, a light rod that only weighs ounces or a balanced rod with the reel and rod weighing the same?

A lighter rod of the same power will generally be more sensitive. Typically when people speak of balace they are referring to the feel of the rod when held in a fishing position. This could be descibed as tip-heavy, butt heavy or neutral. IMO keeping the rod as light as possible and with a comfortable grip size and length produces the best performance.

Balance is everything!

Is a rod that has a heavy "butt" better or should the tip be the the part thats heavy?

Is a rod that has a heavy "butt" better or should the tip be the the part thats heavy?

It depends. Of the two, I would prefer the butt heavy rod for tip-up presentations. I would prefer the tip heavy rod for tip-down presentations.

What I was referring to is I Got my Powell 702 Rod for finesse fishing from TW and it seemed a little butt heavy, I;ve never had a but heavy rod before..

What I was referring to is I Got my Powell 702 Rod for finesse fishing from TW and it seemed a little butt heavy, I;ve never had a but heavy rod before..

Really? Where's the balance point w.r.t the reel seat? Admittedly, I haven't fished a 2 power Powell spinning rod; but I have had the 733 and the 703.

Here's a pic of the balance point of the 733. See how far forward of the reel seat it (balance point) is. That makes it a tip-heavy rod.