I’m fishing up here in the good old Minnesota and I have spent the fall and winter stacking up my winter gear. I recently purchased a St. Croix Legend X 6’8” Medium Fast. My debate was between a medium or MH. I fish a lot of docks and close quarters and never had any issues with using a medium. But everyone seems to suggest a MH. Thoughts? Was this a good choice or should I reconsider? 

Summer gear* not winter gear*

 

i prefer a medium as well as long as i'm not fishing too heavy of cover. i fish with a lot of 1/8 and 3/16oz weights with small compact baits and the medium allows me to cast these baits much easier than an MH. if you are talking jig fishing though with standard 3/8 and 1/2oz jigs ignore what i said and fish an MH or H

That’s how I felt. Plus the fish here aren’t as big as Florida or Texas. Jigs over 1/4 I almost immediately switch to a MH

 

To me the rod needs to present the lure and ultimately set the hook.  If med works  then you are all set.  If not then you may need to step up or down as needed.

Action depends on who made the rod. I have a Dobyns fury  medium heavy fast action 733c and a kastking speed demon pro medium fast action 7 ft 3in jig worm rod. They have almost the same action. I use both of them for Texas rig.

A lot depends, also as @Russ Ementioned different brand has different definitions of power and taper. All of my Medium rod have different characteristic same as MH. 

I use both M and MH, Medium for when I fish shallow and weight 1/8-3-16oz, MH when I fish deep and cast further out, weight 5/32 - 3/8oz.  This case I also op for 7’1 XF for good hook set.

St Croix rods are usually heavier than there rating. Your medium rod is probably equivalent to a lot of other manufacturers mh rods.

Also depends on the thickness of your hook. If it’s light wire then medium is fine. But if you’re throwing a heavy wire then MH is the bare minimum IMO. I use a medium for shakey heads all the time. ML for neko and drop shot. Match your rod to line, hook, and weight. 

I use a St Croix 6'8 m-xf spinning rod and a 6'6 Mh-f casting rod. 1/8oz weight plus smaller plastics is right in the middle of the spinning rods lure rating. 1/4oz - 1/2oz weight plus larger plastics puts it in the middle to higher end of the casting rods lure rating. Cover also dictates which rod I use. Both are pretty stout and I have never had a problem with either. 

If your in very heavy cover, I'd pick med- hvy. 

You specifically said Texas rigs...for me that is all about driving the hook through the plastic.  When fishing those I don't care if the rod says M or MH on it, I just make sure it has the backbone to drive that hook through the plastic and into the fish's mouth.  I will sometimes use Texas rigs on a M spinning rod if it's just a small, ribbon-tail worm but once I'm into the fat creature baits I'm using a heavier rod.  

Some good answers. St. Croix's rods, by my experience, I'd say

tend to be rated in-between. So a M would be less than another

brands' MH, but more than their M. But it all depends on which

rod and which power.

 

Personally, my choice between M and MH depends on the weight

of the TX rig. I don't like to go beyond the rod rating for the most

part. If, for example, I'm throwing an 8" Mann's Jelly worm, I'll

have a 1/2+ oz and that'll be on my MH rig. Most other stuff is on

a MXF rod.

Thanks guys. These answers are extremely helpful!!

 

Depends on how heavy the cover is in your area. When I fish SW Ohio I never need more than a St Croix M but in Chicamauga TN a MH is the minimum.

I always use a MH or H rod depending on how thick of cover I’m fishing. I normally Texas rig with a Trokar flippin hook, so I want to make sure I get a good hookset on the fish. I’ve tried with M and I missed fish a lot of times. I use Abu Garcia Ike Series rods, and probably 80% of the time it’s the 7’ 2” MH. Every now and then I’ll use the 8’ H though. 

I do my Texas Rigs on a spinning setup - the rod is a M/F Ugly Stick. Never had an issue setting the hook.

On 1/4/2019 at 5:37 PM, Thomas Olson said:

I’m fishing up here in the good old Minnesota and I have spent the fall and winter stacking up my winter gear. I recently purchased a St. Croix Legend X 6’8” Medium Fast. My debate was between a medium or MH. I fish a lot of docks and close quarters and never had any issues with using a medium. But everyone seems to suggest a MH. Thoughts? Was this a good choice or should I reconsider? 

Summer gear* not winter gear*

 

 

Great rod.  It should work just fine. Enjoy.

I'd definitely recommend M over MH for spinning rods assuming you use them as intended. You want a well-bent, loaded spinning rod, and the reel is usually reeling down on line to set up another round in the fight with the rod. 

 

MH would be fine for casting reels since the play is different. For a T-Rig, I'd want a "light" MH, though, unless as others have said you are fishing larger plastics or around matted or thick vegetation.

 

I just picked up a ML Reign spinning rod, St. Croix makes them as best I can tell, that, or they use St. Croix blanks etc. (???) and I took it out yesterday and just found it to be a superb rod. I used it for tossing an Owner Underspin with a 4" Keitech shad, then another time just throwing it weightless on a 3/0 hook. Well, it casts farther than my M powered spinning rods with its little extra bit of spring; and, all of my hook sets buried the hooks very well. I only missed one fish all day, caught 5. So, no issues there. 

 

At 6'6", this ML likely has the power of a 7'0" M anyway as it has a shorter lever fighting the fish.

 

Brad

Medium Heavy for me, no matter the cover. If there is cover or not a medium heavy will have me set. The only mediums I use are spinning rods for drop shot. I don’t like feeling under powered on hook sets.