How Important Is Rod w/ Lure Weight?

[MT523]

Just like the title says. I'm thinking about a rod that says 1/8-1/2 for lure weight. Does that really mean I should never use anything lighter or heavier?

 

The rod I'm looking at is the St. Croix Premier Series. Does anyone have suggestions for 6' rods with similar characteristics: light or medium power, fast action, and won't break? And cheaper?

[RoLo]

The 'weight range' specified on a rod is meant only as a guidepost.

If you cast a lure that's heavier than the upper parameter,

it will overload the blank and cause it to feel spongy on the cast.

If you cast a lure that's lighter than the lower parameter,

the blank won't load properly, which will seriously reduce your casting distance & accuracy.

Though it varies from brand to brand, the ideal lure weight tends to be somewhat above

the midpoint of the two parameters.

 

Without knowing your price point, and how you intend to use this rod,

I can't give you any meaningful suggestion as to brand, power or action.

 

Roger

[MT523]

Ahh ok, I will use the recommended lure weight as a guideline. Thank you for saying what lighter and heavier can do to the cast. 

 

So I'd like to use it for bass and walleye. For walleye I want to mainly jig with it. For bass I want to use crankbaits, shaky head, Texas rig, carolina rig, and drop shot if possible? $50-$100 would probably be my range

[smalljaw67]

It depends on the manufacturer since there is no real industry standard. Falcon rods are spot on with their specs, if it says 1/8oz to 1/2oz you may be able to lob cast 5/8oz but that is as far as I'd push it. I have a Hammer rod in a heavy power rated to 1oz but I've thrown 1.25oz and could probably do 1.5oz but most rods you'll feel how the rod begins to strain when getting to the upper limit. That said, most rods can safely cast a little over the projected max weight but not much, this is something you have to feel in the rod but be careful, as I said some rods are fine but others are right on the mark, 1/8oz is what I'd consider the safe amount over, 1/4oz is doable, and after that you are asking for your rod tip to break.

[Paul Roberts]

"Won't break?" Rods don't break themselves. If your rod is rated to 1/2oz you can throw something heavier, just give the rod time to react. Slow down, and don't overpower, your stroke. You should be able to feel that. Throwing lighter? Possibly, but accuracy may suffer in that the tip won't flex as much and thus be more critical in terms of how quickly it reacts.

 

When I sold fishing tackle, I'd tell people that "you can't really play 18 holes of golf with just one club". 

[fishnkamp]

MT 523 Do you live anywhere around MD VA DE or PA?   I have a ST Croix Premier 6 foot Medium 1/4 to 3/4 rod that I would sell.  If you do live in one of those areas we could meet and let you cast it.  I would sell it for $50.  The rod is in very good shape. 

[MT523]

2 hours ago, Paul Roberts said:

"Won't break?" Rods don't break themselves. If your rod is rated to 1/2oz you can throw something heavier, just give the rod time to react. Slow down, and don't overpower, your stroke. You should be able to feel that. Throwing lighter? Possibly, but accuracy may suffer in that the tip won't flex as much and thus be more critical in terms of how quickly it points to where you want to cast.

 

When I sold fishing tackle, I'd tell people that "you can't really play 18 holes of golf with just one club". 

Ok cool, I will try to stay in the suggested weight. I definitely hear you on your quote. In that case I might need to decide if I want a walleye or bass rod.

 

1 hour ago, fishnkamp said:

MT 523 Do you live anywhere around MD VA DE or PA?   I have a ST Croix Premier 6 foot Medium 1/4 to 3/4 rod that I would sell.  If you do live in one of those areas we could meet and let you cast it.  I would sell it for $50.  The rod is in very good shape. 

I don't I'm in CO :/. Thanks for the offer!

[fishnkamp]

Well I guess if you are interested I could look into shipping costs.  Let me know a zip code. I would ship it in pvc no cardboard and it would be insured.  They are $140 new. Mine is not new but I would be happy to send pictures.

 

[Paul Roberts]

25 minutes ago, MT523 said:

 In that case I might need to decide if I want a walleye or bass rod.

Your rod could be used for either. Depends. Smallmouth and walleye occupy similar places -often more open water- so a medium rod would suffice for both. A M (spinning) would be most usable for largemouths in open water scenarios, where there isn't a lot of cover. I use M spin gear for LM's in the early season, before vegetation grows in. Now, just to confuse things, casting rigs tend to be rated a bit different from spinning. A M casting rod is usually a bit more powerful than a M spinning rod.

