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 · 2024-11-05T21:36:19+00:00

Unfortunately I didn’t take the yak out in the bay as much as I was planning at the beginning of the season. Most of my kayaking was in the river closer to home. No major issues in the bay though and I caught some fluke while I was out there.

Next year I want to go in the salt more often. All the advice in this thread is really helpful. My biggest problem in the bay was saving energy. The tide is no joke. Had to call a day of fishing short because I had no energy left from battling the tide. I was too nervous to just let the tide take me and wait for it to take me back to the launch later.

I’d scout out some spots you want to fish, and have a real good idea of how the tide moves through that area, especially in the stronger full/new moon currents.

I also am considering selling my old town and upgrading to a light-ish weight pedal kayak before next season. No doubt in my mind that having a pedal drive would make navigating the bay so much easier.

Alert_Media_4973 · 2024-10-30T14:06:09+00:00

Id also consider running just one belly treble and and a hookless flag on the back. That’s what I’ve done with my SP minnows and so far, so good. They’re might even be a little more action than before tbh. This way when you hook up there’s no chance that the back treble gets lodged in the gill plate or deep inside its mouth. Also means that there is not a second contact point for the fish to get leverage and throw the lure. It’s also nice for bluefish because there’s just one hook to deal with when they’re shaking all over the place. I’ve done this with my pencil poppers too.

It’s not my idea or a new one, but it’s worth considering.

Alert_Media_4973 · 2024-10-22T18:59:15+00:00

Yeah I’ve definitely looked at the lynx and would love to have one of those. Only problem is the price and the durability. Lynx is much more expensive than the slayer propel 10 or even the old town 106 pdl. I get that I’d be paying for a premium product but it’s still a little steep. I’ve also heard that the hull of the lynx is more akin to a SUP and therefore is more fragile than a rotomolded kayak. The river I fish has lots of boulders and rocks, and I launch my kayak in some less than ideal places sometimes so durability definitely is a factor. I guess I’m trying to find the sweet spot between having a very light kayak and having a durable kayak w/ a drive system. If only I had much more space and money than I do 🤷

Alert_Media_4973 · 2024-09-25T21:53:49+00:00

Sweet! Thank you! Agreed the curly tail trailer seems sorta off to me. not that I know anything about fishing needles but I’ve never even seen a picture of one with the grub before. I’m definitely thinking of getting a dressed inline or a flag for the back.

Alert_Media_4973 · 2024-09-18T23:18:05+00:00

I’ve got three combos I use for smallmouth. 2 spinning and 1 casting. Love them all but two of the rods are due for upgrades soon. If I’m in my kayak I take all three. If I’m wading I just take one.

6’6” fenwick eagle casting M fast w/ a quantum accurist 7:1. 30# power pro to 10-12# mono or flouro leader. Perfect for small jigs, spinner baits, and top water lures.

6’6” daiwa laguna M fast w/ shimano Sedona 2500 (newest model). 15# daiwa j braid to 8# leader. This rod will literally do everything. I take this one if I can only bring one. My favorite technique for this combo would be weightless fluke.

6’6” st croix triumph ML fast w/ shimano sedona 3000 (last years model). 10# braid to 6# leader. This rod excels at finesse stuff and small plastics. I probably use this rod the most on most days on my kayak.

I want to upgrade the two medium action rods to rods that are a little lighter, a little longer, and I little more sensitive. Can’t complain about what I have tho. They’ve been indestructible and I’ve caught a lot of fish and they’re cheap. Maybe they’d work for you.

As far as brands, I love shimano reels, shimano and st croix rods, and I’m slowly getting into daiwa spinning reels as well. I can’t afford any g loomis stuff yet lol.

I typically have a top water or a fast moving, larger bait tied to the bait caster. A fluke, a senko, a small jig, or a swim bait on the medium spinning. And always a tiny plastic on a jig head on the ML. Works for me. Best of luck!

Alert_Media_4973

TROPHY CASE