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Best Topwater Rod – [Buyer’s Guide]
Topwater fishing is one of the most exciting ways to fish, seeing a bass smash your lure from below is hard to beat!
But there is no one size and shape of top water lure and you may need to adjust your tackle accordingly.
Choosing the right topwater rod will depend on how big a lure you will be using and whether or not you will be fishing in either open water or over heavy weed cover.
For example;
Throwing topwater frogs over or into thick weed needs a much more powerful backbone than when running a popper or a chugger in open water.
The Best Topwater Rods will be roughly 6’6″ to 7′ with a moderate to fast action and a medium/heavy power rating.
For bigger heavier lures like a buzzbait then you might need to match the power up to a heavy rating and the action even up to a fast/xtra fast.
But if you are looking for an all rounder then medium/heavy with a fast action is a pretty safe bet.
Spinning or Casting ?
For lighter lures either a spinning setup or a casting setup is sufficient, but once the lures get bigger and heavier then it is advisable to switch to a casting rod.
With a baitcaster you can find higher geared reels much easier than a spinning one and some topwater techniques work best with a quick retrieve.
Best Topwater Rod
1. St. Croix Avid
2. Dobyns Fury
3. Abu Garcia Ike
4. St Croix Mojo Bass
5. Shimano Curado
6. Dobyns Champion
Topwater Rods
Given that there is a such a huge range of topwater lures available it is perfectly understandable that a lot of anglers will have more than one topwater rod depending on how and where they are fishing.
For most anglers one should be sufficient but two different topwater rods are the norm especially among tournament bass anglers.
Type
The most popular choice to use as a topwater fishing rod is a baitcasting rod. The majority of bass fishing rods will be baitcasters but for some lighter techniques a lighter spinning rod for bass can be a better option.
Casting setups are also a lot less tiring than a spinning rod when you are casting all day. A spinning reel is normally heavier and you have to constantly open the bail arm on every cast.
Whereas a baitcaster just requires the flick of a switch and then cast away.
You also get much better line control as you thumb the spool.
Length
The best length for a topwater rod will be either a 6’6″ rod for smaller lures or those that are used in open water.
For working baits in thicker cover then a longer rod allows you to have more control. A good flipping rod will be roughly 7’4″ in length allowing you to make longer casts.
A longer rod with a heavier power rating is also best in weeds as you have a much more powerful lever to use against the bass.
Power
When fishing in more open waters you a good rod power will be medium/heavy.
This power rating is a really great all round choice and can cover a lot of different bass techniques.
For casting frogs into heavy weeds then a good frog rod would need a heavy power rating as it requires a pole with a very strong backbone so that you can steer bass out of thick vegetation quickly.
Action
Rod power and rod action are often confused and some anglers make the mistake of using the two terms interchangeably.
Rod power means how heavy a lure or line the rod is rated for, in other words how strong the rod blank is.
Rod action however is about where in the rod the natural bend will start to form once pressure is applied to the tip.
A fast action will bend high up in the top one third of the rod blank near the tip section.
A more moderate rod action will start to bend a little lower down towards the middle of the rod.
For heavier single hook lures such as frogs a fast action is best as it allows you to set the hook really quickly.
A lot of open water lures will have treble hooks on the. Usually it is best to help slow down your strike a little bit as the bass need time to really engulf the hooks into their mouths before your set it.
For treble hook lures I prefer a topwater rod that has a more moderate action as it slows the hook set momentarily.