Hey,

 

I am thinking about picking up a 7' 2" curado casting rod but I'm stuck between medium and medium heavy power. Most things i throw are plastic worms, spinnerbaits/in-line spinners, crankbaits, chatterbaits, and lighter swimbaits. Shouldn't a medium power rod handle these ok? I'm not sure if shimano goes a little light on their ratings or they turn out more stout than their ratings. Any advice or user experience would be appreciated. Thanks 

You're asking a lot of one rod, but I'd go MH.

7’2” MH would be your best all-round rod for most things (worms, spinnerbaits, lipless crankbaits, chatterbaits, swimbaits with jig heads 1/4oz+). Only things it wouldn’t throw as well are deeper cranks and smaller inline spinners. I have a Zodias and a couple of Exprides, never fished the Curado rod but Shimanos are pretty true to their rating. 

A medium power can be a fairly light power for a lot of things.  The difference between a medium and a medium heavy can be significant depending what you're doing and where you are.  The two main considerations are the lure weights you're throwing and the cover you're in.  For open water and light cover, a medium is just fine.  If you're around wood or moderate grass (or more) then you might struggle at times.  From a lure weight perspective, both are great in that 3/8-1/2 oz range where they overlap.  If you're throwing 1/2 oz chatterbaits or spinnerbaits with trailers, then you're into the 3/4 oz total bait weight range and the medium is going to struggle there.  If you're throwing inlines in the 1/4 oz range then the MH is going to struggle a little.  Similar for texas rigs.  A zman boar hogz with a 1/16 oz weight is going to be tough on a MH.  A 7" ribbontail with 1/4 oz is going to push the medium's limits (not the least of which is the hook you're probably using).  

 

As noted above, the shimanos in that level are pretty true to rating.  I wouldn't want to throw a pure 1/4 oz on the MH and try to get any type of distance.

for a do it all rod I would definitely go MH 

1 hour ago, casts_by_fly said:

A medium power can be a fairly light power for a lot of things.  The difference between a medium and a medium heavy can be significant depending what you're doing and where you are.  The two main considerations are the lure weights you're throwing and the cover you're in.  For open water and light cover, a medium is just fine.  If you're around wood or moderate grass (or more) then you might struggle at times.  From a lure weight perspective, both are great in that 3/8-1/2 oz range where they overlap.  If you're throwing 1/2 oz chatterbaits or spinnerbaits with trailers, then you're into the 3/4 oz total bait weight range and the medium is going to struggle there.  If you're throwing inlines in the 1/4 oz range then the MH is going to struggle a little.  Similar for texas rigs.  A zman boar hogz with a 1/16 oz weight is going to be tough on a MH.  A 7" ribbontail with 1/4 oz is going to push the medium's limits (not the least of which is the hook you're probably using).  

 

As noted above, the shimanos in that level are pretty true to rating.  I wouldn't want to throw a pure 1/4 oz on the MH and try to get any type of distance.

Thanks for the info. Most of my lures are in the 1/4 to 5/8 max probably. I have not touched anything at 1 ounce or greater. So in that sense do you agree a medium power is ok? 

I've got that exact rod  (latest generation Shimano Curado 7' 2''  M)  and for what you want to do, I would go MH.

2 hours ago, BassSteve said:

Thanks for the info. Most of my lures are in the 1/4 to 5/8 max probably. I have not touched anything at 1 ounce or greater. So in that sense do you agree a medium power is ok? 

 

If you're not around too much cover then you'd be okay.  The main limiation on a medium is power- power to cast heavier lures, power to set the hook with heavier hooks, and power to pull fish away from cover.  If those aren't factors for you and you need to be able to throw a true 1/4 oz, then a medium isn't a bad choice.

19 minutes ago, casts_by_fly said:

 

If you're not around too much cover then you'd be okay.  The main limiation on a medium is power- power to cast heavier lures, power to set the hook with heavier hooks, and power to pull fish away from cover.  If those aren't factors for you and you need to be able to throw a true 1/4 oz, then a medium isn't a bad choice.

Lol now I'm struggling between the 7' 2" or something like a 6' 8 or 6' 10" rod. They say you are more accurate casting with a shorter rod, but between 6' 10 and 7' 2" I can't imagine how much the accuracy increase would be...probably negligible 

7 minutes ago, BassSteve said:

Lol now I'm struggling between the 7' 2" or something like a 6' 8 or 6' 10" rod. They say you are more accurate casting with a shorter rod, but between 6' 10 and 7' 2" I can't imagine how much the accuracy increase would be...probably negligible 

As someone who is 6'3", I notice the 4" if I am fishing something like a jerkbait or popper. 6'10" or less is good fishing a popper from the shoreline, any longer and I might hit the tip on something.

 

If I could have every rod I own be 6'10", I would for this reason.

 

I think I would start with the MH/F and later look at a M/F for lighter lures & treble hooks. Most of what you listed is better on a MH rod.

10 minutes ago, Boomstick said:

As someone who is 6'3", I notice the 4" if I am fishing something like a jerkbait or popper. 6'10" or less is good fishing a popper from the shoreline, any longer and I might hit the tip on something.

 

If I could have every rod I own be 6'10", I would for this reason.

 

I think I would start with the MH/F and later look at a M/F for lighter lures & treble hooks. Most of what you listed is better on a MH rod.

Thanks for your input appreciate it 

I fish rods from 6’8” to 7’4” as my regular set. Lots of similar actions and powers across them. Length gives you a bit more casting distance, shorter more maneuverability. In practice, there isn’t much difference unless you’re at the extremes. I’d pick based on the specifics of the rods in question.