Rod power confuses a lot of anglers. Even some experienced anglers cannot distinguish between medium and medium-heavy power rods. Choosing between a medium and medium-heavy rod can be challenging, you first need to understand what power is and how it works.
Rods power does not measure the strength of a rod as most people think. To understand and differentiate rod powers, you have to consider factors like lures, line weight, and hook sets. This article will help you distinguish between a medium and a medium-heavy rod.
More about Medium Rod
To understand medium rods better, you first need to understand power. The rod’s power does not describe its strength; on the contrary, it describes how much resistance the rod will take before it starts to bend. To initiate a bend or flex, you need to consider the lure weight, hook sets, and the fighting of a fish. Medium rods are perfect for fighting fish since the bend on the rod helps keep the tension up. So, even with a change in direction, you will not lose your fish. They work best with ¼ ounce or less lures. This, however, does not mean you can use heavier lures; I’ve used them and still ended up more successful. But to ensure maximum accuracy and if you do not have much experience, get lures less than 1/4ounces.
Key Features of Medium Rods
- The ideal lure weight is ¼ ounces or below.
- The best hook set is the open hook set that will not clinch too much in the mouth.
- The medium rod has a reasonable bend giving you high tension to deal with vigorous fish better.
What is Medium Rod Used For?
- They are used for casting long distances.
- They are used for different applications in saltwater and freshwater
More About Medium Heavy Rods
Medium-heavy rods flex in the first quarter of the rod, and they are perfect when fishing under heavy cover. Due to the minimal flex, these rods require you to reel fast to avoid your fish. They pair up perfectly with lures within the weight range of 3/8ounces to two ounces. However, this does not mean they will not fish with lighter lures. But you can be sure that with lighter lures, the results will not be as good.
Features of Medium-heavy rods
- Work with lures ranging from 3/8 to ½ ounce
- The recommended line weight is 8 to 14lbs
- They have a minimal bend
- They work best with hidden hook sets.
What is a medium-heavy Rod used for
Medium-heavy rods can be used for different applications or catching any fish. However, they are made for catching fish like Salmon, Perch, and catfish. They will also give you excellent results under heavy cover.
Medium vs. Medium Heavy Casting Rod: What’s the Differences?
After you’ve understood what power is, you can easily identify the different power ratings. Every power rating from ultra-light to extra heavy is made for specific applications. Let me help you understand medium and medium-heavy rods by looking at their differences.
Lure weight
The first difference between medium and medium-heavy casting rods is in the lures. Medium rods are perfect when throwing lures weighing ¼ ounce or less. However, you are not limited to these lures; you can go up to 1/2 ounce but the results will not be as good as the lower-end lures. On the other hand, medium-heavy casting rods flourish and work better with heavier lures. Lures weighing 3/8 ounce and above allow for casting and the movement of the rod.
Hooksets
Medium and medium-heavy rods differ in the hook sets. You have to set the hooks for the types of lures you are using. Medium rods are ideal for these open hook sets as they ensure that the line tightens in the fish mouth since it has a good bend. In contrast, a medium-heavy rod has no bend; therefore, it works better with hidden hooks or hooks with multiple layers. These hooks offer very little flex and a ton of resistance.
Lure Type
In the lure choice for a medium and medium-heavy rod. The bottom line is getting heavier lures for medium-heavy rods and lighter lures for medium rods. Usually, buzz baits, walking baits, and cranking baits that are less than 3/8 ounces will be perfect for medium casting rods. On the other hand, medium-heavy casting rods will work with baits like large jigs, Texas rigs, Carolina baits, and swimbaits.
Tension
Medium casting rods have high tension since there is more bend, which helps avoid losing big fish. On the contrary, medium-heavy rods have less tension since there is little flex. To avoid losing big fish with this rod, you have to reel fast.
Medium vs. Medium Heavy Spinning Rods: What’s the Difference?
Medium and medium-heavy spinning rods differ slightly. In some applications, you can use the two rods, but you need to have a specific rod for every application in others. The difference between these two rods include:
Type of Fish
Medium power spinning rods are perfect for fish species like bass and Walleye. On the other hand, medium-heavy power spinning rods can be used for Salmon, pike, and catfish.
Lures
The lures are meant for medium and medium-heavy spinning rods. For medium rods, baits like crankbaits and other topwater lures are perfect. However, using medium-heavy spinning rods, large spinnerbaits, jigs, and Carolina baits will yield excellent results.
Line Weight
The line weights used in medium and medium-heavy rods are pretty different. To achieve excellent results, you need to make sure you have the right line weight. A line weight of 6 to 12lbs is ideal for medium-heavy spinning rods, and Medium-heavy spinning rods work better with an 8 to 14lb line.
Lure Weight
Medium and medium-heavy spinning rods match with different lure weights. Medium spinning rods work better with lighter lures, and medium-heavy spinning rods are perfect with heavier lures. For medium spinning, rods use lures within the weight range of 1/8-3/8oz. On the other hand, medium-heavy rods get lures within the weight range of 3/16 to 1/2oz.
Medium vs. Medium Heavy Rod: Head to Head Comparison Table
| Aspect | Medium Rod | Medium-Heavy rod |
| Line weight | 6-12lb | 8-14lb |
| Lure weight | ⅛-3/8 oz | 3/16-1/2 |
| Type of lure | Crank baits, jigs and spinnerbaits | Large spinner baits, Texas, Carolina baits and jigs |
| Type of fish | Bass, walleye, pike and lake perch | Salmon, pike and catfish |
| Hookset | Open hook set | Hidden hook set |
| Application | Saltwater and freshwater | Saltwater and freshwater |
Medium vs. Medium Heavy Rod: Which one is good for Bass Fishing?
Bass fishing is a prevalent fishing technique. For bass fishing, you can use a spinning rod or casting rod. Your fishing grounds will determine the choice of the rod. If you are fishing in the open, get a spinning rod. But if you are fishing under heavy cover, a casting rod will perform better. It would help if you had a rod with good flex and fast action for bass fishing. That’s why a medium power rod with fast action or extra fast rods works perfectly for this application.
On the other hand, medium-heavy rods flex in the first quarter of the rod, and it works better with heavier lures and heavy cover. Although you can still catch bass with this rod and anglers insist that they have caught quite a number of bass, you risk losing your bass with it. When using your medium-heavy rod, make sure you have the right bait.
Final Thoughts
Most anglers cannot differentiate between a medium and medium-heavy rod. Unfortunately, manufacturers do not make it any easier. Their ratings of rods differ from one manufacturer to the other, making anglers and especially beginners more confused. Medium and medium-heavy rods can be used in similar applications to understand the applications for excellent results. This article will help you differentiate between a medium and medium-heavy power rod and the two rods best.
