MED/HVY VS. HEAVY

[IdahoNative]

I was looking at new poles the other day and saw a heavy pole I liked. I have always used a med/hvy pole jigging and wondered if there would be much of a difference. Your input would be appreciated.

[BearLakeMack]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]Lot of different opinions on this one, I'm sure. For vertical jigging macks, I like the shorter, heavier, and stiffer graphite rods. I like the feel that graphite gives you but what I really like is the "transfer of energy" with stiffer rods. With a heavier, stiff rod there is no loss of energy at hook set. It all goes to the hook. It takes energy to bend that rod tip until it bites. I'd rather have that hook setting energy sinking that hook and have the rod that's little unforgiving during the fight. Makes you work a lttle to land an aggresive fish.[/size][/font]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]Some guys like a fast tip. Not me, I like jigging rods with lots of backbone and slow tips. I'm sure you'll hear a lot of different preferences. [/size][/font]
[signature]

[Xman]

i have noticed alot of difference between the two when im jigging. i believe your a bear lake guy and i would guess in deep water the heavy might work real well. i started using my heaving jigging rod in deeper water and liked the feel better than my medium heavy. overall i would say over 50 feet deep i like the heavy action rod better with heavy weight on it compared to the medium action. alot quicker hook set. but the downfall is the fish feel the response quicker as well.
[signature]

[PREDATOR]

Oh yes, theres a place for all rods!

Heres the thing, most fishermen you meet out on the water have one or two poles that do 90% of thier fishing.

But matching your pole to the rest of the terminal tackle you are using for the species you intend to catch, really is vastly overlooked.

Take for example a guy who is using a hedium heavy six ft six rod strung up with four pound test crappie fishing. Does it work? Yep, he catches fish. But if he were to tighten up his drag to the point that his rod worked like it should, the rod's stiffness would cause the line to break before the rod ever functioned properly.

The same is compounded when you go in the inverse. If you take a medium rod, and go up to the gorge to fish for macks you may figure, I will just bump up my line strength to thirty pound test. Well, at this point, the weight and fight of the fish has your rod maxed out the entire time, from hookset to landing him, and your drag on your reel is doing all the work. Can you catch fish this way? Yep, lots of guys do it. Do you run the chance of running out of line on long runs cause your rod will break if you tighten up the drag to stop him? Yep, if he's one of the big boys who wont give up.

Do you need a thousand rods and reels? No. Would you like a thousand rods and reels? probably.

So, I would take the advice of BLM, consider what you are fishing for, where you spend most of your time, and if the purchase of the heavy rod will be justified.

I prefer to have at least one ultra light for panfish and smaller trout, at least one medium for walleye, large trout, largemouth bass, and medium heavys for tiger musky, wiper, smallmouth bass. And a fourty pound set up for big lake trout. Still working on getting a real nice fourty pound set up.
[signature]

[HFT]

Also be aware that there is no real industry standard as to what is medium heavy or heavy. I have seen medium rods that shoul be called heavy. each rod manufacturer has there own numbers to go by. that being the case none of them are wrong, you just have to pick a rod for the feel that you want.(there may be standards but there not being used)
[signature]

[BearLakeMack]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]Well said...[/size][/font]
[signature]

[Lundman]

I just ordered my first Custom Made Rod and would like to show you some of the options.

Initial Request:[size 2]

My rod locker on my boat is 7' 5" - so if I could get a rod that was 7' to 7' 3" and have guide colors of green with gold inlay. Other specification are 10# -17# - medium action. Something that can handle a steelhead or walleye but could handle a 20 lb Chinook if needed. I fish 14 to 17 lb. test line. I troll almost all the time. So baitcaster reels are my mainstay.



Reply:[size 2]

Great we have two blank options that I would suggest MB 743 Mag Bass taper, fast action nice tip, lots of Butt power! 7' 8-17# 1 piece rod. The other is a P 844 7' 8-17# mod/fast action not as much power in the butt, the power is spread out throuygh out the entire rod. For trolling I like the P844. It is a gradual taper, will load up nicely and still have a nice tip section. The MB 743 runs $145 w/ Sicti guides the IP 844 runs $142 w/ Sicti guides everything you listed is included in the quote shipping is $20

Thanks for your interest in TH Custom Rods We look forward to building you a rod![/size]

This is the first time in my life that I have ordered a rod and can't weight to try it out on our jigging trip to Bear Lake on Nov. 15th. I hope it shows you that a rod blank has many different configuration that can be tuned to your type of fishing. I really hope this rod will be to my liking. If not I have a heavier jigging rod in reserve.[/size]
[signature]

[FlyFishingMoose]

WoW Lundy that sounds like a great rod you'll be packing for out trip to the bear. I'm still looking around for a heavier rod than what I usually fish with.
[signature]

[IceFishingGod]

Sorry I've been busy the last couple of days. Tech geek reports as ordered.

While I disagree with my good friend BLM, I won't say he's incorrect. I like a Med Med/Hvy rod with a superfast (lightning) taper. I want lots of power at the butt, a strong middle, with a superflex tip. Here's the reason. I like to load-up the rod when fighting a fish. By load-up I mean: Keep the rod at it's maximum bend with the drag set at optimum for the weight line I'm using. I recently bought two 7' Black Rhino's that I thought were perfect. I mated them to 2 Calcuttas with 15# hybrid. They however are not very well suited for jigging Macks. While they have the noodle like qualities in a rod I love, they are difficult to achieve a good hook set with. They simply have too much flex built in to really sink it home on the big guys. I have since removed them from my jigging arsenal. I went back to my old rods, shorter rod, stiffer taper, more rigid tip. I hate the tip because I find it difficult to detect the hit and run strikes, but the hook setting benifits outweigh this. One of these days I'll find the perfect rod that won't cost me hundreds of dollars. I'm still looking.
[signature]