Heavy Or Medium Heavy Flipping Rod In The Midwest?

[AC79Angler]

Hey Guys.  So i walk into my local basspro shop to pick up a flipping rod.  I ask an employee to point me out to where the st. croix rods are and i pick out the rod i researched.  A Legend Tournament 7'11 Heavy, Moderate/Fast action rod, labeled "Flipping".  Perhaps this is where i should of said thank you, paid for the rod and left. Buuuut i didn't. 

 

After talking with the basspro shop employee a bit, he tells me that in his "opinion"  I was not getting the right rod.  Well more specifically, i was getting an unnecessary rod for where i lived.  He tells me the action of moderate fast is fine but a medium heavy would serve me better than a heavy for the type lakes we have around us.  I live in the Chicagoland area in illinois btw.  Only really fish here and plan on going up to wisconsin in the summer a few times.  So being new at this all, i left without purchasing anything, confused and conflicted.  I always come to you guys here when i need to be set straight.

 

So go with what i thought and get the 7'11 heavy moderate fast?  "Overkill" he called it.  Or listen to him(after all, he has waaay more knowledge then i do about it) and pick up a medium heavy/moderate fast in a 7'6?  Rods a little cheaper too. 

 

Thanks again Guys, i'd really appreciate the help. 

[Gaerith]

It depend on 2 things - cover and lure weight. If you are flipping into any sort of heavy cover, or plan on using it for punching too then go heavy/fast IMO. If you plan on using 3/4oz or higher go heavy. If neither is the case you could go mh.

Also consider that st Croix's tend to be stiff, I think. Maybe that's where he's coming from. Their mh may be another brands heavy.

As a side thought have you considered a heavy *** for flipping?

[Tywithay]

7'11 Heavy moderate rod screams big crankbaits to me. I think the MH would be more than sufficient, unless you plan on throwing really big baits. Also, keep in mind that St Croix rods fish a little more powerfully than some other manufacturers with the same rating. A MH St Croix is going to be closer to a H for most other rods.

[Megastink]

I used to live in southern Wisconsin. 7'6" is pretty good for the 3lbers you're gonna flip. And it's more manageable. I'd go that route... Maybe a Duckett micro magic!

[tomustang]

Only you would know because it's your conditions of where you're fishing and what lures you're using. You left that out if the equation and IMO is what others need to know to give you a better suggestion.

That 7'11 HMF does lean more to broomstick though. It is a very stout rod

[new2BC4bass]

Only you would know because it's your conditions of where you're fishing and what lures you're using. You left that out if the equation and IMO is what others need to know to give you a better suggestion.

That 7'11 HMF does lean more to broomstick though. It is a very stout rod

 

Tom fishes St. Croix exclusively (or nearly so, I'm not 100% positive) so he ought to know.

[Alpha Male]

I was looking at the 7'11" mojo and it felt heavier than it needed to. I went with a Daiwa cielo 7'11" Heavy fast rod. Its still a heavy power nut not as heavy as a heavy st croix. you could go St croix med-heavy or find another rod in heavy. I am a fan of st croix as well, so the 7'6" MH versions of the legend or even the avid would be a good choice.

[AC79Angler]

Only you would know because it's your conditions of where you're fishing and what lures you're using. You left that out if the equation and IMO is what others need to know to give you a better suggestion.

That 7'11 HMF does lean more to broomstick though. It is a very stout rod

To be honest, I'm jumping into this a little blind. I learned how to pitch last year and I loved doing it. So I'm buying this rod to learn how to flip.I guess I would use heavier jigs. 3/8 oz.-3/4oz. Possibly 1oz. Texas rig plastics. I fish from boat and the shore.

[AC79Angler]

I was looking at the 7'11" mojo and it felt heavier than it needed to. I went with a Daiwa cielo 7'11" Heavy fast rod. Its still a heavy power nut not as heavy as a heavy st croix. you could go St croix med-heavy or find another rod in heavy. I am a fan of st croix as well, so the 7'6" MH versions of the legend or even the avid would be a good choice.

I agree. This does help a lot. Thanks. I kind of felt the same holding the legend. It wasn't too heavy or anything but it just felt like a lot.

[AC79Angler]

Thanks for the help guys, looks like I'm going with the medium heavy. Glad I brought it up here before going back and blindly picking up the heavy. I have also heard that st. Croix rods run heavy. So is my medium really a medium heavy? Lol. Perhaps another thread for another day. Thanks again guys. 7'6 Medium heavy/moderate fast it is. Any other techniques you guys would use this rod for?

[aavery2]

I would let the weight of the bait that I would be fishing most often and the cover that I fish in dictate the power of the rod. Action on a pitching/flipping rod benefits from being a little faster, fast or even extra fast is what I am use to using. The faster action increases the sensitivity of the rod, and that is what you want for a contact type presentation.

[Alpha Male]

I agree. This does help a lot. Thanks. I kind of felt the same holding the legend. It wasn't too heavy or anything but it just felt like a lot.

