Walking The Dog 2024

South FLA reply :

Looking to get a technique specific setup for walking the dog with 5/8 oz to 1 oz cigar type baits (Sammy, Bowstick, Zara, etc.)

Rod Action, Length, Brand

Reel Ratio

Line

What are you hard core topwater guys using?

I was thinking a 6'9' to 7' 0" Medium action with a fast tip in graphite or glass with at least a 6.x to 1 gear ratio.

00 mod reply :

I'm kind of a hard core topwater fisherman..... check my tag line! I use a 6'6 m/f rod( I'm short 5'3'' so maybe longer for you) with a curado e7 and yo-zuri hybrid 12 lb line. it is what works for me. also throw my favorite topwater lure on it as well.....close guarded secret...shhh don't tell anyone it has worked for decades! Smithwick devil's horse!

Jeff

flippin and pitchin reply :

I throw the Heddon Super Spook quite a bit in the late summer and fall. I have settled on a Dobyn's Champion 733c( like the full rear grip ), with a Lews Tourny 6.4 to 1 with Suffix 832 braid. The Dobyns has just the right tip to snap and give the line back and plenty of power to set the hook on long casts. This set up is really balanced and reduces fatigue for me. I like the braid to float a little bit and no stretch on that hook set. I'm happy with it.

Hooligan reply :

The vast majority of my dog walkin' is done with either a Cumara 6-9 MXF or a Loomis TWR773C, with the majority going to the Loomis.

Packard reply :

I currently don't have a true topwater sestup but right now I use my 6'6" MH/F Bps Extreme for my Sammys, Spooks, and wake baits.

choupique reply :

I use a St. Croix AVC66MF with a Pflueger Patriarch XT 6.4 to 1 spooled with 12# Yo-Zuri Hybrid.

Jigfishn10 reply :

I like a 6'0" moderate - moderate fast action with medium heavy - heavy power rod for dog walking. My reel is a 6.3 : 1 gear ratio. I still use 17# mono b/c I like the additional stretch for striking fish along with the flex of softer action rod tip which allows the fish to take the lure down further. The 6'0" rod is a lot easier for me to dog walk than a longer rod and with those types of baits, casting long distances is no problem.

I would say start out with with different rod lengths and see which one you're more comfortable with.

Good luck and let us know what you end up with.

SDoolittle reply :

I've never been any good at walking the dog, but I have found that a shorter rod makes it a little easier for me. On the rare occasion that I throw a spook, I use a 6'6" MF.

SirSnookalot reply :

My preference is a Mirrorlure poppa dog, 3/4 oz and of course I use it on spinning gear , I can pop it or walk the dog. It's my main top water lure used on every single inshore outfit I own. I have used it with success for freshwater but I really like a lighter lure, I've been using a rebel type popper or a Mirrorlure saltwater twitchbait and I walk the dog with it.......it's great for bass.

I tower over 00 mod, I'm 5'4...I use pretty much any length, but like 7' the best.

J Francho reply :

I use an Avid AC62MXF. Same rod I use for jerkbaits as well.

00 mod reply :

Geez snook, I always thought you were a short man, not some goofy looking oaf towering above the rest of us!

Jeff

roadwarrior reply :

On 12/12/2011 at 7:52 PM, choupique said:
I use a St. Croix AVC66MF with a Pflueger Patriarch XT 6.4 to 1 spooled with 12# Yo-Zuri Hybrid.

Mine is matched with a 1000 Scorpion, #12 Super Natural Monofilament.

This is also my "dedicated" jerkbait rig.

SoFlaBassAddict reply :

Robert, where are you trying to fish them? I love my Dobyns 733 for spooks and whatnot. Citica 200E and 12 pound Hybrid for the most part. If your wanting to use it over submerged grass though, you may want to use something like 30 or 40 pound Samurai. That rod has a wonderful tip to use for spooks, flukes, etc. Also happens to be a great rod to rip traps out of grass. It isn't the most powerful rod in the world, but it is great for a few things. Dobyns calls them a MH, but the 3 powers definitely lean more towards the M side.

LgMouthGambler reply :

My setup is a 6'6 MH Berkley Lightning Shock rod, BPS Pro Qualifier 6.4:1, 65# Spiderwire, Zara One knock Spook-clear

baluga reply :

Cumara Reaction 6'3" Heavy/Fast Action with CU 50e , 20# Braid sufix 832, 6ft of 12# leader. You need a mono or FC leader to minimize hook getting caught on the line when using braid. A 12# and up leader will be stiff enough that the lire is pushed in front by the lure avoiding tangle compared to using a straight braid where the lure will overrun the line and get tangled with the hook. Do not use glass rod. The tip is too slow. It absorbs most of the twitching action thus giving less movement on the lure. A heavy/Fast actoin rod will give the lure best action with less energy on the twitch/wrist movement.

