Okay I know there will be no lack of opinions, but I have a question.

Over grass etc I throw a frog on a 7'3 Hvy Xtra Fast with 50 or 65 lb braid.

My question is, do you use a heavy rod to skip a frog under trees/bushes etc? I wonder if a good Med Heavy with a fast tip might be better.

Thanks!

You can definitely use a lighter rod based on type and thickness of cover. Years ago that is one of the things I noticed about the setups Dean Rojas was using. I do that very thing in regards to switching up rod actions when I am fishing lighter cover, open water etc and often go down to 40lb braid as well as it seems to cast easier. I have not had an issue at all in the years since I started doing it.

Thanks Mark, I need to go dig up his stuff.

I think it would work but I would go with a shorter 6ft 8in to 7ft rod for skipping, 4 or 5 power depending on the manufacturer. They are not all the same.

I throw dobyns 735c and 736c for frogs. Both with 50lb braid. The 735 for more open water the 736 for heavier cover. Rarely do I fish matted type cover

Jason Christie uses a shorter rod for that type of stuff. I believe its 6'10" but if you look at falcons website it was in the cara line

One additional thought, pay attention to the length of rod handle, meaning from the reel seat back. Shorter handles make it way easier to work the frog without the handle banging into your body of forearm. I really like the 7'3" Mag Jig rod on this page, has some tip to let you shoot the bait, lot of backbone and a shorter handle http://bit.ly/2THPd0l

Whatever Hackney uses..

You only need one rod for a frog and it’s the DAIWA STEEZ SVF-XBD FROG ROD.... open water, skipping under docks, or heavy cover. Well worth the money and pair it with a high speed reel and 65lb braid.

Damn that rod is like 600 bucks. No thanks

Why do you think you need one that expensive for throwing a frog? It is a reaction bite.

Im guessing you have never used a high end rod before... I’ve had that rod for 5 years and use it almost everyday... not many rods can withstand braid and that kind of use...

I used a falcon lizard dragged when I was skipping it, otherwise the stiffest I could find. I recently broke the one I was using it was an American Rodsmith Titanium and I broke it not a fish.

Well your guess would be totally wrong. I have a Loomis NRX, (4)Shimano Adrenas, a Dobyns Extacy a Kistler Z bone and many other high quality rodsI don't use any of them for frog fishing because you don't need a $400+ rod for throwing a frog. It is a reaction bite. You are also wrong about not many other rods that can withstand braid for constant use for frog fishing. There a bunch of rods that work well for fishing frogs with braid, and they are way below the $400+ price range. Hey if that is what you like using for frogs that is up to you but don't come on here and say that is the only one that is needed.

How did you come up with that idea??? I know a ton of people that throw frogs with braid all the time and none of them use the rod you suggested.

An Ugly Stick will hold up to “that kind of use”.....but I use a Dobyns Champion 736 cus it feels way better😁

I had an SVFXBD. It used to retail for $410 and I bought mine on sale for $200 +\- at Southwestern Service. It is a great frog rod. Kinda tip heavy, but extremely strong. Has a moderate tip to help with walking, but a fast backbone for digging the fish out of pads. It is rated (and warrantied) for use with 80lb braid. That’s worth the price alone.

As mentioned above pay attention to the reel handle length. in my opinion 14-14.5" is optimal

I use a Dobyns extreme 705 for walking the dog frogs and a Dobyns Extreme 745 for kicker leg froggs. I can walk the dog with a 7ft rod better than a longer one. On both I have a Lews Super Duty in an 8-1 gear ratio with 65# test braid.

Best skipping rod I've owned is the 6'10 Cajun baby bucoo. The 7'3 cara swimbait is awesome too for more heavy cover. If in thick pads I go up to an 8ft x-heavy

I would say that you probably should use a heavy action rod that you have confidence in bringing large fish out of cover. One with a tip makes it easier to skip the bait as well.

I know I'll get slayed for this...but I prefer a MH rod w/ 50lb braid for froggin'

I have an older Team Diawa rod that is 7' MH paired with a older Revo SX. This combo has brought in many many many big bass using a frog. Whether it's a hollow body or soft plastic reel in type frog.

Most rods will hold up and last an extremely long time if there only used 1 maybe 2 times a month... but if you go almost 4-5 times a week and throw a frog 6 months out of the year. When you go that much you def want to have good rods and reels that can go everyday and not break after a few years. I have a couple different frogs rods, falcon 7’10” frog rod, power tackle frog rod, gloom, and dobyns...but by far the best and my favorite rod, the one I thrown almost every day for 6 months each season is the Steez frog rod...The best aspect to the Steez frog rod is you can go from open water walking a frog to heavy cover or even lilly pads without having to switch rods. It is extremely light for a frog rod, has a great tip and the 7’4” length is enough to set the hook 200’ out in pads or thick grass but still short enough you can skip or make short precision cast around docks or cover.

That particular rod has been discontinued for several years now. If you are getting 200' on a cast you .use be using a hell of a reel.

I think the broom sticks / really heavy action rods pull the frogs out of the fish more than a little lighter action. When a fish blows a frog up, most people instinctively set the hook really hard, with braid and heavy rods, you will lose some fish that way IMO

Duce Rods Cliff Crochet signature series 7’3 Heavy