twitches of the rod with a very short pause between each twitch. I equate it to the same cadence and technique I use for a hard jerkbait, but with lighter twitches. If the line you are using has too much stretch, you won't get the power you need to the bait to get it to come all the way over. If the tip is too stiff and you are also using braid, you could also be overpowering the bait. You need to find the right combo of line and tip to work the spook correctly. I happen to use a Abu Garcia Veritas VRC66-5 (marked as a M, but it feels more like between a M and MH) for Super Spook Jr's, which are my favorites. I don't think I've thrown a full size Spook in years, and they may be a little heavy for my current rod. I'd probably throw them on one of my Abu Garcia Veritas VRC70-6, which are 7' MH rods. Depending on the tip of the rod I'm using, I'll either use 17 lb Trilene XT, or Spiderwire Invisibraid 30 lb. I use the Invisibraid a lot, even on topwater poppers. Haven't had any issues with it, so I keep using it.

Before you switch rods - try switching lines. You might find out that you have the perfect rod and didn't know it.

My favorite "go to" topwater baits are all hard to come by these days, as they aren't made anymore. Bulldog poppers, which disappeared from the fishing scene years ago, are my favorite popper style baits. Bang-O-Lures with the little tailspinner are my favorite calm-water topwater. When the water is like glass in the morning, I'll toss one of those near cover and try to make the lightest splash I can. I'll let all the waves dissipate, and then I'll give it the slightest little twitch to make that tail spinner rotate a time or two. Then let it settle again. Some of my most violent strikes have come on that little bait. My favorite topwater lure still in production is the Super Spook Jr. in Okie Shad color.

All the best,
Glenn

I mainly fish spook Jr.'s with suffix 14 or 17 pound test mono. I also have a shimano Chronarch I need a rod for. Right now I have tons of rods but the main ones I fish are 2 falcon cara 6'6 MH, 1 shimano crucial 6'10 MH, 1 falcon lowrider 6'8 MH, 1 older falcon 6'6 MH with gold falcon lettering and 2 allstars both 6MH. I still need 2 rods one for top water in 7' med and a cranking rod probably a 7 footer in med also. I use the 6'8 for flipping the 6'10 for senko's or spinnerbaits and the 6'6 for everything else.