Med/heavy spinning for finesse?

[Coppermushroom]

Was curious as to how many of you use a med/heavy rod for finesse fishing? We are just getting into serious bassing and my 12 year old and I were discussing this. I want to get him a rod designated for finesse but can't decide on action. He swears he can feel bites better on his med/heavy than he can on a medium; however I think the difference is rod quality. The med/heavy is a Lews speed stick and the med is a $20 special.

Rod quality the same who uses med vs a med/heavy for finesse techniques?

Thanks in advance.

[ECobb91]

All In the rod quality, I have a $20 lews rod I use for camping and I can’t feel a thing with it. I bought it since it will just get beat up but it’s to the point where the bass could be swimming away with the bait for a half an hour and if I don’t watch the line I wouldn’t feel the bite. For finesse I’d even shoot down to a med-lite with 10lb-12lb braid and a 6-8lb floor leader

[basscat tyler]

It’s rod quality for sure. Also, there’s really no standard for rod actions. I’ve got some m/h fast action rods that are softer and have a slower taper than some of my composite cranking rods

[Jetboy]

Was curious as to how many of you use a med/heavy rod for finesse fishing? We are just getting into serious bassing and my 12 year old and I were discussing this. I want to get him a rod designated for finesse but can't decide on action. He swears he can feel bites better on his med/heavy than he can on a medium; however I think the difference is rod quality. The med/heavy is a Lews speed stick and the med is a $20 special.

Rod quality the same who uses med vs a med/heavy for finesse techniques?

Thanks in advance.

quality for sure. I like my 7’ 1 med xfast & 6’ 8” med fast tournament legend Saint Croix’s. But I also have a few OKUMA 6’ 8” med fast that are good also for the $.

[sabby]

Rod quality.... I use a kistler medium light for drop shot, and a couple st croix mediums for other finesse applications.

A lighter action rod means less thrown hooks on my experience, but you'll want to use lighter hooks to suit.

[earthworm77]

Was curious as to how many of you use a med/heavy rod for finesse fishing? We are just getting into serious bassing and my 12 year old and I were discussing this. I want to get him a rod designated for finesse but can't decide on action. He swears he can feel bites better on his med/heavy than he can on a medium; however I think the difference is rod quality. The med/heavy is a Lews speed stick and the med is a $20 special.

Rod quality the same who uses med vs a med/heavy for finesse techniques?

Thanks in advance.

The issue lies in what you consider finesse.
I consider myself a finesse angler first.
That to me means 3, 4 and 6lb test and tiny baits with light weights.

I think a MH will break off line that small and you won't be able to cast as far or accurately with such a stiff stick. You also might lose more fish during the fight.
I am using high end Japanese rods designed for this type of fishing and a pair of Dobyns Champs a 681S and 701S. ML is the heaviest I'd consider for finesse applications.
I'm talking drop shotting, split shotting, Neko rigs, wacky rigs, ned rigs and hair jigs specifically.

The more money you spend on a rod, it is highly likely the more sensitive it will be regarding finesse applications. Of course a $20 special will not be the better option for "specialized" fishing.

[RFSims]

Given equal rod quality, the faster the action the more sensitive the rod.

[Walkabout7781]

There is a huge difference from brand to brand, so it's impossible to say exactly. The rod operator can also make up for a rod's poor sensitivity by holding the line ahead of the reel on those "touchy/feely" presentations.

Most of my favorite rods were inexpensive, and my two GLoomis rods seldom go in the boat. Of my most favorite rods, the most expensive was $120. Many of my fav rods are 20-30 years old. A couple are old BPS several are old Shimano, and several are old Quantum. Often, I'll buy a rod that I liked in the store, try it for the intended purpose, and didn't like it for that. But usually, I'll think of another purpose for it, and it becomes a favorite. One of my GLoomis rods really didn't work for me with the initial reel and line, but after collecting dust for awhile, a different reel and line combo got it working really well. That sort of thing apparently happens!

You might try 10 lb test braid on the wimpy rod your boy doesn't like. It should help.