Medium-heavy
Also called MH, med-heavy
The most common bass rod power, one step up from medium, with the spine to drive a worm hook and pull a fish out of cover.
Medium-heavy is the default answer in bass fishing and the reason most step-up rods carry that label. It casts baits from about 1/4 to 1 ounce, handles 10 to 20 pound line, and has enough stiffness in the lower half to bury a hook point in a soft plastic and then turn a fish before it reaches a dock post.
It also has more feel than it sounds like it should. A stiffer blank transmits more, so a medium-heavy rod picks up the difference between a rock, a stick and a bite better than the softer medium under it.
What it does badly is small. Panfish jigs, tiny crankbaits and light trout spinners do not load it, so the casts fall short and the fish feel like debris. Treble hooks also pull free more easily on a stiff rod, so crankbait anglers often step back down to a medium with a moderate action.
One medium-heavy spinning or casting rod covers Texas rigs, jigs, spinnerbaits, frogs and swimbaits. That is most of a bass box.
Related terms
Where this comes up
The guides that use medium-heavy and show it on real gear.
Medium-heavy is one of 206 terms in the glossary.
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