 

Honestly Im a big fan of st croix but I really wanted a 7'11" rod so I went with one from daiwa just because it was almost half off.  I felt that I wanted something from 3/8 to at least 1oz.

[iabass8]

The ltb 7hmf is more suited towards punching. I used to own the legend xtreme version for that very technique. It was ideal for punching and punching only. Its "mod fast" tip is a very fast moderate tip that "cushions" the braid in slop and goes straight to a very strong backbone. You could bring anything through anything with stick. It is a beast of a stick. If you are looking for a flipping/pitching rod from st croix, any of their MHF or MHXF will be more than ideal for your waters.

[Alpha Male]

Thanks for the help guys, looks like I'm going with the medium heavy. Glad I brought it up here before going back and blindly picking up the heavy. I have also heard that st. Croix rods run heavy. So is my medium really a medium heavy? Lol. Perhaps another thread for another day. Thanks again guys. 7'6 Medium heavy/moderate fast it is. Any other techniques you guys would use this rod for?

 

Not so much as a med=med-hvy. I have st croixs from med-lite to med-hvy and they all feel like I think they should. I do have some mediums that are floppy and I have a med-hvy thats stiffer than my avid.

[iabass8]

The ltb 7hmf is more suited towards punching. I used to own the legend xtreme version for that very technique. It was ideal for punching and punching only. Its "mod fast" tip is a very fast moderate tip that "cushions" the braid in slop and goes straight to a very strong backbone. You could bring anything through anything with stick. It is a beast of a stick. If you are looking for a flipping/pitching rod from st croix, any of their HF would work well for your weights and will be more than ideal for your waters.

[WIGuide]

Thanks for the help guys, looks like I'm going with the medium heavy. Glad I brought it up here before going back and blindly picking up the heavy. I have also heard that st. Croix rods run heavy. So is my medium really a medium heavy? Lol. Perhaps another thread for another day. Thanks again guys. 7'6 Medium heavy/moderate fast it is. Any other techniques you guys would use this rod for?

 

When people refer to powers of rods, they use a generalize rating system that everyone knows (ie medium, medium heavy, etc) . Unfortunately, there is no industry standard for power ratings of rods, so a medium of one brand is not the same as a medium of another.Some feel that St. Croix rates them a little heavier than brands.

[jtesch]

your fine with the rod you got. I'm in the same area and a true flippin stick isn't necessary by us. I just got the Daiwa Tatula 7'4" frog rod and figure that's about as heavy as ill ever need around here

[Bluebasser86]

Thanks for the help guys, looks like I'm going with the medium heavy. Glad I brought it up here before going back and blindly picking up the heavy. I have also heard that st. Croix rods run heavy. So is my medium really a medium heavy? Lol. Perhaps another thread for another day. Thanks again guys. 7'6 Medium heavy/moderate fast it is. Any other techniques you guys would use this rod for?

I have the 7' 6" MH/MF LTB and it's been a great pitching/light flipping rod for me. It would also make a good Carolina rigging rod or frog rod if you needed it to be.

[AC79Angler]

I have the 7' 6" MH/MF LTB and it's been a great pitching/light flipping rod for me. It would also make a good Carolina rigging rod or frog rod if you needed it to be.

Frog rod is what I was hoping for but is the tip fast enough?

[Bluebasser86]

Frog rod is what I was hoping for but is the tip fast enough?

It will work just fine for a frog rod. I use a 7' 3" MH/MF LTB for frogging all the time and it does just what I need it to. Personally I like the MF tip for frogging because it loads a little better on the cast to launch Kermy a little further.

[bflp3]

It really depends on how thick the stuff your fishing will be. If you are just flipping docks, MH will be fine. If you are punching, I would go heavy. I live in the same area, and I like to punch some pretty thick stuff, I go heavy on my rods for that. Granted, I don't have any Croix's, so I don't know how they MH/H compare.

[Fishes in trees]

I think that if you can afford it you should own as many rods as possible.  Would you rather need a tool and not have it or have a tool and not need it?  Where you live, going a little bit north you are also in pike & muskie waters.  A 7'11" heavy action rod would work ok for several different pike/muskie applications.

 

I'd go ahead and get that 7'11" rod, go ahead and get a 7 to 7 1/2 ft. pitching stick also, you might need it.

If you're in real clear water with deeper weed lines, some days distance pitching might be the ticket.

Get yourself a 7 to 8 foot MH spinning rod and a spinning reel that will handle 40 lb braid or so.

 

Making a 70' or so side arm cast with a jig to a deep weed line and getting it to drop straight down is easier to accomplish with heavier duty spinning gear. (Not that it is impossible with any number of bait casting rigs)

 

Basically, define a fishing situation and then go get a rig that will decently fish that situation.  With a little perseverance and imagination you'll get to the point to where you're carrying 25 rigs (more or less) in the boat to cover any situation you might run into.

 

Remember that you can buy fishing tackle.  Fishing time can't be bought.  Any gear you can buy to maximize your fishing time is money well spent over the long haul.

 

Basically, I am a helper, I'm glad I could help with this decision