{"id":2012,"date":"2021-03-20T17:49:39","date_gmt":"2021-03-20T17:49:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wordpress-711416-2356891.cloudwaysapps.com\/?p=2012"},"modified":"2022-07-12T00:43:03","modified_gmt":"2022-07-12T00:43:03","slug":"medium-vs-medium-heavy-rods-which-one-you-should-choose","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gofishingoutdoors.com\/medium-vs-medium-heavy-rods-which-one-you-should-choose\/","title":{"rendered":"Medium vs. Medium Heavy Rods – which one you should choose"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
One of the most common questions beginning and even experienced anglers have in choosing a rod is should I get a medium rod or a medium heavy rod? What\u2019s the real difference?<\/strong><\/span><\/p> Well thankfully, after reading this entire article, you\u2019ll know exactly what both are for and when they should be used.<\/span><\/p> But if you don\u2019t want to read the whole thing you can follow this quick guide – If you are only going to throw baits \u215c ounce and less then opt for the medium rod. If you\u2019re going to throw \u215c ounce and over, go for a medium heavy.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p> But a true answer to getting you the rod you want is much more complicated so please read on as we will discuss how lure weight, casting, hooksets, and fighting the fish<\/em><\/strong> are all affected and depend upon the strength of your rod. And the differences in each if you have a medium or medium heavy.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t First, it\u2019s important to understand what medium or medium heavy actually even means. Both are types of rod power which ranges from ultra-light to heavy. This is a rating of how easily the rod will bend under pressure. It is often referred to as the \u201cbackbone\u201d of the rod or strength of the rod.<\/span><\/p> But it is not necessarily strength in the way we commonly think of it. Medium rods aren\u2019t meant for 15 pound fish and medium heavy for 30, that\u2019s not correct at all. It simply means at what point weight or resistance will make the rod begin to bend. Light rods will bend with little to no pressure. A heavy rod takes a lot of resistance to begin bending.<\/span><\/p> That is all rod power actually refers to. How much weight or resistance they can take before they start bending.<\/strong> Keep that in mind. <\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t The number one factor to consider when choosing a medium or medium heavy rod is to think about the weight of lures you will be throwing on it.<\/strong><\/p> Most rods will have their rating displayed somewhere near the handle on the rod blank itself. This is important to read because not all medium heavy or medium power rods are made the same. Some manufacturers lean more on the \u201cheavy\u201d side, some lean on the \u201clighter\u201d side. So reading how each manufacturer rates their poles will give you the best information.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t Generally speaking, medium<\/strong> rods are best when throwing \u00bc ounce and lower weights<\/strong>. They can handle anything up to a \u00bd ounce without worry but really shine on the lower end. I personally have used up to 1 ounce weights on them before even with no issues, though you have to be careful not to put too much weight on the rod.\u00a0<\/span><\/p> Medium heavy<\/strong> rods are best when you want to throw any lure weighing over \u00bc of an ounce<\/strong>. You are much more likely to have issues with lures that weigh \u00bc of an ounce or less as the rod is too stiff to allow for casting, working, or any other movement your rod should be making as you fish.<\/span><\/p> Remember that power is how easily a pole bends. So the reason lure weight matters so much is that the lure will naturally bend your rod when casting or reeling in a lure. You want some bend as it creates tension and helps you load up for a cast. But you don\u2019t want your rod completely bent all the time or you will increase the risk breaking it or losing action and feel with your bait.\u00a0<\/span><\/p> This is why matching the rod power with lure weight is important. The lure weight should make the rod tip bend just slightly.<\/strong> If your lure is bending your pole over significantly it is too light of a pole for the lure and you should go heavier. If your tip doesn\u2019t move at all even when casting, your rod is too heavy for the lure and you should go lighter.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t Many people just stop at lure weight and don\u2019t go any further. But if you want to get the most out of your rod you need to think about more than just how heavy the lure is. You need to think about the rod\u2019s ability to bend during a cast.<\/span><\/p> This is one area where \u201caction\u201d and \u201cpower\u201d of rods get confused. Action refers to where the rod bends when put under resistance. So a fast action will bend in only the first quarter of a rod. A moderate action will bend in the first half. Many people confuse this with power, which as discussed earlier is how easily a pole bends.\u00a0<\/span><\/p> So remember – power is how easily a rod bends. Action is where it bends.<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t Now on to how this affects casting particularly. Whether you are using a spinning or baitcasting reel, you want your rod to flex when you cast. This lets you load up on a bait and increase your casting distance. Many people believe casting distance is just your arm exerting force to propel a lure forward. But this isn\u2019t actually the case.<\/span><\/p> Ideally your arm motion is only part of what drives the lure forward. It is assisted by the rod bending backwards as you load up behind your head, and then provides extra force coming over your head as it takes the momentum and resistance built up and flings it forward as you release.<\/strong><\/span><\/p> If that is confusing, think of it like shooting a rubber band. You don\u2019t actually shoot a rubber band by throwing it yourself. Instead you build the resistance backwards (like a pole when putting it over your head<\/em>) and then release that resistance quickly which causes the rubber band to shoot forward into the air (much like what happens when you release fishing line in a cast<\/em>). A fishing pole does the same thing as a rubber band, just to a lesser, more controlled extent.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t Now that physics class is over – what does this mean for choosing a medium or medium heavy rod?<\/strong> You simply want to choose the rod that gives you good flex that allows for casting. A medium heavy rod will not provide enough flex if you use light lures, are trying to make the longest cast possible, or anything you want to \u201cload up\u201d when casting. So crankbaits for example, even if they\u2019re \u215c ounce or so, are best on a medium rod. Because you can cast it easier.<\/span><\/p> But if you are throwing heavier baits, don\u2019t care about distance at all, or are even doing casts like pitching and flipping that don\u2019t require overhead casts or anything where you load resistance into the rod, a medium heavy can work quite nicely.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t I want to thank you for reading this far and hope you’re getting all the information you need on what type of rod will be best for you.<\/p>What does rod power really mean?<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
Lure Weight and Rod Power<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
Rod power's effect on casting<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
A Brief Note<\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t