I know almost everyone recommends a heavy action rod for frogs. I don't often fish frogs, so I don't have a dedicated frog rod, but the Monkey is insisting I buy one for the few times I do fish them. I understand the need for heavy gear to get the bass out of the thick cove which is the only place I throw a frog. I also prefer to cast as far as possible with a frog in order to cover as much water as possible. My problem is the heavy action rod I have is a 7.5 foot heavy power fast action. The rod works well for winching bass out of the thick stuff, but does not cast a 1/2 oz frog well. I have a 7.5 medium heavy fast that casts a frog completely out of my zip code, but is too soft to really put the hammer to bigger bass. I use braid for all frog fishing, so line stretch is not a factor. What rod do members like, and if you like a heavy rod, how are you able to get it to load enough to cast 1/2 oz frogs. My heavy rod will cast 3/4 oz lures as far as I could ever want, but my frogs are a little light.

You can get a frog rod with a soft tip or a little bend to it.

ALX Toadface is a good example, though that's technically MH+ by rating.

Expride is also a popular option.

It's been a hot minute since I've laid hands on a Dobyns, but the Champ 735 used to be a standard.

What's your budget before I start really naming nonsense?

8 minutes ago, PGA Dropout said:

What's your budget before I start really naming nonsense?

$150 but I have been known to go over budget.

I really like the Irod gen 3 Fred’s magic stick a lot! It has caught me many many frog bass up to 9 lb and it works well for setting the hook up close and far away - pretty versatile. It’s a heavy action but it has some tip and I can skip and cast smaller frogs in addition to bigger frogs well with it. The guides are Fuji and seem to stand up to all the braid and junk and horsing fish through slop with flying colors.

I love my eye crosser for frogs and other slop baits. It is a 7-power falcon which is truly a heavy but it has more than enough tip to throw a 1/2 oz pad crasher on 50 lb braid more than 40 yards. I know this because my braid was starting to run low on that rod and I was casting 10 yards of mono backing on top of the 40 yards of braid that was still on the reel (I was trying to milk it). I have since topped up the braid and it still throws it an incredible distance.

The rod is also a 1/2- 1.5 oz rated and I’ll throw a 6” swimbait (like a magdraft) on it as well as 3/4-1 oz bladed baits. I prefer a shorter rod for moving blade baits as well as frogs so the 6’11” is just right for me.

The eye crosser is in the Cara series which has just gone up ($300) to well over your budget. But they offer it in the Expert as the Bayou model and it’s $250. Still over, but if it also gives you added utility it might be worth it.

I don't throw frogs as much as I should, so I wanted a rod that could pull double duty. I found the Falcon BuCoo in a 7' H. It's been great when I frogged, but it also is my pitchin'/flippin stick. Very light for the rating and Academy usually has them on sale for $99.00.

The Dobyns Kaden 745C can be had at your budget limit.

12 hours ago, Big Swimbait said:

I found the Falcon BuCoo in a 7' H.

I'm not sure if you have the 6-17 lizard dragger or the 7-17 dragger 2 but I can vouch for the 7-17. It's a monster for a shorter frog rod at $100.00. Just enough tip to launch a bait and more than enough backbone to drag them out. It'll definitely handle other baits as well. I've thrown 1/2 ounce spinner baits and larger worms on mine and it worked well. Probably make a good carolina rig rod too but ain't nobody got time for that. 😆

@MyKeyBe - I'm not Big Swimbait, so not sure what he's using. But I have the 6-17 bucoo (as well as the Expert 6-17 "Buzzbait") and while I loved that rod for 1/2 oz moving baits, it's a little light for me for a frog rod. With braid and light to moderate cover it would be okay, but it isn't the rod I'd be making 40 yard casts across mats with. I've always wanted to check out the 7-17 in hand. I have the eye crosser and amistad in the 7-power series and both are great rods.I don't think I need the 7-17 but I'd love to have it on the water for a day to play with.

I like my cashion element z2 frog rod. It’s a 7’3 heavy fast but can still cast frogs very far with a Daiwa silver wolf(zillion spool). It had enough tip to cast them but enough power to get them out of cover.