Been looking for a new casting rod for a while now, and thought I would take advantage of the upcoming TW sale to buy one. The Daiwa Tatula and *** *** Black 2 caught my eye, but I'm leaning more towards the Tatula because of its wider weight ratings. 

 

I plan to use the rod as an all-arounder: some frogs in light cover, spinnerbaits, squarebills, soft plastics, jigs, and topwaters. Most of my gear is in the 3/8 oz. range. I was wondering, would a Medium or Medium-Heavy Tatula be better suited for these applications? Is there a significant weight difference?

 

PennBass

I have the Tatula 7' MLR and the 7'2" MHR.  Naturally the 7' blank is a little thinner.  I would assume it weighs slightly less.  A significant difference?  No.  Either Med. or MH will handle 3/8 oz. just fine.  More to the point is what kind of cover will you normally be fishing?  Open or light cover, then either will work.  Heavier cover I would opt for the MH.  Obviously either would work in heavier cover as well, but you'd most likely lose a few more fish with the Medium.

 

I have the older Black in a 7' 3" MF with the same ratings as the new models.  Normally I never test the range of weights a rod will handle.  Mike from DVT will tell you that most rods are best suited for weights in the middle of their rating.  I have a feeling the Black will handle 1/2 oz. with aplomb.    I'll put 3/8 oz. on either.  A 1/2 oz. on MH.  a 5/16 oz. on Medium.  My ML is rated 1/4-5/8 oz. and handles a 3/8 oz. spinnerbait with ease.

 

Now if you are looking for as light a set-up as you can get, then opt for a Medium and mount the 5.7 oz. Helios Air or 5.9 oz. Primmus on it and enjoy. 

Id go with the Medium Heavy , i have the medium , and the medium heavy is goign to be a more all around rod for what you're looking for.  love that rod,  only stopped using cause bought 4 Megabass rods

Tatula 7'1" mh extra fast is a great all around Rod. Can handle a lot of tasks. Very responsive rod too.

The Black in a Medium range (I have a 7'3") isn't a very good frog rod or plastics....but excels in spinnerbaits, lighter cranks up to 1/2oz and topwater. I'd opt for the MH. Can't give an opinion in the Tatula rod though.

I have 2 I just got from Cabelas I will sell you if you are interested. I have not even opened the shipping tube. I ordered them and decided to go a different route.

I have a 6'10 MH Fast that I have used for everything at times. I love it !

Daiwa will be excluded from the TW sale unless you call in and they give you the discount. That said you can find the Tatula rods for around $100 with a simple Google search. Your asking the rod to do a lot of things. Def look into the 6'10MH.

BPS had them for $99 yesterday. Not sure if still on today..

I second the 6101MHFB. It's 3.7 ounces, balances just right with a tatula reel, and would be great for all the techniques you listed.

I would get the 6'10" MH or the 7'1" MH. The medium could probably handle 3/8 oz baits just fine, but I would still recommend a MH rod. It just handles that size of bait better