I've noticed that over the years the average length of fishing rods has been creeping upward
Back in the day, the average rod was 6 to 6-1/2 ft long, but today it's more like 7 to 7-1/2 ft long
Rod length has very little to do with angler height; only one exception comes to mind:
When working a jerkbait with downward strokes toward the water, a 5-1/2 foot angler with a 7-1/2 foot rod
will be smacking the water. Aside from that one exception, rod length has little to do with angler height,
but everything to do with the job at hand. Based on the trend toward longer rods,
anglers are aware of the advantages of a longer rod, but a shorter rod offers several important benefits:
=> Leverage:
This is the most controversial advantage of a short rod, but it’s not my law it's the law of physics.
The longer the rod, the more leverage you give to the fish (for example, the 5-ft strokers used for standup tuna fishing).
=> Sensitivity:
As the rod length approaches hand-lining, the greater the sensitivity (the same reason why some lay the line over a finger).
=> Cast Accuracy:
Based on the law of 'accumulation-of-error', the shorter rod offers more casting accuracy (left & right)
=> Water Clearance:
As noted above, this is only important when using downward strokes, for instance with a Zara Spook.
=> Rod Storage:
Short rods create fewer storage issues than long rods (at home, in the car and in the boat)
Roger
