Applications for a Medium / Fast Bait Cast Rod ?

[ChrisD46]

Currently I have MH/F and H/F action 7'3" bait cast rods and was considering adding a M/F 6'6" or 7' M/F bait cast rod to the line up . *The concern is - I already have a 7' M/F spinning rod , so trying to justify what advantage or applications  a M/F bait cast rod set up  would offer over a M/F spinning set up ? ... Your thoughts and experiences where a M/F bait cast rod set up  excels or offers you a real advantage  over a M/F spinning rod set up ? ... Thanks in advance !

[MN Fisher]

I do have both rigs, but I could easily swap one for the other and not see much of a difference. For those more use to BCs, they're probably more accurate casting those. For those of us with quite a bit of spinner experience too, I don't see a difference in my accuracy.

 

It boils down to one thing for me: I have two rigs that I can put similar setups on - light T-Rigs, light jigs, wacky worms, etc - this gives me the ability to swap techniques without re-tying new lures on. Could I do this with 2 BC or 2 Spinning rigs? Yep - but this is just the way it worked out in my purchases.

 

If you want a second Medium rig, you choose which you want based on your personal preference. In my experience - in the Medium Power at least - there's not enough of a difference between BC and Spinning to really decide between them.

[Bird]

1 hour ago, ChrisD46 said:

Your thoughts and experiences where a M/F bait cast rod set up  excels or offers you a real advantage  over a M/F spinning rod set up ? ... Thanks in advance !

I'd say a 7ft MF throws more baits than any other set-up, everyone should have. 

 

Where the baitcaster would excel in grand fashion is setting the brake for a certain distance " shore line " and throwing baits like spinnerbaits, buzzbaits , chatterbaits where it's paramount that the bait be in line and moving when it hits the water.

 

I throw a LOT of spinnerbaits and a baitcaster just lays it in the water in perfect harmony with blade movement.

Many reaction strikes are instantaneous.

To answer your question....you need both.

[MN Fisher]

5 minutes ago, Bird said:

Where the baitcaster would excel in grand fashion is setting the brake for a certain distance " shore line " and throwing baits like spinnerbaits, buzzbaits , chatterbaits where it's paramount that the bait be in line and moving when it hits the water.

I can agree with this - to a point. Since I feather my spinning-spool, that acts like thumbing a BC...it allows me to drop the bait where I need it on nearly slack-free line.

 

Of course, I toss all my spinners/chatters/buzz on my MH/F BC...even the 1/4 oz ones...so it's a moot point there.

 

On the other side, I've actually done pitching with 1/4 oz finesse jigs using my spinning gear - again, it needs the feathering technique to make it happen right, but like thumbing a BC, all it takes is practice-practice-practice.

[jimmyjoe]

   Spinning rig advantage: easier casting into the wind.

   Casting rig advantage: setting the hook the very instant the lure hits the water using thumb pressure.

 

   Which one applies to your specific circumstances more?      jj

[Bird]

22 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

I can agree with this - to a point. Since I feather my spinning-spool, that acts like thumbing a BC...it allows me to drop the bait where I need it on nearly slack-free line.

 

Of course, I toss all my spinners/chatters/buzz on my MH/F BC...even the 1/4 oz ones...so it's a moot point there.

 

On the other side, I've actually done pitching with 1/4 oz finesse jigs using my spinning gear - again, it needs the feathering technique to make it happen right, but like thumbing a BC, all it takes is practice-practice-practice.

Yes I do the same and does take practice.

Where I may differ is I always engage bail by hand.....habit and how and what I use spinning reels for.

[MN Fisher]

2 minutes ago, Bird said:

Where I may differ is I always engage bail by hand.....habit and how and what I use spinning reels for.

So do I, I don't switch hands though - cast left, retrieve right - so flipping the bail back in place happens just before the same hand moves to engage the handle.

[flyfisher]

19 minutes ago, jimmyjoe said:

   Spinning rig advantage: easier casting into the wind.

   Casting rig advantage: setting the hook the very instant the lure hits the water using thumb pressure.

 

   Which one applies to your specific circumstances more?      jj

Not sure how this is any different than spinning.  I feather the line and close the bail manually on my spinning with my non casting hand so to set the hook with spinning as it hits the water is probably more secure in my case, on the spinning set up.

As far as the OP question.  It depends on the techniques you want to use.  I have a few MH/F rods but some are more towards the M side than the MH side.  I use those for my chatter baits and spinnerbaits (not a technique i use often) and for hard jerk baits mainly.  I have thought about using it for weightless soft plastics but i don't like my hand position when working those baits, probably because I am so used to using my spinning gear for that purpose.  I do use my lighter MH/F rods for heavier shaky heads and smaller square bills though and it works well.  

 

[MIbassyaker]

I don't know that you need an MF baitcaster, but they are super-versatile and useful.  I use MF spinning and MF casting for many of the same things, but each one is better suited for some things than others. Even if they both say "medium-fast", a baitcaster is probably going to be rated for a lure range that runs heavier than the spinning rod. A caster will also be a bit stouter, and better for getting good hooksets on baits with bigger single-hooks, like spinnerbaits. Also, spinning accumulates line twist the more it is retrieved, so a baitcaster can be better suited for baits where you are constantly cranking and winding.

