How to Choose a Topwater Rod

As many of you know.  I am a custom fishing rod builder, and own a custom fishing company called P. H. Kellner – Quality Custom Fishing.  So, as you might imagine, the fishing rod is an important piece of the fishing puzzle to me. I have done more on-the-water research than you can even imagine, testing different fishing rods in different situations.  In this series of posts, I will describe how to choose the best rod for each specific fishing situation and presentation.  I will start by going through each lure category and situation and discuss the best choices for each scenario.  I will then help discuss how to choose how to whittle down your rod choices and decide what to take out on a kayak.

I know it is cliché, but the rod to an angler is like the brush to a painter.  It is a tool, maybe the most important and overlooked tool that the angler has to make decisions about.  The wrong rod can cost you fish!  And in a tournament situation, or anytime you’re out on the water, losing a fish can turn a good day bad, quickly.  Here is the how and why of choosing the correct fishing rod for you specific situation.

Topwater:

Almost nothing is more exciting than fishing for bass with topwater lures.  Poppers, chuggers, walkers, and the likes, are a blast to fish, but choosing the proper rod when fishing topwater baits can help you catch more fish.  You need to be able to work (walk or pop) your bait, set the hook properly, and land the fish.  Just like anything else, the proper rod when fishing a topwater lure is crucial and will help you catch more fish.  If I had to break it down to one topwater rod, here is what I want:

Length:  I like a shorter rod when fishing topwater baits.  I use a 6’6” rod for towater presentations. The reason is that when I am working a topwater bait, either in a kayak or a boat, the rod tip is pointed down, and all my “pops” are that direction.  A long rod will slap the boat or the water.  Also, a shorter rod will give you shorter pops on the line, and the lure will travel less distance each time.  This will let you keep the bait in one place longer.

Action:  There really are two schools of thought on action when it comes to topwater baits.  To most anglers, you can either choose a fast or extra fast action rod to help with working the bait, or you can choose a slow or moderate action rod to help with the hookset.  I choose the middle road, I like a moderate-fast action blank for most topwater fishing applications.  Every once in a while I will use a fast action rod, but most of the time I like a moderate fast action.  The main reason for me is the hookset.  When you are fishing a topwater bait, you see the bass hit your lure.  If you set the hook too quickly, you will pull the bait away from the fish before it actually has it.  So…a moderate fast action rod sets the hook that split second slower than a fast action rod, giving the fish a little more time to “eat” the lure.  I do not want to use a slower action rod, like a moderate action, because that makes it harder to work your lure.  A fast action rod is easier to give short, quick, hard, pops to your lure, but will often pull the lure away from the fish on the hookset with a topwater lure.  The moderate fast action gives you a good middle of the road rod between working the bait and setting the hook.

Power:  I like a medium heavy power rod for topwater fishing.  I guess I use a medium heavy rod for most bass fishing situations, haha, but they work well.  Big fish will smash a topwater lure and you need the power to bring the fish in.  Also, if you are fishing the bait over a grass bed or other cover, the fish will want to dive straight into it.  You need to be able to turn the fish to keep it out of that junk or pull the fish out once she is in it.  If I am throwing a small topwater lure, I will step down to a medium power rod.

Guides:  Like just about everything else, I like micro guides on my topwater rods.  They give me a little more accuracy and distance on each cast.  They also are lighter, making the rod lighter and leading to less fatigue.

Handle and Reel Seat:  For a topwater rod, I like a split grip handle.  Any rod that I point down while fishing, I want to remove as much weight as possible.  Lighter is better.  I like a Minima real seat for this reason as well.  As far as grip material, again this is preference.  If you like the feel of cork, get cork, and if you like the durability of EVA, get EVA.

Breaking my topwater rod choice down to one rod isn’t that hard.  I would use a 6’6” P. H. Kellner – Quality Custom Fishing, Moderate-Fast Action, Medium-Heavy Power, baitcasting rod with Micro-Guides, a Minima Reel Seat, and split grip.  Remember, the right rod will help you catch more fish. 

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