FishUSA is very excited to announce the addition of bass fishing rods to the Flagship family! Here at FishUSA, we are passionate about all freshwater species of fish, and bass are high on that list. We have designed four bass spinning rods and four bass casting rods to start the Flagship Bass Rod family.

In this article, we’ll take a look at the overall specs and details of the Flagship Bass Rods and cover what every length, action, and power was designed to excel at.

Flagship Bass Rods Specs Overview

The FishUSA Flagship Bass Rods have been years in the making. Each rod model has gone through rigorous testing from FishUSA staff, Pro Staff, and Ambassadors with the goal of crafting the best possible bass rod available at an affordable price point. After many meetings, tests, and tweaks, we finally feel that each rod is ready for you to go catch ‘em with!

Both the spinning and casting versions of the FishUSA Flagship Bass Rods are composed of a 30 and 36-ton graphite blend. This blend of graphite not only strengthens the blank, but further increases sensitivity by carrying more vibrations through the rod. For more on how blank materials change a rod’s feel, see our guide to graphite vs. fiberglass vs. composite rods.

The Sea-Guide handle is direct-to-blank, further increasing sensitivity and allowing you to feel light bites. The cork is amalgamated both for comfortability and to contrast well with the dark blue metallic finish of the Flagship Rods.

The bass rod’s eyelets are also Sea-Guide. These guides are very trustworthy both for durability and to aid in casting distance. A hook keeper is also placed either above or below the handle of the rod depending on the technique the rod is designed for.

Each Flagship Bass Rod was designed to excel at a specific technique, at utilizing certain baits, or by fishing in a certain environment. Keep reading for the model by model breakdown!

Model Type Length Power / Action Line Lure Designed For
FFSHIP-BC-610-MF Casting 6’10” Medium / Fast 8–14 lb 1/4–3/4 oz Jerkbaits, treble-hook topwaters
FFSHIP-BC-71-MHF Casting 7’1” Medium Heavy / Fast 10–20 lb 3/8–7/8 oz All-purpose: jigs, Texas rigs, moving baits
FFSHIP-BC-73-MF Casting 7’3” Medium / Fast 8–20 lb 1/4–3/4 oz Moving baits, crankbaits
FFSHIP-BC-76-HF Casting 7’6” Heavy / Fast 12–25 lb 3/8–1 1/2 oz Flipping, Carolina rigs, swimbaits
FFSHIP-BS-610-MLXF Spinning 6’10” Medium Light / Extra Fast 4–12 lb 1/16–1/2 oz Drop shot, ned rig, Damiki
FFSHIP-BS-71-MF Spinning 7’1” Medium / Fast 6–14 lb 3/16–5/8 oz All-purpose finesse
FFSHIP-BS-73-MHF Spinning 7’3” Medium Heavy / Fast 6–14 lb 1/4–3/4 oz Power finesse, wacky & neko rigs
FFSHIP-BS-76-MLMF Spinning 7’6” Medium Light / Moderate Fast 4–12 lb 1/16–1/2 oz Finesse swimbaits, hair jigs, spybaits

Flagship Bass Casting Rods By Model

FishUSA Flagship Bass Casting Rods lineup
Bass Casting Rods FishUSA Flagship Bass Casting Rod 30/36-Ton Graphite | Sea-Guide Reel Seat & Guides | All Models
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FFSHIP-BC-610-MF

This bass casting rod measures 6’10”, and has a medium power and fast action. These specifications are ideal for fishing a jerkbait or a topwater bait with treble hooks, such as a spook or popper. Having the correct rod is crucial to imparting the best possible action on that style of bait.

The slightly shorter length allows the rod to be pointed down and twitched with less chance of the rod tip making contact with the water, which would hinder the action of the bait.

A medium power offers enough backbone to allow a hook to easily penetrate the fish’s mouth and to fight big fish, while still offering enough forgiveness to keep treble hooks from pulling. The bass rod’s fast action tip loads up quickly, this is beneficial for two reasons:

  • When the rod is snapped to give the bait action, it’s stiff enough to maximize said action and bounces back quickly, ready for another snap. Your jerkbait can easily be fished as fast as you’d like to fish it.
  • When a fish bites, a strong hookset isn’t needed to drive sticky trebles home. Leaning into the fish loads the rod plenty enough to hook them well.

Other purposes for this rod can include throwing light shaky heads, finesse jigs, or other finesse baits that may preferably be thrown on casting gear. It’s also an excellent rod for blade baiting and close-quarters squarebilling or other super shallow cranking. This bass rod can be fished with line from 8 - 14 lbs.

Angler casting the FishUSA Flagship 6'10
The 6’10” medium fast bows deep, but has a fast tip for great jerkbait snapping action.

FFSHIP-BC-71-MHF

The 7’1” medium heavy fast action casting rod is a jack of all trades. This is the casting rod you need if you’re looking for an all-purpose model that’s suitable for a variety of techniques.

A 7’1” length allows this rod to be appropriate for casting and dragging baits like jigs, Texas rigs, weightless stickbaits and throwing moving baits like spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, and moderately sized swimbaits.