 

So I tend to use my MF casting for moving baits that are on the light side for an MH, or t-rigged plastics (or a t-rigged jig, like a Title-Shot) that benefit from a little more stoutness than my MF spinning options have, but not with weights so heavy that an MH caster comes into play.

 

When I look over at my rod rack, I see my MF baitcaster currently has tied on a 1/4oz underspin with a 4" paddletait swimbait on it.  I also see two MF spinning rods, one with a 3.5" tube and one with a 3/16oz hair jig. 

[jimmyjoe]

10 minutes ago, flyfisher said:

Not sure how this is any different than spinning.  I feather the line and close the bail manually on my spinning with my non casting hand so to set the hook with spinning as it hits the water is probably more secure in my case, on the spinning set up.

   I never could do that.  ☹️   Even if I feathered the line, the spinning rig always gave me line with more slack in it. Manually tripping the bail took time, and the two combined meant there was a greater delay than the casting rig.

   The guy who taught me to set the hook on a casting reel that way used the technique on downed trees and limbs, sharp cut banks and overhung rock piles. This was back in the '70s, and I had an Ambassadeur 5000. They had a retrieve ratio somewhere around 3.7, if I remember right, so keeping your thumb on the spool and using the rod to set the hook was infinitely faster than trying to use the reel handle.

   He made the comment one time that he had used to use a stout cane pole and cheap, heavy mono to do the same thing. I fished for crappie at the time, and I knew dipping when I saw it. That's what he had been doing; dipping for bass. After he started using a reel, he liked the reel for the drag capabilities, but not on the hookset. For that, he always used his thumb.

   It was a good few years before I heard the term "flipping". When I finally did, I realized that was what he was doing when he added the reel.

   The high point of his fishing was to have the fish hit at the exact second that the lure hit the water, and even better was for the fish to come up out of the water to grab the lure. I saw that happen a couple of times.

   He was an abrasive, opinionated and curmudgeonly old s.o.b., but he caught bass in river systems better than anyone I have ever seen. I hope the fish think I do even half as well as he did, old-fashioned or not.         jj

  

  

  

  

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

I prefer casting tackle for chuck & wind baits. I use M/F spinning rods but find myself reaching for my MLs more often for spinning applications. 

[new2BC4bass]

For me it isn't so much what the rods can do, but that I much prefer a baitcast setup for everything I can get away using one for.

[Mbirdsley]

Cranks, square bills, chatter baits, jerk baits, chucking dare devils, and 

  spinner baits  Is what I my 6ft6 black max for.   The combo even brought in a nice flat head while using a chatter bait on Saginaw river that was almost 26 inches long.  I use 10 lbs Berkley big game mono for line

 

i fish from a 14 ft tin boat.  I am 6ft4 tall And a 6ft6 rod makes it very useful for jerk baits since I’m basically standing up below the water line. 
 

A 6ft6 rod would be useful if your a shore angler too for jerk baits 

[ChrisD46]

I appreciate the replies to date ... Perhaps a softer MH / Moderate (parabolic) bait cast rod could do double duty if you don't have a true Medium action bait cast rod ?

[jimmyjoe]

Maybe.

 

   Rods are like women:

  

   No matter what someone else says, you don't know what one is like until you handle it yourself.

   The old fashioned ones bend under pressure but they tend to not break.

   The more modern ones bend under pressure up to a certain point, then suddenly they explode in pieces right your face.

   Some are more forgiving than others.

   Usually you get the best results from ones that are a leeeeeetle bit on the heavy side, but kinda soft.

 

   Have a nice day.  ?   jj

  

[greentrout]

On 1/18/2020 at 9:38 AM, ChrisD46 said:

Currently I have MH/F and H/F action 7'3" bait cast rods and was considering adding a M/F 6'6" or 7' M/F bait cast rod to the line up . *The concern is - I already have a 7' M/F spinning rod , so trying to justify what advantage or applications  a M/F bait cast rod set up  would offer over a M/F spinning set up ? ... Your thoughts and experiences where a M/F bait cast rod set up  excels or offers you a real advantage  over a M/F spinning rod set up ? ... Thanks in advance !

i mostly fish smaller bodies of water .... 300 acres or less ... and most of those waters, not all, present open water and not really a lot of snarly cover and structure ... hence ... for me ... the medium fast baitcasting rod 6'6" & 7" perform well with 1/4 and 3/8 oz. spinnerbaits, lipless crankbaits and t-rigged worms with weight and weightless on 12lb test ... topwater in the morning then shift to a pattern to establish if you can establish one ... depending on the time of the yr. various lures are presented and ready to go ... the baitcaster for me is much better for spinnerbaits and most worm fishing ... the spinning is for finesse presentations with light line and lures ... using a medium rod rated for 4lb to 12lb test ...

 

good fishing ...

[ChrisD46]

*I had an opportunity to see / handle a Daiwa Aird-X M/F 7' casting rod - very nice for the $50 price !