I picked up a 7' M/F Carbonlite in a trade last year and now I'm having some trouble putting it to use. I expected it to be similar to the Abu rods (i.e. under rated) but it's not. The Clite has a very soft tip and is more similar to my Dobyns' rods than Veritas etc. It's similar to my SS733c with less backbone, so I would imagine it's close to a 702c although I've never handled one.

Currently have a Patriarch LP spooled with 10lb fluoro on it and have been fishing shallow cranks, shaky heads and small t-rigs/jigs. The problem is any shaky head or t-rig heavy enough to cast easily with a baitcaster seems to overpower the rod. It works OK with shallow cranks but more often than not I find myself wanting a little more power.

At this point I leave it at home quite a bit, which is a shame because the rod is light, balances perfectly, very comfortable and sensitive (for its price). I've thought about putting some mono on to use with poppers, jerkbaits, flukes etc. Still, the majority of my jerkbaits are flashminnow 110s and pointer 100s, and at 5/8oz are at the max lure weight of the rod. I believe it would work with my zell pops and pop-r's but I'm so used to using a 6'6 rod for topwater it feels awkward.

So before I sell/trade this rod I thought I would see what others would use this rod for. I really like the rod and hope to put it back into regular rotation so any suggestions would be appreciated.

7' m/f is my favorite power/action in a BC rod. I tend to fish lighter baits and I have mostly all open water so my MH rods don't get much use. I have cranking rods so I don't usually throw cranks on my 7' m/f rods although they work OK for that use. I do use them for light- to medium-weight soft plastics; lighter buzzbaits, spinnerbaits, chatterbaits; etc. Also, it's a great rod for 1/4 & 3/8 oz lipless cranks (depending on the rod - 1/2 oz lipless as well). Of the four 7'm/f rods that I have, the two most sensitive (Loomis GLX and SC Avid) are mostly used for soft plastics, the other two (SC Premier and BPS Extreme) are my workhorse, do-it-all rods - one of them is always in use for something.

I have the same rod and have no trouble at all using it for light t-rigs (4" worms with 1/8 oz weights) and 1/8 oz shaky heads. Perhaps it's more of a reel problem than a rod problem?

I too would look to use the rod for light soft plastic action. I agree that it is a tad bit too long for topwaters and jerkbaits as I too prefer the 6'6" length for that. I would use this for light soft plastics or shallow cranks (which you already do). Perhaps the rod is just not what you prefer, powerwise for any of your techniques.

I have the same rod and have no trouble at all using it for light t-rigs (4" worms with 1/8 oz weights) and 1/8 oz shaky heads. Perhaps it's more of a reel problem than a rod problem?

I agree that you need to look at the reel. I prefer spinning tackle for finesse fishing, but a deep claening and lube to maximize your reels effeciency is not a bad idea.

7' m/f is my favorite power/action in a BC rod. I tend to fish lighter baits and I have mostly all open water so my MH rods don't get much use. I have cranking rods so I don't usually throw cranks on my 7' m/f rods although they work OK for that use. I do use them for light- to medium-weight soft plastics; lighter buzzbaits, spinnerbaits, chatterbaits; etc. Also, it's a great rod for 1/4 & 3/8 oz lipless cranks (depending on the rod - 1/2 oz lipless as well). Of the four 7'm/f rods that I have, the two most sensitive (Loomis GLX and SC Avid) are mostly used for soft plastics, the other two (SC Premier and BPS Extreme) are my workhorse, do-it-all rods - one of them is always in use for something.

I generally fish a lot of open water also which factored into my decision to pick up this rod, I didn't think I would need the extra power. The weather this year may just be messing with me though...with all the rain we've had the submerged brush has been driving me crazy I'm sure if the lakes were at normal pool I would be fishing much lighter cover and therefore picking up the lighter rods more often.

I have the same rod and have no trouble at all using it for light t-rigs (4" worms with 1/8 oz weights) and 1/8 oz shaky heads. Perhaps it's more of a reel problem than a rod problem?

I'm sure it's much more likely to be my thumb. I usually have a trick worm or hag's tornado on a shaky head and I can cast a 1/4oz shaky head + worm reasonably well. It's just easier on spinning gear (especially <1/4oz) so that's what I use the majority of the time. If I were to actually spend time casting lighter lures I'm sure I could train my thumb a little better.

I appreciate all the feedback, mainly I wanted to see what everyone else used similar rated rods for so I could confirm I was using the 'right' techniques or try some new ones. Until about 3-4 years ago I primarily fished for striper and at times think I may still be stuck in that mindset. It's really not necessary to have a heavy rod in open water when your average bass is less than a pound

A weightless trick worm and 2/0 offset round bend hook weighs right at 1/4 oz. Your reel should be capable of casting that a decent distance. Maybe it's due for a bearing flush and relube?

I know it's not a popular choice, but I have a Hibdon Supercaster 800SX spooled with 30# PowerPro on my 7' MF Carbonlite, and it'll cast a weightless trick worm an impressive distance with very little effort.