The medium-heavy power is right in the sweet spot of light and heavy to be able to throw a great variety of baits and fish them effectively. The fast action is also the ideal option for keeping versatility in mind. This bass rod can be used with lines from 10 - 20 lbs.

Bass caught on a football jig with the FishUSA Flagship 7'1
The 7’1” Medium Heavy Fast is a great rod for dragging 1/4 - 1/2oz football jigs.

FFSHIP-BC-73-MF

This bass casting rod is 7’3” long and displays a medium power with a fast action. This Flagship Bass Rod was designed to be the versatile moving bait rod of the family. This rod is excellent for fishing chatterbaits, spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, lipless crankbaits, and 6ft+ diving crankbaits.

The medium power offers enough backbone to drive a heavy gauge single hook home and to rip baits out of grass to trigger a reaction strike without getting bogged down. The rod is not too heavy though, meaning treble hooks will not easily tear out of a fish’s face. This bass casting rod is suitable for use with 8 - 20 lb line.

FishUSA Flagship 7'3
The length and action of the 7’3” medium fast make it an excellent spinnerbait rod.
7'3
The rod’s medium power allows fish to get a great hold of the bait before under full load, increasing your hookup ratio.

FFSHIP-BC-76-HF

This is our heavy-hitter bass rod. At 7’6” long with a heavy power and a fast action, this rod was made with flipping, Carolina rigging, and throwing large, but not giant, swimbaits in mind. If you’re a taller individual, this can also be an excellent rod for fishing a frog.

The heavy power allows this rod to drive a large, thick gauge hook home and pull big fish out of heavy cover. The fast action allows this rod enough tip to allow fish to fully get the bait to avoid setting the hook too early while still being able to give a powerful hookset. Since this rod does have a decent amount of tip, we recommend not attempting to use it with larger swimbaits, such as those greater than 3oz. This rod can be used with 12 - 25 lb line.

A common issue with heavy power rods is a weight imbalance, as there is more graphite than typical to give the rod extra power. To help combat this issue, we continued to add weight in the butt section of the rod until it felt as balanced as we could get it. We’re happy with how it turned out and have successfully flipped a 1oz weight for several hours without fatigue! If you’re building a dedicated setup for heavy cover, see our flipping rod, reel, and line setup guide.

Angler setting the hook with the 7'6
The 7’6” heavy fast has plenty of hook setting power to get big bass out of heavy grass quick.

Flagship Bass Spinning Rods By Model

FishUSA Flagship Bass Spinning Rods lineup
Bass Spinning Rods FishUSA Flagship Bass Spinning Rod 30/36-Ton Graphite | Sea-Guide Reel Seat & Guides | All Models
Shop Flagship Spinning Rods

FFSHIP-BS-610-MLXF

This bass spinning rod is 6’10” long with a medium light power and an extra fast action. Those specifications make it your ideal dropshot rod. The medium light power allows the rod to be used with light fluorocarbon leaders when finesse fishing and keeps small hooks pinned when fighting big fish. The extra fast action allows the rod to load up quickly to ensure a good and timely hookset. A 6’10” length makes it very easy to fish vertically and make short pitches. This bass rod is rated for 4 - 12 lb line.

This rod is also excellent for ned rigs, damiki/hover rigs, and other finesse techniques. For a full drop shot rod, reel, and line breakdown, see our best drop shot setup for bass fishing.

Smallmouth bass with FishUSA Flagship 6'10
The 6’10” medium light extra fast handles big smallmouth with ease.

FFSHIP-BS-71-MF

This is the all-purpose spinning rod of the Flagship Bass lineup. At 7’1” long with a medium power and a fast action, this rod is great for a ned rig, damiki or hover rig, dropshot, light tube jig, wacky rig, and just about any other finesse technique you can think of.

The 7’1” length is capable of fishing vertically, making short pitches, or moderately long casts. A medium action isn’t too heavy to fish with light lines or small hooks and a fast action is what you want when looking for a versatile rod. This bass rod is rated for 6 - 14 lb line.

Smallmouth bass caught on a Strike King Z-Too with the 7'1
This smallie fell victim to a Strike King Z-Too on a VMC Boxer Head fished with the 7’1” Medium Fast.

FFSHIP-BS-73-MHF

This spinning rod is 7’3” long with a medium-heavy power and a fast action tip. It’s a power finesse rod, meaning it has the backbone to be fished with heavier tube jigs, heavy ned rigs, finesse football jigs or other styles of skirted jigs, and any other finesse technique where you’d like a little more hook setting and pulling power.

This rod also excels when throwing wacky or neko rigs at docks or brush, as you have a little more power to move the fish away from cover quickly. This bass rod is rated for 6 - 14 lb line.

Big smallmouth bass caught on the 7'3
The 7’3” medium heavy offers the power needed to throw heavy baits deep for big smallmouth.