 

Two main considerations:

-Hook size: Largemouth lures tend to have bigger hooks, so require more power from the rod and line.

-Cover: Largemouth's like cover, vegetation in particular, and a MH tends to be a better all round LM rod.

 

Hope this helps.

[MT523]

4 hours ago, fishnkamp said:

Well I guess if you are interested I could look into shipping costs.  Let me know a zip code. I would ship it in pvc no cardboard and it would be insured.  They are $140 new. Mine is not new but I would be happy to send pictures.

 

Message sent.

 

3 hours ago, Paul Roberts said:

Your rod could be used for either. Depends. Smallmouth and walleye occupy similar places -often more open water- so a medium rod would suffice for both. A M (spinning) would be most usable for largemouths in open water scenarios, where there isn't a lot of cover. I use M spin gear for LM's in the early season, before vegetation grows in. Now, just to confuse things, casting rigs tend to be rated a bit different from spinning. A M casting rod is usually a bit more powerful than a M spinning rod.

 

Two main considerations:

-Hook size: Largemouth lures tend to have bigger hooks, so require more power from the rod and line.

-Cover: Largemouth's like cover, vegetation in particular, and a MH tends to be a better all round LM rod.

 

Hope this helps.

Ok cool. I would love to catch all 3 on one rod. Yes, that helps a bunch! I will go with a medium power and hopefully light action.

[fishnkamp]

I go to a lot of lakes that have largies, Kentucky spots, smallies and walleye.  I never change rods because of species. I have rods that perform certain tasks.  The lures being thrown decide which rod is being used. For instance if I am throwing small to mid depth cranks, traps, square bills spinnerbaits. in other words baits that have either treble hooks or are reaction baits. I like a rod that has a bit softer tip so a moderate action tip is preferred. It protects the bait from being pulled out during the fight. If I am throwing bottom baits I prefer a rod that is a fast or extra fast ( depending on the manufacturer ) to get maximum power and sensitivity.  There are some rods that fit both categories fairly well so if you are going to fish with one rod it makes it a good choice. St Croix Premiers are an example of those.  Some of the BPS Tourneys and Extremes were like that. My Powell Max 6'8" is a great example of an all around stick.  

[IndianaFinesse]

Don't worry about it. I use medium powered spinning and casting bass rods for big 10-15 pound channel cats all the time, and I have yet to break a rod.  I even once caught a 38 pound carp on a medium lite rod, although I was way out gunned that time it still did not break my rod.  And they are always pulling double duty on all of the other species to, the only thing I pay attention to is which rod is best at what lures.  For instance, I have a 7'medium fast spinning rod that serves as a general purpose bass rod, and excels at wacky rigs.  This rod also is used for throwing weighless cutbait when bass fishing for catfish. You will find that you can go quite a bit beyond the rods suggested weight range for lures, and rods do not break on fish unless they are previously damaged, high sticked, or are being used to dead lift the fish into the boat.

[Paul Roberts]

16 hours ago, MT523 said:

Ok cool. I would love to catch all 3 on one rod. Yes, that helps a bunch! I will go with a medium power and hopefully light action.

Personally, I'd lean toward M not ML. IMO, if there were a rod to cover the middle road in freshwater fishing it would be a M (6-12lb) spinning rig, esp here in CO where many reservoirs are rubble bottomed with little cover, besides vegetation. My guess is, if you end up doing much summertime largemouth fishing, you'll end up adding a MH rig. Not to replace the M, but to add to it. All in good time.

[MT523]

Thank you so much for the help. I'm glad I asked, I won't worry too much about lure weight, especially because it seems like 90% of the lures I'll be using will be within that range. Happy to hear the St Croix is a good all around rod, which is exactly what I'm looking for. I also plan to go with the Pflueger President reel.

 

I will go with M instead of ML. Again really glad I asked because I had no idea the reservoirs in CO were mostly rubble bottomed. St Croix M/F sounds perfect.

 

Haha yeah I can see that happening with rods. Right now it's mainly bait and tackle, but narrowing it down since I'm getting a better idea of how my fishing season will pan out.

[Spankey]

Didn't read all your replies but a great thread. My first St. Croix Rod I ever bought was a 6' ML Premier Series spinning rod and I haven't looked back since. I bass fish with Premiers,Avids and Mogo's. 

 

To each his own when it comes to rods. Buy what you like. The designated weights are pretty accurate for performance. Can't say I've ever exceeded but sure I've went under slightly and it didn't affect anything. 

 

My my lines are generally on the lighter side also. If a rating was 4 to 10 lb. Im probably throwing 6lb.