What lures to throw on a heavy rod? (2023)

What lures to throw with a heavy rod?

Heavy action rods are the default choice for single-hooked baits like plastic worms and jigs or for techniques like Flippin' and pitching. But rod length has a big — and underrated — impact on your fishing. In the past sixty years, standard rod lengths have changed a lot.

You need the weight of the total package: lure plus hook. Here's an example: A 1/16 oz Owner Weighted Twistlock Hook plus a Slam Shady 2.0 paddletail weighs 1/4 oz. So you should be using a rod that is rated for 1/4 oz, not 1/16 oz.

If you have too light of a lure, the rod will not load properly and result in a shorter cast. If you've got too heavy of a weight, the rod will load too much and have a sluggish cast. If you have the right weighted lure on, the rod will load properly and achieve optimal casting distance.

Things like spinnerbaits, Chatterbaits, and crankbaits fish really well on medium fast to medium/moderate action rods. These types of baits and retrieves lend more to a sweeping hookset where you lean into the fish when it runs a bait down and grabs it from behind.

Rod Power:

There are 3 general power ratings that work best for crankbaits; Medium-Light, Medium, or Medium-Heavy.

Medium heavy rods are best when you want to throw any lure weighing over ¼ of an ounce. You are much more likely to have issues with lures that weigh ¼ 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.

A medium-heavy rod will allow you to fish Texas rigs, smaller jigs, spinnerbaits, vibrating jigs, topwater lures, crankbaits and much more without sacrificing hardly any performance.

The bigger the fish and/or the bigger or heavier the lure, the heavier the Fishing Rod you need. So a heavy action rod would probably have a lure weight range from 1oz and up, while an Ultra-Light may have a lure range from 1/32 oz and up to approximately 1/8oz.

When it comes to choosing what size lure to use, the best strategy is to match the hatch. Typically in the winter and spring, baitfish are smallest, so we use 3-4″ lures. In late summer and fall, the baitfish are at their biggest, so we normally bump it up to a 4-5″ lure.

The Lure Love Podcast has crunched the numbers in its database and determined that jigs, by far, have caught the most record fish of any lure type among the nearly 20,000 records it has on file.

What lure catches the most bass?

Jigs are probably the most versatile bass lure, making them a great place to start when unsure of which lure to use based on conditions. They can be used throughout the year in almost any temperature, whether 50 degrees or 90 degrees.

2) 7' Medium Heavy Spinning Rod: This rod will cover larger worms, senkos, light texas rigs, and even branch into medium topwaters, jerkbaits, etc.

The 7'6' Medium-Heavy is the most versatile rod in its class. We designed it for pulling rattle-traps through the grass. If you want to throw a light Carolina rig, a small swim bait or a mid-Depth crankbait, this rod will get the job done. This is one rod you will want to keep on the deck at all times.

7'3" Medium/Heavy Casting Rod Specs

SUGGESTED TECHNIQUES: This all purpose rod is great for a large multitude of techniques. From Texas rig to Jigs to large Spinner baits, and everything in between.

At 1.5 mph this will put the 8- to 12-foot crankbaits between 12-16 feet, depending on wind on waves. Choose a speed – 1.5 to 1.7 mph is where Whitehead stays and is a common speed for pulling cranks. As anglers get more adept at the tactic, altering speed and line length will be tools they can employ.

The accepted truth is that you should run a crankbait into the bottom, a boulder, a stump or some other object. This makes the bait ricochet, rebound or do something that disrupts its steady, wiggling rhythm.

The correct speed of any crankbait reel is 21 inches of line pick-up per turn of the reel handle.

Weight adds distance

The heavier a lure is the more distance you're going to be able to get on it. That's why you can throw the backing off your reel with an 8-foot crankbait rod and 3/4 ounce deep-diving crankbait, but you struggle to get a small crankbait out there very far on lighter line and a spinning rod.

Using a big jig or crankbait and dragging it is the most consistent way to catch big bass. The general rule of thumb, use a larger lure to catch larger fish. Big fish want to get a full meal if they are going to use their energy.

Can you fish topwater with a medium heavy rod?

Though one rod and reel can't do it all when it comes to topwater fishing, a 7-foot medium heavy power rod with a reel in the 7:1 gear ratio range can do the most.

Beginners can select the right power by the general size of fish they target. Light power facilitates lighter tackle and smaller lures for Panfish and Trout. Medium power handles common lures and rigs sized typically for Bass and Walleye. Heavy power manages larger lures and rigs for big Bass, Pike and Catfish.

For bass fishing, a medium-heavy is one of the most versatile options you can choose. A standard medium also works well for a variety of fishing techniques and a medium-light spinning rod is an excellent option for lighter lures, while still having enough power to land bigger fish.

The length of a fishing rod typically ranges from 6-12 feet, so to choose a measurement for your needs, consider the type of fishing you plan to do, the species you are after and your fishing environment. A good length for beginner anglers is usually around 7 feet.

Jigs are a perfect first lure for baitcaster skipping, as their flat heads and skirts slide well across the surface. Start out with a light ¼ or 3/8 ounce jig like the Greenfish Craw Jig, and practice short, sidearm casts while controlling the spool with your thumb.