FFSHIP-BS-76-MLMF

At 7’6” long with a medium light power and moderate fast action, this rod is a crucial addition to any spinning rod lineup. This bass spinning rod is the perfect length and action for throwing cast and retrieve baits where a long cast is preferred. Finesse swimbaits, hair jigs, and spybaits are all great options to be used with this Flagship Bass Rod.

The medium light power has enough forgiveness to be fished effectively with light lines and to not pull hooks. The moderate fast action is probably the most important feature of this rod, though. The rod loads up slowly, which ensures a fish has a solid hold of the bait before a hookset is performed. This greatly increases your landing percentage when fishing with the baits described above. This bass rod is rated for 4 - 12 lb line.

7'6
The 7’6” medium light moderate fast pairs great with baits such as a Keitech Fat Swing Impact on a 1/4oz jighead.

Which Flagship Rod Should I Buy First?

If you’re only adding one or two Flagship Bass Rods to your boat, start with the two all-purpose models: the FFSHIP-BC-71-MHF casting rod and the FFSHIP-BS-71-MF spinning rod. Between them they cover jigs, Texas rigs, stickbaits, spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, and nearly every finesse rig. From there, add specialty rods for the techniques you fish most.

If You Mainly Fish… Start With Why
A bit of everything (casting gear) FFSHIP-BC-71-MHF Jack of all trades for bottom baits and moving baits
A bit of everything (spinning gear) FFSHIP-BS-71-MF Handles ned rigs, drop shots, tubes, and wacky rigs
Jerkbaits & treble-hook topwaters FFSHIP-BC-610-MF Short length keeps the tip out of the water; fast tip snaps back
Spinnerbaits, chatterbaits & crankbaits FFSHIP-BC-73-MF Medium power rips grass without tearing out trebles
Flipping, Carolina rigs & heavy cover FFSHIP-BC-76-HF Heavy power drives big hooks and pulls fish from cover
Drop shot & vertical finesse FFSHIP-BS-610-MLXF Protects light leaders with an extra fast tip for quick hooksets
Heavy tubes, wacky & neko rigs around cover FFSHIP-BS-73-MHF Power finesse backbone to move fish away from docks and brush
Finesse swimbaits, hair jigs & spybaits FFSHIP-BS-76-MLMF Long casts and a moderate fast action that keeps fish pinned

Need help matching a reel to your new rod? Browse our bass fishing reels, or read our best bass fishing rods guide to compare other options.

Frequently Asked Questions

Both the casting and spinning Flagship Bass Rods use a 30 and 36-ton graphite blend. The blend strengthens the blank and carries more vibration through the rod for better sensitivity. They also use a direct-to-blank Sea-Guide reel seat, Sea-Guide eyelets, and an amalgamated cork handle.

The FFSHIP-BC-610-MF, a 6’10” medium power, fast action casting rod, was designed for jerkbaits and treble-hook topwaters like spooks and poppers. The shorter length keeps the rod tip out of the water when twitching, and the fast tip snaps back quickly for crisp action.

The FFSHIP-BC-71-MHF, a 7’1” medium heavy, fast action casting rod, is the all-purpose model. It handles jigs, Texas rigs, weightless stickbaits, spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, and moderately sized swimbaits with 10 to 20 lb line.

The FFSHIP-BS-610-MLXF, a 6’10” medium light, extra fast spinning rod, is the dedicated drop shot model. The medium light power protects light fluorocarbon leaders and keeps small hooks pinned, while the extra fast tip loads quickly for timely hooksets. It also works well for ned rigs and Damiki or hover rigs.

The FFSHIP-BC-76-HF handles large but not giant swimbaits. Because it has a fast action with a decent amount of tip, we recommend not using it with swimbaits heavier than about 3oz. It’s best suited for flipping, Carolina rigs, and frogs for taller anglers, with 12 to 25 lb line. For dedicated big-bait sticks, see our guide to the best swimbait rods.

The FFSHIP-BS-76-MLMF is built for long casts with finesse swimbaits, hair jigs, and spybaits. Its moderate fast action loads slowly, which lets a fish get a solid hold of the bait before the hookset and greatly increases landing percentage with those cast-and-retrieve baits.

The FFSHIP-BS-73-MHF, a 7’3” medium heavy, fast action spinning rod, is the power finesse model. It has the backbone for heavier tube jigs, heavy ned rigs, and finesse football jigs, and it excels with wacky and neko rigs around docks and brush where you need to move fish away from cover.

Conclusion

We have the utmost confidence that you will be very pleased with each of these Flagship Bass Rod models, and are planning to release more lengths and actions in the future. A great amount of testing, thought, and decision-making went into crafting these bass rods, and we believe it shows. Pick one up and see for yourself!

Check out the Wired2Fish review of the Flagship Bass Casting Rods HERE!

Wired2Fish's Jason Sealock with a largemouth bass caught on Flagship Bass Casting Rod
Senior Advisor at Wired2Fish, Jason Sealock, holds up a beautiful largemouth he caught with a Flagship Bass Casting Rod.

Still deciding which power and action fits your fishing? Our guide on how to choose a bass fishing rod walks through every spec.