From what I’ve gleaned, it seems that a good jig rod is a MHF to a HF, depending on variables such as weight of jig plus trailer, and whether it’s fished in heavy cover vs open water, etc. Yet a bladed jig seems to call out for a MHMF. Both have large, heavy hooks. Is the difference due to the retrieve?! In other words, is a bladed jig moving faster than a jig, so a moderate action is preferred over a fast to keep from ripping the hook out?

4 minutes ago, BrianMDTX said:

From what I’ve gleaned, it seems that a good jig rod is a MHF to a HF, depending on variables such as weight of jig plus trailer, and whether it’s fished in heavy cover vs open water, etc. Yet a bladed jig seems to call out for a MHMF. Both have large, heavy hooks. Is the difference due to the retrieve?! In other words, is a bladed jig moving faster than a jig, so a moderate action is preferred over a fast to keep from ripping the hook out?

 

In my limited experience, it is a combination of it being a primarily moving bait vs bottom contact, as well as the blade/snap introducing extra pivot points for the bass to get leverage against. These work in tandem to make the lure easier for a bass to throw, and a rod that loads deeper into the blank can help to maintain tension on the fish that would minimize this.

 

I have fished bladed jigs and caught plus sized LMB on rods from MHXF, MHF, softer MHF (all graphite) to a glass MHMF, combinations of those rods with braid and mono, and have found the MHMF glass rod with 15lb Big Game seems to be working the best so far for my applications.

The difference is preference.  Have a look through this recent thread on bladed jig preferences.  My bladed jig rod is actually a bit faster than the rod I normally throw jigs on.  Not because it needs to be but because those are the rods that feel best throwing what I throw with them.  

 

 

A composite/glass or mod-fast action graphite rod is ideal for fishing around and thru heavier grass.... The rebound/slingshot type effect you can get with these rods is better at clearing grass from the bait and triggering strikes.  But it needs to have sufficient power given the hook sizes on most blades jigs.  IMO the composite or glass rods are better than the mod-fast graphite rods because you can keep the rebound effect with more backbone power in reserve.  

 

Plenty of people do fine with a standard jig rod too... It's not a matter of it working or not, it's more of an optimization thing.  

I spent a fair amount of time (and money) looking into this. With bladed jigs and a fast rod I definitely noticed and recorded data that showed I was losing more fish during the fight. There are several explanations for this out there and I honestly don't really know / care why but I personally suspect it's due to the design of a bladed jig and the fact that it swivels a lot more than a traditional jig which seems like it can make it easier for them to shake off. 

 

In my case I tried several rods and sold almost all of them on facebook after trying them out for a bit. Eventually I landed on the 736CB glass from Dobyns. It says it's a fast rod but it's also a composite and I agree with that assessment in that it still sets the hook well but also bends down further than a traditional rod. I personally feel it's the best match for me with this technique. I also suspect others will say a different action is better and this is one of those instances where I feel like we could both be right since there's a lot of other factors (eg. how hard you set the hook or what type of line you are using) that go into it.

 

For jigs the answer for me is easy and I like a traditional fast action rod. The only thing that varies for me w/ those would be the power and that's based on the weight of the lure and where I'm throwing it.

I think there can be overlap. I fish both on a Dobyns Champion 744. It's got a solid backbone on hooksets but the tip section is more forgiving, which can absorb cover deflection from the bladed jig and also load nice for accurate casts. Some of the dedicated bladed jig guys will probably argue you need a setup that can really load up and slingshot the bait out of cover to trigger bites. I think there's something to that but you can also simulate that by just letting the rod load and then giving it a good quick half handle turn to rip it out. As long as it's not too stiff to let you do that, I think your jig rod can do both. 

Its all preference.

I started with braid and a 7' MH F and found those lighter biting fish hard to keep buttoned. 

Going to a 7'3 or 7'4 ture MH (1/4-1oz)  F gave you a tip with some flex and going to FC helped considerably with those skin hooked fish.  

I never had issues with losing fish with a F action, but I had to try a MH MF anyway.  I never found one that had had either enough power in the mid section to set a hook at distance or clear milfoil from the bait.  I found out pretty quick that a 150 or even Shimano 200 in a mid 6 speed outperformed everything faster and slower reels.  I found the 100MM handle to be an advantage as well.  Chopping the handle gives you a hard reel twitch and that I cant seem to get with shorter handles.  

Might try a 7'2-7'4 H M or MF.  It would have glass in the tip, but get to some power relatively quick.