Right now I have a finesse spinning setup and a medium/fast action micro guided duckett paired with a revo premier. I've been considering purchasing a medium heavy (possibly heavy) bait caster for my heavier baits and the thicker cover I tend to find myself fishing on a regular basis. I like my rods and reels to be versatile and able to handle a variety of baits/fishing situations. I am hoping some of you will share your favorite rod/reel combinations. I have been looking at quite a few different casting rods and so far I am interested in the shimano cumara, powell endurance, and st croix mojo bass rods. As for the reel I love my abu garcia so I might be waiting until september to get the new premier but I am open to anyones suggestions. Thanks for reading!

Powell Powell Powell. I cant stress my love for them enough.

The 704C will be exactly what you need, and will be a nice addition to your arsenal.

If you havent read it yet, check out my review here : http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/104608-powell-max-review/

pair it with your reel of choice and some 50 lb braid for that heavy cover, and you've got your self a killer combo.

I think the cumara is going to be being revamped. , there were some great deals on them awhile back.

I would recomend looking at the Denali's. I've been really impressed with every one I've tried. Great customer service as well.

Powell Powell Powell. I cant stress my love for them enough.

The 704C will be exactly what you need, and will be a nice addition to your arsenal.

If you havent read it yet, check out my review here : http://www.bassresou...ell-max-review/

pair it with your reel of choice and some 50 lb braid for that heavy cover, and you've got your self a killer combo.

Thanks BASSclary. I read your review and I'm almost sold. I especially enjoyed the part about lifetime warranty . Have you had good experiences with their customer support?

I think the cumara is going to be being revamped. , there were some great deals on them awhile back.

I would recomend looking at the Denali's. I've been really impressed with every one I've tried. Great customer service as well.

Revamped meaning the prices of current cumaras will drop and I should snag one on sale? Or the current cumaras are in need of some improvement. I was looking at the 7'11" ones and it seems like it may be overkill. I'll check out Denalis tonight thanks bud.

Thanks BASSclary. I read your review and I'm almost sold. I especially enjoyed the part about lifetime warranty . Have you had good experiences with their customer support?

Well, I havent had any experience with customer service, except talking with the owner about which model would be best for me !

I havent had to call them about a problem, but if I did i'd imagine the customer service would be top-notch, and I believe other who have used them said the same things.

I can vouch for the 6'8" MH Cumara. Light, sensitive, and strong. I cant yet vouch for the powell max but next week I will have my 704c and will let ya know

I love my Cumara 7'2" MHF. Pretty versatile rod. Very sensitive as well. No idea what if any improvements they may be making to the Cumara line.

Do you guys think Medium Heavy or Heavy is more applicable to my specifications. I just want something thats not going to feel like I'm pulling a fish through the cover.

That is dependant on where you are fishing and what you are fishing. A MH is just about all I need for pitching to docks or laydowns. If I am going into any grass and there is a possibility of losing a fish in there I would bump it up to a H.

I haven't had trouble pulling fish out of my waters with a medium. It's just that when I am constantly bending and whipping my rod tip back pulling through the thicker cover I feel like I lose a lot of the rod sensitivity because its too weak/whippy the grass in my area. Also, I want a rod that can handle throwing my larger buzzbaits, square bills, jigs, texas rigged worms, and possibly carolina rigs that weigh anywhere from 3/8th to 3/4th oz. So based upon those variables I am wondering what the better call will be. Trying to throw something that heavy on my medium feels like I am reeling in a fish every cast.

I think you would be happy with either one. Look at the weight specs and match that to what you will be throwing. If you already have a M, I would get a H just so I can cover those bases. Read some reviews and let us know what you decide.

Haha, I was reading reviews and watched the tackle warehouse video and he picked up the medium heavy I was considering and said its perfect for texas rigged larger worms and a 3/8th to 3/4 oz jig... so I suppose that answers my question..

Adding to my last post..

I am curious as to why the Powell rods seem to be rated for lighter rigs than shimano MH rods or st croix. It says the the MH Powell I am looking at is for a 1/4-3/4oz bait and the others are rated for up to a 1oz bait. The same goes for Powells heavy rod witch goes up to 1oz where as competitors allow for up to 1 1/2 ounces. I am thinking that I might as well get something that can handle the heavier baits for more versatility in the long run..

The reason Powell rods are rated a little lighter is the fact that they have the XF tip, which will aide in casting lighter lures. Using a 1 oz weight will be a bit much for the XF tip on a MH. It will handle them fine, but if your going to throw 3/4 more than a 3/8, go to the heavy. More 3/8, go towards the MH.

Thats also something I was wondering.. all of my current rods have a fast action tip. The extra fast tip means that the rod will have a stiffer backbone and flex at less than one third of the rods tip when I set the hook correct? Both the MH and H are rated for a bait that weighs as little as 1/4oz. So perhaps going with the Heavy which is 7'1" vs the MH which is 7'2" (random difference) is a better call incase I want to be more confident when throwing a heavier bait. I just want to make sure I have all my bases covered as I can't physically hold a Powell until I purchase it and have it delivered... bummer.

