Looking for any info or input on a good budget (less than $150) rod to be used for topwater baits, wake baits, and frogs. I tend to have a quick reaction and I have read that maybe a crank bait rod would be better suited. Thanks for the input.

Your thoughts would work on the topwater and wakebaits with trebles, but the frog, the action of the rod would hamper your hooksets.  You need to train yourself to wait till you feel the pressure of the bass before you swing.  Doesn't matter what rod you have, if you swing too soon you aren't going to hook them period.  I would look for something in the 7' or 7'3 range in a MH, but realize a rod good for a half ounce popper may not be what you need for a frog in the slop.  You are going to have to find something in the middle and loose a bit on both ends if you're looking for one rod to do it all.  With that said, look into Falcon's Bucco 7'3" H Mico......$149.  Has a fast action, but can be soft enough for your topwaters, but has enough for a frog if needed.

Depending on the cover, a 7'1" MHF *** Black would fit the bill. Last season I used mine for 1/2-3/4 oz topwaters and frogs with 50-60 lb braid. It works well for what passes as "heavy-cover" here in the North. 

 

I can also recommend the 7'3" HF Okuma TCS rod for frogging and wakebait duties. It is a nice rod for 7" Slammers. 

Thanks for the input guys. This will almost always be used to fish around heavy grass (snot grass), lilies, and heavy cover. 

Berkley lightning rod shock, or anything in the halo rod line up. Those are both excellent budget rods

 Medium Heavy Carrot Stix.  Carrot Stix are only $100.  They are so sensitive, but still have plenty of backbone.

These are great $100 rods and awesome $69 rods. They are on sale at Cabelas right now. All of my rods are these rods (baitcasting and spinning) are these rods except 1 G. Loomis, but I use these Cabelas ones exclusively.

 

 

At this price you could get 2 rods.

 

 

 

I had the Topwater/Jerkbait rod and the Frog rod. Like the frog one better and returned the topwater rod and exchanged it for another Frog rod at no cost.

 

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Cabelas-Tournament-ZX-Bass-Casting-Rods/1619298.uts?Ntk=AllProducts&searchPath=%2Fcatalog%2Fsearch.cmd%3FrecordsPerPage%3D18%26No%3D0%26N%3D0%26nl%3Dtrue%26Ntk%3DAllProducts%26Ntt%3DZx%26search%3DSearch&No=0&Ntt=Zx

 

 

 

 

 

Here's my review on these rods from earlier:

 

http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/139456-review-cabelas-tournament-zx-baitcasting-and-spinning-rod/?hl=%2Bcabelas+%2Btournament

I would look at one of the MH/R Tatula rods.  They are mod fast but have a good bit of power, at least the 7'2" I have does.  They can be found for close to $100.  It's going to be tough to find a rod that is ideal for all of those techniques.

IRod Gen 2 Freds Magic frog rod is ideal, check around for sale price.

Tom

To me that is 2 rods, topwaters and wake baits with trebles is going to require a more moderate action, especially with braid, and a frog rod, in slop is going to need to be a little stiffer. I use braid for heavy flipping and frogs only and the rod I use for frogs will not work with a wake bait or topwater no matter what kind of line I put on. Moderate rods are used for punching but that is a vertical presentation, trying to set the hook when a  bass blows up on a frog at distance with a moderate fast rod is going to be challenging to say the least, but I'm not really sure how that would work.

Lightning Rod Shock