Real World Tests: Naturally, it's this dichotomy that caught my interest so I paired the Croaker Crusher with my 2021 Daiwa Zillion SV TW and spooled it, on separate occasions, with a variety of lines including 20lb and 14lb Sufix Advance Fluorocarbon, and 50lb Seaguar Threadlock with a two different leader options (fluorocarbon and braid).

A look at the rod's handle design

Casting: For me, more than the lure or line ratings, what makes a good frog stick is the flexibility in that stick's tip and the ability to launch your bait not only a good distance, but with accuracy - and all with minimal effort. Frog fishing is a fast and furious affair casting to targets, working the spot, retrieving your bait quickly once it's out of the zone, and then whipping your bait back out there with a roll of your wrist to start all over again. Rods with a stiff tip do not respond well to those quick roll casts. Rods with tips that are too soft affect accuracy and make it difficult to place your bait beneath the overhanging tree, between those two branches, right past that spot of open water in the overgrown weeds.

The bottom third of the rod is (to the left) covered in an x-wrap reinforcement

The Crusher Croaker has the type of tip I like in a frog rod - super responsive to those roll casts. However, I had some unexpected difficulty with accuracy using this stick. It wasn't due to the rod's tip, but rather its length. Apparently, I've grown too accustomed to whipping frogs on target with rods closer to seven feet in length. The IA784C-H's 7'-8" length is tough for me to dial in on those roll casts, but perfectly fine on over the shoulder casts for distance.

The reel seat is sleek and comfortable with an exposed blank design

On the swimbait side of things, I fished this stick with Dream Smasher Swimbait's DSS Gill and Shad baits (weighing 1.4 to 2.7 ounces respectively), Skinny Bear's Big Cull Swimbait (1.8oz), and Working Class Zero's 6" Citizen swimbait (rigged with a 3/8oz, 6/0 Owner Flashy Swimmer). The Crusher Croaker handled casting duties with these baits just fine. That soft tip loads well even with baits in this weight class and really fires them out for long distances. I had to be mindful of my Zlllion SV TW 1000's line capacity as I almost spooled the reel on a few long casts. I can see why iRod fans are buying up this stick to use with smaller bodied swimbaits.

The IA784C-H has enough sensitivity to let you feel the tail on this wedgetail bait from DreamSmasher Swimbaits

Sensitivity: Since the technique is about topwater presentations, sensitivity with a frog rod is not really all that important. Afterall, all the strikes are visual. However, those looking for a stick to serve more than its intended purpose are going to want that stick to perform well in the one area that separates a good stick from something mediocre. That of course is sensitivity.

Guides are made by Fuji and feature aluminum oxide inserts

The IA784C-H performs well in this regard too. Dream Smasher's DSS Shad is a wedge tail swimbait. It's small, but puts out a good deal of thump thanks to the design of that wedge tail. On medium to fast retrieves with this bait, I was a little surprised to discover could feel that tail thump with this stick. That feel gave me confidence me to fish this stick in the early part of the year before the frog bite materialized.

Fig 1 : The chart above illustrates the deflection characteristics of our iRod Crusher IA784C-H against the historical averages of similarly powered rods we've tested over the past twenty years

Power: Unfortunately, what I discovered once the inevitable hits came was the IA784C-H doesn't quite have the backbone needed to drive the hook home on a jig-style hook swimbait like the DSS Shad. I discovered this on two massive hits in three successive casts that resulted in zero fish to the boat. On both hits, I got a really good swing for what should have been solid hooksets even given the amount of line I had out. On both occasions, I couldn't keep the fish from jumping and that's all it took for the fish to shake themselves free.

Checking out that taper

Next: Power, Design, and Ergonomics