I got a strange request from a customer today. He his looking for a frog rod for kayak fishing. Having never fished from a kayak before I'm not sure where to start. His only requests were that the rod is no longer then 6'10", has a short rear grip(7"-8") and has the power to fish heavy pads with 65 lb braid.

I was thinking about the MHX 785 and either extending it or seeing if he would like the 6'6" length. He said all his other rods were 6'6" but wanted to try something a bit longer to help get some extra casting distance. My only worry with that blank is that if its like the rest of the MHX blanks Ive measured, they are pretty darn fast action. Im not sure if that would be such a good idea for the application. I would think something more moderate would be better, but Im at a loss for a blank that fits what im thinking would work best.

Any suggestions? Also, any helpful tips to consider when building a rod that is being fished from a kayak?

I both fish from a kayak and build rods for guys fishing out of kayaks. Almost all people want longer rods for longer casts and the ability to move the fish around the front and back of the kayak. Try to talk the guy into at least a 7'... 7'6" is even better. He would not be disatisified. The Castaway 874 (7'3") and BB1 (7'6" and a bit faster) make great frog rods but are longer than the 6'10" he thinks he wants. From experience a longer rod and more moderate action is better for this technique

In respect to a blank, look at the live bait series for a more moderate/stout rod. The L844 would be a good candidate. You could take 2" off the butt and not change the blank too much.

I agree with Hal. Minimum of 7' and moderate action. When I started kayak fishing I was using fast action rods and lost a LOT of frog fish. I don't use anything shorter than 7' on my kayak and most are medium/moderate action.

Thanks for all the help guys! I spoke with the customer today and he wants to stick with the original rod length. He said that its only a 12' yak and he can reach around the front fine even with a 6'6" rod. The reason he likes the shorter length is that he says it easier to land fish. Having never fished from a kayak before, Ill just have to take his word and give him what he wants.

For those of you that have fished from a kayak before, does what he saying make sense? I'd just like to know for future reference in case I ever run into this type of build again.

The shorter rod may indeed make it easier for him to land fish. Personally I never use anything shorter than 7' and many are 7'6" and have no problem landing fish. The kayak I fish from is not even 12' and the longer rod makes all the difference...longer casts, longer reach to get fish around the front and back of the kayak (and I am not a small guy 6'2") and the ability to move line faster. You are right in giving him what HE wants but believe me if he were to ever go to the longer rod he would not bo back to the shorter ones.