Whats A Good "all Around" Use Rod ?

[WildmanWilson 45]

Fished all my life but new to fishing big water bass. I fished Ky and Barkley this year and Im falling in love with it. I only have one rod and reel. I have a Lews SS1H and a 6'6 M action Vendetta rod that I got on sale. I can't buy a rod for every lure like you guys do. I want something that will cover as much as I can. I fished 3/8 football jigs and texas rig brush hogs mostly.

SO...I was thinking of two new rigs. Would a 7 foot MH be a good bet? I am looking at a Falcon Bucco, a Duckett Ghost, or Denali Jadewood. Also...what about the action? Should I get fast or what? Probably will stick with Lews reels.

PS...Im talking baitcast as well.

Thanks

[Bluebasser86 22,139]

Yep, a 7' MH/F will cover a wide spectrum of techniques. 

[smalljaw67 2,159]

Get a 7'  medium heavy power with a fast action, that will let you fish everything with a single hook from jigs to spinnerbaits. You can use the Vendetta as a topwater or jerkbait rod, perfect size and action for it.

[scaleface 5,774]

I use 6.5 foot medium action rods for a lot situations.  

[Senko lover 2,303]

M/H should work, I've heard the Ghost is a great all round rod.

[HoosierHawgs 765]

I use 6.5 foot medium action rods for a lot situations.

Ditto. I usually only go heavier for jigs/plastics.. I sometimes fish a *'6" MH for spinnerbaits, but not often.

[Sam 4,585]

Depends on your height, but a seven foot medium heavy fast action tip will work in almost every presentation.

 

Your selection of brand.

 

If you have a reel to match with the rod take the reel with you to your favorite tackle store and put the reel on the rod to see how it feels.

 

Tackle stores will allow you to do this if you clear the reel with them, first.

[WIGuide 2,338]

Your personal preference as far as length but I'd suggest anything between 6'6" and 7' Medium-Heavy/Fast action. With that rod and your current setup you can cover a vast majority of techniques. 

[aavery2 976]

Pay special attention to the Bucoo, it has been my experience that they are over rated in terms of both power and action. This does not mean that they are not good rods, just need to make the adjustment to get what you want.

[Delaware Valley Tackle 3,794]

I agree that a MH/F casting rod 6'6"-7" is a very versatile rod and second aavery2's point that the terms are subjective. On the opposite end of MH would be say a St Croix Avid which is pretty stout. 

[BaitMonkey1984 318]

I would have to agree with the majority of previous posts, a 7' MH/F action should be the way to go unless you are very short or plan on doing a lot of kayak fishing. In those cases, I would opt for a smaller rod 6'6. Get to the store and see what feels comfortable in your hand.

[jderry 14]

I really like my Powell Diesel 723 for this.

Great all around rod, can be had for about 50 dollars as well.

7'2" MH extra fast

[fisherrw 381]

Phenix m1 mh 7'2

[zeth 117]

MH/F 6'6" or 7' will cover all your bases.  Think however are you fishing more open water or casting to specific targets? 6'6" will allow for more accurate casting.  Personally all my MH rods are 7'2" Phenix M1 models.  If you want to stay lower cost I would look at the Bass Pro Shops rods.  I used to use the Extreme series and they are the best value for the money.  Never had a single problem with any of them.   

[Blues19 141]

I would agree with most people on here. a 6'6"-7'MH rod is probably one of the most all around versitile rods you can get.   Then you will be able to throw darn near anything on your two combos.

 

You said you want 2 combos... Are you fishing from the bank or a boat?  Kentucky and Barkley are very well known for their ledge fishing.  if you are fishing from a boat I would suggest a decent sized cranking rod and a low speed reel for deep cranking to hit the ledges.  If you are not fishing from a boat you may just want two 6'6"-7' MHs.  Thats what I would do anyway.  Kentucky and Barkley are two of my favorite lakes.  YOu are lucky to get to fish those jokers.

 

Based on the fact you are fishing both, I would assume you are somewhat close to Paducah.  If you can get out to Gander Mountain you may wanna check out the *** *** Black rods.  They are a great value.

[Poolshark 144]

A rod rated for 1/4 to 3/4 ounce lures and a fast action. Medium/fast action st croix avid or ltb would be my first choice. A medium/ heavy/ fast action falcon, gloomis or shimano would be my second. I would say seven ft in length. This gives you a little more leverage when fighting fish in cover, setting the hook with single hook lures, give a little more bend when working treble hook lures and a little more casting distance. Those would be my first choices over and over again..... If I only had one. If I had three or four... This would still be where I started.

[Poolshark 144]

I think it is always a subjective question btw. But this would be my opinion with the rods I have experience using. It's really going to come down to what you personally feel comfortable with. It for most people is going to be a 7 ft mh/f. All brands can help You catch fish but there is no industry standard on rod power. And some like st croix are stouter and some like falcon are weaker than the "norm".

[WildmanWilson 45]

I would agree with most people on here. a 6'6"-7'MH rod is probably one of the most all around versitile rods you can get.   Then you will be able to throw darn near anything on your two combos.

 

You said you want 2 combos... Are you fishing from the bank or a boat?  Kentucky and Barkley are very well known for their ledge fishing.  if you are fishing from a boat I would suggest a decent sized cranking rod and a low speed reel for deep cranking to hit the ledges.  If you are not fishing from a boat you may just want two 6'6"-7' MHs.  Thats what I would do anyway.  Kentucky and Barkley are two of my favorite lakes.  YOu are lucky to get to fish those jokers.

 

Based on the fact you are fishing both, I would assume you are somewhat close to Paducah.  If you can get out to Gander Mountain you may wanna check out the *** *** Black rods.  They are a great value.

I fish from a boat. Luckily I have buddies with boats so I get to tag along. I love fishing these lakes.

I ledge fished some last year but I used jigs mostly. I don't even own many cranks yet. I'm learning as I go. I was raised fishing ponds from the bank so this is a big change for me. Im getting the fever pretty bad. Thanks for all the replies everyone.

[AMAC 11]

Well with the rods you mention, it seems like you want to stay in the $100 price point which is understandable. ....the Denali J2 (jadewoods) got a face lift...higher quality components were added and the price point stayed the same! A 7' mh Jadewood would be a great choice. ..since you are wanting to cover a range of techniques im guessing a fast tip will be sufficient.

[JGD 0]

Would the above advice also apply to spinning tackle or no?

 

Thanks, John.