Gatorbassman reply :

If you've watched any of the Tourny coverage on Clarks Hill you know that we throw spooks and sammys from April thru November. I have two dedicated setups for this. For the Spook Jr I use a Dobyns 702C with a Revo 7.1 reel with 10lb Izorline XXX. This setup casts a country mile and is perfect for chasing schooling fish. For my large Spooks and Pencil Poppers I use a Dobyns 733C with a Revo 7.1 reel with 15lb Izorline XXX.

Bass_Fanatic reply :

I am also looking for a new spook rod. Right now Im using a 6'9" Vendetta MH/F/Pflueger Supreme 7:1/15lb Yozuri Hybrid. I love the 6'9" length for walking the dog, but I want something that has a little more flex to it. I have been eyeballing the new Shimano Crucial Reaction Series 6'10" MH/F.

South FLA reply :

Thanks fellows! I have the most of the rods in my quiver already (Champion 733, 734, Avid, and Cumara), not its just a matter of switching things around, I am going to use McCoy mean green in 15lb test with either a Skeet Reese Revo or a Zillion, not sure yet.

South FLA reply :

On 12/13/2011 at 12:25 AM, SoFlaBassAddict said:

Robert, where are you trying to fish them? I love my Dobyns 733 for spooks and whatnot. Citica 200E and 12 pound Hybrid for the most part. If your wanting to use it over submerged grass though, you may want to use something like 30 or 40 pound Samurai. That rod has a wonderful tip to use for spooks, flukes, etc. Also happens to be a great rod to rip traps out of grass. It isn't the most powerful rod in the world, but it is great for a few things. Dobyns calls them a MH, but the 3 powers definitely lean more towards the M side.

If I tell you where, I'd have to kill you or bring you along and may kill you on the way there, still getting use to driving that ROCKET I mean Bullet boat.

SoFlaBassAddict reply :

On 12/13/2011 at 8:40 AM, South FLA said:

If I tell you where, I'd have to kill you or bring you along and may kill you on the way there, still getting use to driving that ROCKET I mean Bullet boat.

Lmao. I bet. Those things straight out fly

Let me know how you like that mean green. I've been tempted to try some out.

Redlinerobert reply :

You did say hard core....

My absolute favorite topwater rod is my Steez FlexLite 7'2" paired with a Steez 100HA and 55 lb Samurai braid. I can zing that lure a country mile, and the parabolic action of the rod is ideal for walkin' the dog.

LgMouthGambler reply :

Everyone talking about mono leader due to hooks getting caught up in the braided line, I never have that problem.

jdw174 reply :

I use a Skeet Reese spinnerbait/worm rod, and an old green Curado spooled with 14lb SST copoly. Works great.

Bluebasser86 reply :

On 12/12/2011 at 10:29 PM, J Francho said:

I use an Avid AC62MXF. Same rod I use for jerkbaits as well.

X2, paired with a 50E with 10 or 14 pound Mustad Ultraline.

johnD. reply :

spook jr.

loomis GL3 783C curado 200e7 w/ #12 CXX

Chris at Tech reply :

I use my Avid 6'6 M casting rod, Revo STX and 14lb Suffix Siege. The rod has a F action, but a really soft tip so it works really well. I also use this for jerkbaits.

Brandon K. reply :

I've had a Spook tied on a St. Croix LT Teaser 7'0 Med. action (the old one with a full grip) for several years now. The looser tip on it lets you keep the bait in one place.

BasskingKeith reply :

Walking the dog is my thing. I have an Allstar "waking dog rod" just for that. What you're thinking is a perfect setup man. If you use a glass rod, then you can get away with braid due to the softer tip. Graphite rods, like mine, will have a faster tip, so use mono. Mono helps for the treble hooks on the lure and the "throw factor" I'll call it. We probably all know here, that oddly enough, a three-pronged hook (treble) can be easily thrown, and that's the last thing you want when a big'n blows up your topwater.

Gone_Phishin reply :

On 12/12/2011 at 9:29 AM, South FLA said:

Looking to get a technique specific setup for walking the dog with 5/8 oz to 1 oz cigar type baits (Sammy, Bowstick, Zara, etc.)

Rod Action, Length, Brand

Reel Ratio

Line

What are you hard core topwater guys using?

I was thinking a 6'9' to 7' 0" Medium action with a fast tip in graphite or glass with at least a 6.x to 1 gear ratio.

I am in the 'short rods for topwater' camp. For the baits you listed I use a few combos: a Kistler LTA 5'9" MH with a Daiwa Fuego; a 6'2" MH Carrot Gold with a Daiwa Zillion; and a Loomis Bronzeback 5'10" MH with a Curado 201E7.

I generally use 10-12lb Yo-Soft.

piscicidal reply :

I've got a 6'6" rod with MH/F action. Combined with a 12-15lb mono it seems to have about the right amount of stiffness/recovery for walking top water spooks.This is my primary jerkbait rod as well.

For me, a short handle is a must for twitching spook/pointer type lures.

4545

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