Best all around heavy rod

[Steezy83]

Steezy83

[PBBrandon]

If you are talking about a “do it all” for pitching/flipping/frogs then any 7ft-7’4” heavy rod will be good. I like my 7’4” HF Tatula Elite AGS for throwing the most techniques out of my heavys. 

Medium/large Swimbaits and A-rigs is a different story. I would never throw anything like that on a normal heavy. Broke that rule last weekend on lake Skiatook when I was tossing a Yum flash mob jr on my 7’3” HF Daiwa Rebellion. Snapped on the cast and the warranty expired a month prior. Felt fine, but it couldn’t handle it.

 

Something like a Dobyns Champ XP 795sb would be very versatile for moving baits

[T-Billy]

Ark Invoker Pro 7'4" XH F is the best all around heavy cover rod I've ever used. Plenty of power for all but the heaviest of cover, light, very sensitive for a rod of it's power, and well balanced. I have a couple of 'em, and pretty much always have at least one on the deck.

[FishTank]

For me it has been the Megabass Valkyrie 7'1'' H. I can throw crankbaits, jigs, topwater,  etc a long way with this rod.  It loads better and easier than any rod I have, plus it's just a work of art. 

[Texas Flood]

I love my Falcon Lowrider and Cara. The lowrider feels more like a MH rod but it can handle almost anything I need it for. The sensitivity for both rods are top notch.

[djhands]

Megabass p5 destroyer tequila baccarac I can throw crankbaits or swimjigs up to megabass megadog-x and roman made negotiator 

[BigAngus752]

Do not spend money on a "do-it-all" heavy rod because it won't.  You will eventually spend MORE money on 2 or 3 more appropriate rods so my suggestion for a "for-now" heavy rod would be a Daiwa Aird-X.  Very inexpensive and very good for the cost.  This will suit you until you decide that you want to invest more of your hard-earned money. 

[MN Fisher]

^ I'm still using my Aird-X H/F for frogs - only updated for pitching a year ago with a Fury 765. The Aird-X also works for heavier football jigs dragged across rocky bottoms. It's actually a pretty good all-around heavy, and I'm still debating whether to replace it for frogging as it does that quite well.

[Darth-Baiter]

18 hours ago, FishTank said:

For me it has been the Megabass Valkyrie 7'1'' H. I can throw crankbaits, jigs, topwater,  etc a long way with this rod.  It loads better and easier than any rod I have, plus it's just a work of art. 

this is an interesting rod.  too long for my kayak-life.  i held the rod and it felt sooooo long to me.  but for the length, i thought it was so light.

[FishTank]

3 minutes ago, Darth-Baiter said:

this is an interesting rod.  too long for my kayak-life.  i held the rod and it felt sooooo long to me.  but for the length, i thought it was so light.

I actually bought this to fish on my kayak.  The handle is adjustable. I think I can reduce it to 6'8'', maybe shorter.  It also has spiral wrap guides which makes casting a little easier and longer if you extend the handle all the way out. 

[Darth-Baiter]

yea.  the spiral wraps i knew nothing about.  it was interesting.  i didnt fuss with the handle.  

[casts_by_fly]

I agree with bigangus that you probably need more than one heavy.  Any one manufacturer's heavy isn't the same as another's, so you really need to get to the specific rod and purpose for me.  As example, falcon has two levels of 'heavy'- 6- and 7- power.  The 6 power rods are closer to some MH from some manufacturers, but are heavy compared to some others.  Nominally they are 1/4-1 1/4oz depending on the model (some are 1/4-3/4, some 1/2-1, etc).  The 7 power rods are truly heavies and will range from 3/8 up to a little over 2 oz depending on the model.  You can throw a 1/2oz jig on any of them but if the plan for the rod is big stuff over an ounce all the time then that's a different rod.  I like a shorter rod for frogs and a longer one for pitching.  Last night I carried 4 different 'heavy' rods for different purposes and maybe I could condense to 2 if I really had to.

 

 

18 hours ago, Texas Flood said:

I love my Falcon Lowrider and Cara. The lowrider feels more like a MH rod but it can handle almost anything I need it for. The sensitivity for both rods are top notch.

 

Which models are you fishing?  I'm a bit of a falcon junkie so curious.

 

 

10 minutes ago, FishTank said:

I actually bought this to fish on my kayak.  The handle is adjustable. I think I can reduce it to 6'8'', maybe shorter.  It also has spiral wrap guides which makes casting a little easier and longer if you extend the handle all the way out. 

 

A spiral wrap won't increase casting distance, so don't expect it to.  A longer rod will, but not a spiral wrap.  It WILL make the rod more stable under load and will also allow for fewer guides if designed that way.

[Texas Flood]

23 minutes ago, casts_by_fly said:

Which models are you fishing?  I'm a bit of a falcon junkie so curious.

 

 

 

The Lowrider is a 6'10"(Head Turner) and the Cara is 7'6"(Dragger 2)

I use the HT for docks and shallower brush piles and the Dragger for big jigs/Swimbaits.

[FishTank]

1 hour ago, casts_by_fly said:

A spiral wrap won't increase casting distance, so don't expect it to.  A longer rod will, but not a spiral wrap.  It WILL make the rod more stable under load and will also allow for fewer guides if designed that way.

I would have said the same before ordering this rod but I also have its sister version without the spiral guides and have been using the same Shimano Antares 2012 for years on multiple Heavy rods with the same baits.  I questioned, to multiple sources from rod makers to Megabass Japan, why is this rod casting the way it is? All answered the same, spiral wrapped guides. 

 

I can actually watch the line peel off the reel uninhabited, similar to a spinning setup.  I can either turn all the breaks off or leave just one on with a 3/4 oz frog and cast it into oblivion further than any other rod I have used this same reel and bait with. 

[DaubsNU1]

Find what fits your budget and your hands.

 

I'm fishing a Berkeley heavy rod from 20+ years ago...and have several Cabela's branded rods that are 20-30 years old. They all catch fish.

 

This specialized rod / technique thing is very interesting to me...I think it's just another way for marketing and manufacturers to get us to purchase more stuff.

[Bankbeater]

I have two old H/F rods that see action every so often when I fish in very thick grass.  Both are like pool sticks.  One is used for punching and the other has a frog tied on.

[BigAngus752]

7 hours ago, MN Fisher said:

still debating whether to replace it for frogging as it does that quite well.

Agree 100% if they would only make one that's 7'4 or 7'6.  That would be an excellent frog rod. 

[Columbia Craw]

Falcon Expert Amistad

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Dobyns Xtreme 745

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Edge EFXPro 736

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Alpha Angler Zilla 2.0

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[Blaine Donders]

Pride Grass Rake 2.0

[GetFishorDieTryin]

On 8/17/2023 at 4:44 PM, T-Billy said:

Ark Invoker Pro 7'4" XH F is the best all around heavy cover rod I've ever used. Plenty of power for all but the heaviest of cover, light, very sensitive for a rod of it's power, and well balanced. I have a couple of 'em, and pretty much always have at least one on the deck.

Hows the tip on it? 

[T-Billy]

2 hours ago, GetFishorDieTryin said:

Hows the tip on it? 

Perfect IMO. It's just a bit faster than the 7'6" H Flippin stick, which makes it feel more responsive. I can roll cast and skip a 3/8 jig or Trig with it just fine.