Medium or Medium Heavy Fast Action Rod for 1st Baitcaster

[WRB]

Don’t confuse power with action. The faster the action the less upper end of the rod bends during the cast and less forgiving the release point is. Moderate action is easier to learn to cast.

Power is just that lifting power. Medium power in general is 3 lbs lifting power, Medium Heavy 4 lbs Heavy 5 pounds but no standard how this feels to anglers.

The basic bait casting bass rod is MH/4 fast action, 7’ long.

Tom

[NJ_Snappy_Bois]

3/8-1oz Fast

[MickD]

[Junk Fisherman]

I prefer a little less power with my rods than most and still say MH over M for your first baitcasting rod.  

[Paul Roberts]

I guess if I had to ask one question it would be: What line weights will you be using? 8-14lb (monos) I'd go M; 12-17lb, I'd go MH.

 

[GetFishorDieTryin]

On 3/1/2021 at 11:39 PM, TexasBass1975 said:

Hello Everyone,

I recently purchased my first baitcasting reel, and I am now thinking about what power rod with which to pair it.  Right now, being that we are in winter/prespawn, I am throwing a lot of crankbaits (lipless, shallow diving), spinnerbaits and Chatterbaits on either a medium or medium heavy spinning rod.  I feel like I could put a medium fast action rod to use right away throwing these moving baits, whereas I may have to wait a while for the bass to move shallow before having to throw jigs and heavier texas rigs into cover with a medium heavy rod.

 

I realize that I could use my medium power spinning rod to throw the moving baits and finesse fish, and use the medium heavy baitcaster for texas rigs and jigs.  It just seems like a medium power baitcaster has more options than a medium heavy, and I really want to learn to use a baitcaster.  

 

What do you guys think?

 

Thanks! , J

I like a M for lighter cranks, JBs, finesse jigs up to 5/16 (lighter wire hooks) and poppers.  I even use them for mojo rigs and 1/4 chatterbaits early in the year before there is a ton of grass everywhere.  I go to a MH when I have to, like around cover or when Im throwing baits make a M feel underpowered.  Rod power isnt universal either.  Some MH feel closer to M and some feel closer to H.  

Ms are generally lighter in overall weight then MHs.  You can get a lightweight M for about 100$.  If you want a MH that is as light a M your going to spend more the 100$ for sure.  Dont forget your the one who is going to be using the rod, so get what you want, see how you like it and go from there.  

[TheBlueFishGuy]

i have a medium action(berkley amp spinning rod which i love it with a 3000 size daiwa bg/10lb braid 6-12lb mono or fluoro leader) and then a vengence medium heavy baitcasting rod with a abu garcia silver max 1st gen with 12lb mono. i love the lighter lines and gear because the way i fish they work for me. now remember each person fishes different and have different fishng styles and reasons why they use a action/power over another. So usually the way i go is the lighter power for spinning and heavier for baitcasting. its how i was taught and how i always fished. so my spinning gear goes all the way down to medium light spinning rod and a 1k or 1500 with 6lb mono for essentially 3inch soft plastic worms, micro lures, and panfish poppers, micro crankbaits, and panfish jigs and crappie jigs as well as for trout. then anything that would be considered for over 3/8ths of an ounce or heavier go with medium heavy and anything over id say an ounce maybe 3/4 ounce depending on brand of rod and power id go with a heavy. so my med. heavy will be used essentially from 1/4oz-3/4oz maybe an ounce lures or styles of fishing. remember when combining your jig with a trailer or hard bait and adding a trailer it adds an overall weight. but spinner baits, buzz baits you can do on both a medium and a medium heavy and if depending on jig head for shakey head you can get away doing upto 1/4 oz on the medium spinning gear with proper line and reel on that medium rod. then same for jigs but i do plan on doing 1/4oz-3/8th oz maybe just maybe a half oz. So to answer directly get medium for spinning and a medium heavy for baitcasting. if you get the 1/4oz booyah frog you can use it around the edges of weed lines downed trees and everywhere you would throw the normal sized frogs. just throw the small sized on the edges only unless you plan on throwing the normal size on regular 50-65lb line. me back in the day i use to use 20lb-30lb braid direct on medium heavy gear where i use to live and threw jigs and frogs where you would use a heavy action and had no problems because the vegitation i fished was mild to moderate vegitation so it worked for me and my areas i chose to fish. so take that into consideration as well. In places where people say you may need a heavy power baitcaster, for you and all the areas you plan on fishing now and down the road a medium heavy with lets say 30lb braid may be all you need. then if your going to throw medium heavy to heavy jigs like 1/2oz plus then adding a fluoro leader of 15-20lb may be fine and for pitching and flipping into extremely thick stuff you may need to up to 20-25lb fluoro. if the bass are aggressive in general and are feeding they will not really care too much on leader but if your like me and many others and love the challenge of lighter gear then fish 20lb braid straight to topwater frogs and match it to fluoro leader or mono for the other techniques. Good luck and best of wishes. remember the rod is just a tool to help you. buy a rod to match what you fish the most. then to look at what the weight is of your lures weight that you predomenently use. then after that then decide on the type of rod you want. if you usually fish things less than 3/8 oz 90% of the time then stay with the medium and thats as well as moving forward. but if you do a mix of below and above then go and buy both the medium and medium heavy. but medium in spinning and medium heavy in baitcasting. just so you can cover 80%-90% of the fishing out there. then expand your rods by adding a few more rods of each so you can essentially have more lures rigged and ready to go. but if you just want to choose only 2 rods for whatever your fishing i think these two rods will cover i think what you want.

[new2BC4bass]

Paragraphs please. 

 

Let's hope TexasBass1975 has been fishing his rod for the past 18 months.