new bass rod med. or med-light

[BadBass94]

I was at bass pro today and was looking at the st croix's. I was originally looking at the 6.6 med fast action. But i picked up the medlight and i seemed to like it. I am just not really sure which would be the best for decent bass and maybe a decent walleye once and a while. My dad said he liked the med light for the little extra sensitivity. Any advice helps thankk you.

[roadwarrior]

Medium Power is a much better "all around" choice.

I use ML for white bass, crappie and stocker trout.

8-)

[Az,bassin]

if you are going to pull stuff out of the weeds, go with more backbone,if not stick with a med. better all around...

[Nine Miler]

  Quote

he liked the med light for the little extra sensitivity

Power does not always correlate to sensitivity.  You may find MH rods that are just as "sensitive" as ML rods it depends on the rod. 

[bigfruits]

what baits will you be using? heavy cover? big bass?

for catching 2-4 lb small and large mouth in sparse cover, ml is a blast. i like small plastic craws on 1/8 jig heads or small weightless plastics on an avid mlxf.

if this will be more of an all-around rod for baits around 3/16-5/16oz, go for the medium. casting mostly 5/8 and 1/2oz? go med heavy.

[PondHunter]

I prefer the ML rod because you dont have to horse a fish in to keep a bend in the rod so the fish doesnt get any slack line.

[LAO162]

Someone will probably correct me if I'm wrong...

I believe that St Croix rods are usually underrated for power relative to most other manufacturers.  i.e.  St. Croix MLF = Other MF and St. MF = Other MHF

The line & lure ratings will usually tell you more about a rods intended use than the manufacturers power rating.

[Primus]

I agree with Roadwarrior that a Med power rod is a better all around, that said a ML is a nice rod to have for fishing light worms, grubs & tubes on an exposed jighead with light line. I would consider going to at least 7' rod if you are lake fishing from a boat to get longer cast and a little more leverage when fighting fish.

[tracker01]

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what baits will you be using? heavy cover? big bass?

for catching 2-4 lb small and large mouth in sparse cover, ml is a blast. i like small plastic craws on 1/8 jig heads or small weightless plastics on an avid mlxf.

if this will be more of an all-around rod for baits around 3/16-5/16oz, go for the medium. casting mostly 5/8 and 1/2oz? go med heavy.

Hey bigfruit's, Tracker 01 here, Did you get my PM on your avid mlxf ?

[Paul Roberts]

A good quality M fast rod (6-12lb line) will handle a lot of bass fishing situations. It's the standard. If you don't have one, you probably should.

However, just so you know the range a little better:

If you have very clear water with little or no cover you could lean toward the ML (4-10lb), and be happy.

If you have heavier cover (lotsa weeds say) you'll do more with a MH (8-15lb).

If you travel to new waters a lot you'll probably do best with the M -and then end up adding to your arsenal down the line. Can't really play a full round of golf with just one club. Same with fishing water.

As to sensitivity: All these actions can be VERY sensitive -it's the quality of the graphite (weight and crispness) that create that. A heavy rubbery rod absorbs what you want to feel. A light crisp rod sends more info to your hand instantly.

If you are not used to high end rods, they often feel stiffer than you might expect. Top end, high modulus rods may feel really stiff, but they are instead "crisp" with little wasted movement. Don't be fooled by shaking a rod off the rack. If it's a good company, the line weight rating on the rod will be accurate. Choose you line requirements, THEN your rod.

[cbreeze22]

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Someone will probably correct me if I'm wrong...

I believe that St Croix rods are usually underrated for power relative to most other manufacturers. i.e. St. Croix MLF = Other MF and St. MF = Other MHF  I agree.. The StCroix 7 MF Avid  cast is rated equal to my Powell 703C  MHEF

The line & lure ratings will usually tell you more about a rods intended use than the manufacturers power rating.