I am also worried that with and xfast rod tip vs a fast I will not be able to maintain a proper amount of tension on the fish as these rods tend to return to a resting point very quickly.

Do yourself a favor and get the Powell endurance 714C. Its 7'1" H powered rod that is sick...can double over to cover a wide variety of techniques. I own this rod as well as a Croix Avid 7' MH/F, Dobyns Savvy 734c, and Phenix Recon 764. The powell is the most versital. It can do anything!

Thats also something I was wondering.. all of my current rods have a fast action tip. The extra fast tip means that the rod will have a stiffer backbone and flex at less than one third of the rods tip when I set the hook correct? Both the MH and H are rated for a bait that weighs as little as 1/4oz. So perhaps going with the Heavy which is 7'1" vs the MH which is 7'2" (random difference) is a better call incase I want to be more confident when throwing a heavier bait. I just want to make sure I have all my bases covered as I can't physically hold a Powell until I purchase it and have it delivered... bummer.

I am also worried that with and xfast rod tip vs a fast I will not be able to maintain a proper amount of tension on the fish as these rods tend to return to a resting point very quickly.

In your case then, i'd go with the H. Yes, the tip will recover a bit faster. It's not like your going to just stop reeling and give the fish alot of slack, as long as your reeling in the fish, the rod will bend past the tip, and into the mid section between the backbone and the tip.

Do yourself a favor and get the Powell endurance 714C. Its 7'1" H powered rod that is sick...can double over to cover a wide variety of techniques. I own this rod as well as a Croix Avid 7' MH/F, Dobyns Savvy 734c, and Phenix Recon 764. The powell is the most versital. It can do anything!

Still my one worry is the extra fast tip.. is it easy for your to maintain constant tension on a fish while fighting it especially in open water?? I like these rods a lot so far. I just wish they came with a fast action tip like the rest of the rods in its price range.

Still my one worry is the extra fast tip.. is it easy for your to maintain constant tension on a fish while fighting it especially in open water?? I like these rods a lot so far. I just wish they came with a fast action tip like the rest of the rods in its price area.

Its completely easy to maintain tension, just fight the fish like you normally would.

Ok.. I think Im going to go ahead and throw down the bills for either the MH or H Powell Endurance. I'm going to sleep on it and order it either this weekend or monday at the latest. Thanks for your help BASSclary, smr913, Bass_Fanatic, and everyone else. Hope all goes well with this as I'm pretty excited.

One more question: Do you guys own Powell rods in a MH or H? Is the MH stiff or is the H more like your typical MH blank? I just want something that I can throw shallow cranks, topwater, and jigs/texas rigged plastics and Im stuck thinking the heavy might be too much of a heavy jig rod and not something more versatile. Thanks.

Edit: I am going to call Powell on Monday and talk to them and get their opinion as well... I don't know why I didn't think of that last week ._.

I have a 6'8" mh and its pretty true to rating, MH. I would get the MH for what you listed above.

The Heavy is nice for really big baits, and heavy cover, buts its just not as versatile.

I have a 6'8" mh and its pretty true to rating, MH. I would get the MH for what you listed above.

The Heavy is nice for really big baits, and heavy cover, buts its just not as versatile.

Yeah Im thinking the same right now BASSclary since I don't think I have a lure heavier than 1/2oz anyways...

Do yourself a favor and get the Powell endurance 714C. Its 7'1" H powered rod that is sick...can double over to cover a wide variety of techniques. I own this rod as well as a Croix Avid 7' MH/F, Dobyns Savvy 734c, and Phenix Recon 764. The powell is the most versital. It can do anything!

To me the 714C is so versatile because it is really a MH, not Heavy, although I personally like a Fast action rod for all-around work. I have several MH rods from different manufacturers. Most run 1/4-1 oz. which is what the 714C is rated at. An older model XMLTi MH is rated for 3/8-2 oz. If this rod can handle 2 oz, then it would make a Heavy for me since I don't currently throw any lures over 3/4 oz.

Is the Extra Fast rating a true rating? I can cast further with a Fast tip which would seem logical to me since more of the rod is loading. And before someone tells me accuracy is more important, I agree.

To me the 714C is so versatile because it is really a MH, not Heavy, although I personally like a Fast action rod for all-around work. I have several MH rods from different manufacturers. Most run 1/4-1 oz. which is what the 714C is rated at. An older model XMLTi MH is rated for 3/8-2 oz. If this rod can handle 2 oz, then it would make a Heavy for me since I don't currently throw any lures over 3/4 oz.

Is the Extra Fast rating a true rating? I can cast further with a Fast tip which would seem logical to me since more of the rod is loading. And before someone tells me accuracy is more important, I agree.

It's true to rating, or really close to me.