Pikeman12

I have been originally fishing like this with an old medium heavy 6'6 shimano fightn rod. What do you guys think of the Fenwick HMX/HMG? It seems like it has the length im looking for in medium heavy and can throw up to 1 oz.

Thanks for the input. I am glad to hear these rods will be fine. I wish the mojo yak came in shorter lengths as well, and I am kind of surprised they don't. Regardless, my first impression was that bass rods wouldn't be able to hold up to bigger fish, but obviously that is not the case.

A couple guys have suggested the St Croix Mojo inshore in a medium heavy. https://www.tackledirect.com/st-croix-mojo-inshore-casting-rods.html Seems like a good option.

Honestly I’m going for whatever bites . Just putting a large live roach or small cut bait and see what hits. That’s why I figured a med heavy rod would be sensitive enough for smaller fish but be able to haul in a 15 lber or little more if I happen to hook it.

I am honestly open to anything at this point. Most people are telling me to just find a med heavy bass rod with a good backbone if all im looking to do is hold a live bait rod on the kayak. What do you have in mind?

Hey guys I am looking for a rod for kayak/canoe fishing. Here are some things I am looking for in it: Medium Heavy (this rod is for sitting with a bobber or light bottom rig with live bait alongside my kayak.) Length: 6- 6'6 Sometimes on a canoe with 2 other people so i would like it to be shorter. Weight: Plan on attaching at most a 1 oz sinker to it plus bait. I plan on pairing this with a daiwa BG 4000. Will most likely be using 15 lb mono or 60 lb braid. Again i dont plan on casting too many lures, mainly live bait, as i float down the river lol. I know most bass rods would be fine for this so I am looking for opinions on some of the more durable ones for this type of fishing. Thanks again guys! Tight Lines!

Hello guys, I am looking for a rig that is going to be used for throwing live bait on bobbers. Should I just be looking at medium heavy bass rods? I don't have a specific species. Usually we go and pick up large roaches or catch some bluegill to use as bait and throw it on a bobber and wait for anything to hit on the river while I have a bottom line out somewhere else. I'd imagine any rod would be fine for this, but figured i would ask in case there was anything specific that would work better. Thanks guys, tight lines!

Tacklewarehouse has something called “the rod mule” . My cousin uses it and all we do for the most part is hiking to bank fishing spots and canoe fishing. Of course we pack lighter when we go on the canoe, but his rod mule carries all his cat rods and bass rods without a problem.

Even the big game isn't even expensive. Very affordable.

The only moderate rod i have is an okuma celio light moderate. funny tho, lure rating goes up to 5/8. It was given to me by someone, think it was just used for trout or something. But yeah bass pro around here didnt really have much in medium moderate

I love my okuma celios. 30$ rod, caught tons of bass on it. Love it. Used to have a pflueger trion on it, but its a light and i was able to find a nice shimano stradic 1000 for free to slap on it. One of my favorite setups honestly.

I used that cheap zebco omnicast in 15 lb mono just for a quick light catfish rig that i only use live bait on and it was fine for what i did with it, but i wouldn't use it ever for throwing lures. I barely want it on the live bait rig, but i have just been too lazy to change it lol

Hey guys, thanks again for all the help. Decided that I am gonna go with a Pflueger president for my first low profile baitcaster with a med heavy rod. Gonna use it for frogging and throwing bigger lures in general. Thanks for the insight guys!

How heavy of lures are you guys throwing on your med-heavy bcs?

Gotcha. My main spinning setup is a 7' medium/fast st croix with a shimano sustain 2500 on it. I use 20-30 lb braid most of the time and the sweet spot has been throwing 3/8-1/2 oz. I figured anything under 3/8 is pretty much ultra lite fishing lol.

So up to what weight of the lure is it considered finesse fishing?

So what size lures separate finesse from not? Would it be everything under a half oz? I plan on getting a lefty like I did with my catfish reel which is a round shimano Cardiff. I was planning on just going with a mh duckett with a pflueger baitcaster reel

Well I am in the northern Illinois area and we do have a lot of areas with tough cover and Lilly pads and weeds. Which is why I figured a med heavy would be good. I generally don’t throw anything over 1/2 oz, but now I might be looking to start, I am considering a baitcaster. I was just wondering if me using spinning gear would make it a lot tougher for me.

I feel you guys. I like to pack real light since I’m usually hiking the rivers. So if I can get away with carrying 2 rods, a medium spinning and a medium heavy baitcaster, that would be perfect

First off thank you for all of the amazing feedback. I should mention I’m not totally unfamiliar with baitcasters as I use 1 for catfish, but as far as casting lures go, totally unfamiliar. I’m thinking a medium heavy would be good for the heavier lures over 1/2 oz and could be used as a top water rod at least.

Hey guys, I have used spinning setups my whole life, very comfortable with them. Im usually throwing lures no heavier than a half oz on either a med/fast or med heavy/ fast spinning setup. Am I really missing out by just using these? I know high gear ratios are nice, and being able to throw big lures is great, but can spinning setups not be used for everything? I'm not tournament fishing, I just fish a lot. Been thinking about this because I am planning on buying another setup.

Hey guys So I am going to try carp fishing for the first time tomorrow. I never actually targeted them, just caught them randomly on night crawlers. I am told I am supposed to use corn, but what size hook is usually preferable? Also, what other baits are sure to work? Maybe something larger to avoid bullhead snatching the corn? I wont have enough time to purchase a hair rig, so will a catfish rig or a bobber work as well? I will be on a boat on the Chicago River. Thanks guys!

You see I was under the impression that a Muskie rod would not work well for cats because of the stiffness. Any models you can suggest that might do well for both?

Bump. So I am thinking out purchasing a bps catmaxx rod. It's a great rod for big fish(caught a 55lb sturgeon on my dad's) and I believe the tip is stiff enough to where it could be used for Pike and Muskie. Also, it is a medium heavy, and I believe if I get it in 7' or 7"6, it would be great for casting lures as well. Any feedback guys?

Hey guys, I just ordered a left handed shimano cardiff 401 today. Felt really good holding it at bass pro so I went home and ordered it for a lot cheaper online. This is my first baitcaster. I am planning on using it for Pike, cats, and anything of bigger size I can. I was thinking a medium heavy okuma evx. Does anyone have any feedback on this? I could save a little more and get a mojo Muskie, but kind of want to stick around the 100$ range. Thanks guys!