Line Strength

It should roughly match the weight of the species you are fishing for (e.g. use line in the 30-pound test for tuna in the 30-pound range). A typical line to cast for trout would be 4-pound test. Consider braided line of 30-pound test or more if you go after large game fish.

If you fish with line that's too heavy, you increase the risk of breaking your rod. Getting the right advice from your local tackle store will take the guesswork out of choosing a balanced outfit and it avoids using the wrong gear for the job.

If you want to stand out, go for lures in bright greens and yellows, which will really stand out. Red Water. In red water, red, orange and yellow lures might actually get brighter or lighter in shade while blues and greens turn dark. So to catch a fish's attention, opt for red, orange, or yellow.

Silver & gold are your main colours. They are your basic colors which will work in all situations. As a general rule, silver is a great color to use on bright, sunny days, where as on darker, cloudy days, gold would be best. Also, consider the water clarity you are fishing.

What attracts all fish?

There are many scents that fish absolutely love and there are many scents that fish can't stand. Here is a quick list of the attractive scents and the ones that repel fish. Attractants: salt, fish slime, fish guts, fish extracts, human saliva. Possible attractants: milk products like cheese, coffee, garlic.

Stick Bait

The legendary Stick Bait is the most popular and fundamental Bass lure ever. Many argue that Green Pumpkin, Cinnamon, and Chartreuse are the most productive colors and we agree. You can work these fattys on just about any soft plastic rig, but the most famous method is the Wacky Rig.

In response to a positive smell, bass generally will hold onto a worm emanating a positive scent for a longer time. This gives you an advantage of being able to get a good hook set and catching the fish. Three scents that appear to be positive scents are salt, anise, and garlic.

Look for weed beds, docks, and bridges. Bass will hang out just outside the entrances to shallow coves if there's a quick drop-off. Also look for any submerged trees, logs, rocks, etc. Once the water starts cooling in the fall, bass will aggressively chase down schools of baitfish.

The cellular composition of the largemouth bass' eye is tuned to respond to two colors: red and green. Bass can see these colors well, and make decisions with high selectivity based on these colors.

However, based on my experience, I can provide some generalities. I would say it takes on average seven to 11 years for largemouth to grow to 10-pounds in regions and lakes that consistently produce double-digit largemouths.

While productive depths during the early summer are dependent on the lake, I like 6 to 12 feet of water. During the height of summer, bass may move as deep as 15 or 20 feet, especially in clear water. Fishing crankbaits along weed edges is a proven summertime tactic for big largemouths.

Answer: Yes!

Yes, bass do have teeth (Largemouth bass, at least). However, while their teeth are nothing like the teeth on a shark, they are pretty sharp and can scrape or cut your thumb (bass thumb) and hand when you're holding one, as your thumb will usually be inside its mouth.

An ultra-light rod will be thin and easy to bend, usually intended for casting light lures and fighting small trout and panfish. An extra-heavy rod will be very thick and rigid, meant for fighting large fish like halibut or tuna, and/or casting or jigging very heavy baits.

Is a medium heavy rod good for crankbaits?

Medium Heavy Fast will work for crankbaits, and many people prefer that rod for shallow running square bills. I recently got a dedicated crankbait rod that is a medium-heavy moderate action. It really is more suited to crankbait fishing.

Hackney suggests a minimum of 7 feet but says 7-4 and 7-6 rods are best. The longer rod picks up line quicker and helps you power fish away from cover. For casting jigs into deeper water, he likes a 7-6 with a lighter tip. Again, the longer rod improves hook sets on fish farther away and in deeper water.

Medium-heavy and Heavy rods handle line over 4lb Test and lures between 3/16–1 1/2 ounces.

Offshore rods are made for pursuing big fish on heavy tackle. They are shorter and stiffer than inshore rods to give you more leverage when fighting larger fish out in open water. Offshore fishing rods are most often made from fiberglass, which is more durable than graphite.

For bass fishing, a medium-heavy is one of the most versatile options you can choose. A standard medium also works well for a variety of fishing techniques and a medium-light spinning rod is an excellent option for lighter lures, while still having enough power to land bigger fish.

If you're just starting out and want a good all around type rod our suggestion would be to look at our selection of 6'6" and 7' medium or medium heavy casting rods. These rods will work well for most techniques and lure types, and as you progress as a bass angler they will always be useful to you.

CRANKBAIT. 12-pound fluorocarbon is a great line for cranking. This gives the crankbait plenty of action because it is not too big. 12-pound test is also thin enough to get the maximum depth out of a crankbait.

Slow. A slow reel is the ideal choice for most crankbaiting. A reel with about a 5:1 gear ratio is going to help you get your baits to their maximum depth and also give you superior feel, so you know exactly what's going on with your lure.

The 8-Weight Rod

This rod is ideal for stripers, redfish, black drum, sea trout, flounder, largemouth and smallmouth bass, carp, catfish, snakeheads, pickerel, bluefish, pike, bonefish, big trout, salmon, small tarpon and can be used for panfish.

The best gear ratio for bass fishing is 6:1 because it's a medium gear ratio reel that covers the widest variety of techniques.

What are 6 6 medium/heavy rods good for?

Use in situations where a rod with more backbone is needed. When fishing fall Walleye or Largemouth Bass this rod will help you when you have a heavier lure weight or you need something a little stiffer to pull through the water. Great rod for deep water rigging.