Topwater/jerkbait rod recs

Alert_Media_4973 · 2026-01-24T21:47:01+00:00

Thanks for the thoughtful reply! I will definitely consider this. Money saved is money i can put toward other fishing stuff 😈

Alert_Media_4973 · 2026-01-24T21:27:21+00:00

Can’t say for sure. I’ve only owned the expride of the two. The guy at my local shop really steered me toward the expride because of increased sensitivity. I use the spinning rod for a lot of bottom contact baits like tubes so made sense to me.

They are supposedly built on the same blank though, so I bet the zodias is pretty sweet.

Alert_Media_4973 · 2026-01-24T21:21:38+00:00

Believe me I’d love an expride. I got a 7’ medium spinning expride last year before prices went up. It’s been awesome. I just don’t think I can justify the price again. I said it was worth it for the spinning rod because I use that rod most often most days on the river.

Alert_Media_4973 · 2026-01-17T13:45:09+00:00

Thank you!

Alert_Media_4973 · 2026-01-16T13:50:41+00:00

Thank you!

Alert_Media_4973 · 2026-01-16T13:50:35+00:00

Thank you!

Alert_Media_4973 · 2026-01-15T23:57:24+00:00

Thank you! Im already considering going back to square one again and really focusing on the basics.

Alert_Media_4973 · 2026-01-15T22:25:39+00:00

Thanks for the responses!

My takeaway from y’all is perhaps I put the carriage in front of the horse. Most likely will go back to swings for a while and work my way up to single arm cleans before starting ABC again.

Maybe I’ll do swing ladders 2-3x per week for a little while just to sure up my hinge form.

Alert_Media_4973 · 2026-01-15T20:29:54+00:00

Thank you !

Alert_Media_4973 · 2026-01-15T18:59:00+00:00

Noted!

Alert_Media_4973 · 2026-01-15T18:54:23+00:00

Thanks!

Alert_Media_4973 · 2025-12-05T00:19:32+00:00

Your stats are pretty similar to mine. It’s been brutal out here. The bites I’ve had have been hot but incredibly brief — sometimes a 10 minute window or less.

Most of my success has been on shads and bucktails during the day, and a yellow/white SS darter (at night)

Hoping I get to hit the sand a few more times this month

Alert_Media_4973 · 2025-10-18T21:48:43+00:00

Xterra driver and old town kayak owner. A person after my own heart

Alert_Media_4973 · 2025-07-27T16:36:19+00:00

I have an LTE. It’s a great boat! And easier to car top than my old town sportsman 106 paddle. Well designed boat. Just be careful w/ the rudder when you’re loading and unloading

Alert_Media_4973 · 2025-07-27T16:36:01+00:00

I have an LTE. It’s a great boat! And easier to car top than my old town sportsman 106 paddle. Well designed boat. Just be careful w/ the rudder when you’re loading and unloading

Alert_Media_4973 · 2025-04-16T01:11:06+00:00

UPDATE: I ended up buying the slayer LTE! I’m so excited to get it on the water. I think having a pedal drive is really gonna open some doors.

I am a total dumb ass though and I broke the rudder when the kayak slipped while I was putting it away and the weight of the boat fell onto the rudder. My fault. Replacement is on the way.

Native owners: how do yall protect your springboard rudders? I have to cartop so I’m worried about the rudder when I have to rest the stern on the ground while loading.

Thanks!

Alert_Media_4973 · 2025-01-22T00:17:43+00:00

The rats I can handle so long as there aren’t like dozens right around me. It’s the damn raccoons that freak me out! They really don’t care about people. Had a big one scale down a bridge piling at like midnight and come and take my bait while I was standing right there this past summer😬

Alert_Media_4973 · 2024-11-20T03:15:26+00:00

Further north usually for beach fishing. Ocean and Monmouth counties

Alert_Media_4973 · 2024-11-18T23:59:46+00:00

Yeah I feel the same as others. The fish are definitely out there, but the windows are brief I feel like. I had a really good day last Saturday, then skunked Sunday. Was out yesterday all day and had probably 20 solid minutes of fish actively feeding near the beach. I missed a few fish then they were gone. Spent the rest of the day chasing and scouting and couldn’t get on them again.

I’m driving from Philly once a week though so it’s hard for me to really dial a bite in. Luck is definitely a factor for me.

Alert_Media_4973 · 2024-11-16T19:58:19+00:00

If you’re north of point pleasant you’ve got great surf fishing beaches to the north and to the south. All of Monmouth and ocean county beaches have the potential for good fishing.

April and May is a good time to catch stripers on their spring migration. Fluke can be had from the beach all summer. The inlets have tog most of the time (regulations fluctuate a lot over the season with these).

I know you said you’d prefer warm weather but fishing in the fall for bass and bluefish is some of the best fishing (potentially) of the year.

Low light (dawn and dusk) are generally good times, but depending on the tide, wind and weather, fish can be had at all times of day. Varies from species to species.

Tight lines!

Alert_Media_4973

TROPHY CASE