Does One's Rod Length Affect The Amount Of Fish Hooked?

[bassman1997]

Hello there fellow bass anglers. I have been saving up some of my money so I can buy a new rod at my town's Walmart, and I was wondering if the length of the rod could affect the number of good hooksets, or the number of fish hooked in general. The reel I have is a Bass Pro Shops Mega-cast (Spinning), and I've had it for 2 years, and use 12lbs mono-filament line on it. I'm thinking about getting a Shakespeare Ugly Stik, 7'0" medium action spinning rod. I'm only 5'5 but I'm not sure that that matters or not. I keep loosing fish due to late hook sets with my Daiwa Millionaire Classic casting rod, which is 6'0" in length. That too is a medium action rod. Will this longer, newer rod help me to hook more fish, or is it a matter of improving my reaction time? If possible, respond as soon as you can because I'm buying it either tomorrow night or Friday. Thanks.

[retiredbosn]

Worm rods require a stiffer rod than the ugly stick you are looking at. I use a 7 MH Fast all graphite rod, the Abu rods at the walmart that are in the same price range as the ugly stick will give you better service I believe. I would guess that the hook up problem you are having is due to using a rod that isn't stiff enough. I like a 7 footer as it allows the ability to move more line than a shorter one will, just make sure you are using a quality hook and when setting the hook with a soft plastic try to cross the fish's eyes. Good luck

[MichBassMan]

Well first off the simple answer to your question (Does One's Rod Length Affect The Amount Of Fish Hooked?) in my humble opinion the quick answer is NO. As far as the two rods you speak of, I doubt the ugly stick will be any improvment over the rod you are using. The ugly sticks have a soft slow tip action, ok for moving baits but not great for contact baits. You would be much better off for the same $$$ to get an inexpensive Med Heavy graphite rod designed for the type reel your using(spinning vs casting). It apears in your text you have a very awkward and mis-match combo ie;(The reel I have is a Bass Pro Shops Mega-cast (Spinning), my Daiwa Millionaire Classic casting rod,) Rod length does make some differance in casting,flipping,skipping,etc, as well as hooksets but it's mostly a personal prefferance thing.

And by the way, I'm shorter than you are, of the 10 rods I use my longest bass rod is 6'8". My favorite is 6'3" and I also use some from 5'9" to 6'6". Using these rods Iv'e never had a problem hooking or landing bass of any size.

Good luck and let us all know how your choices turn out.

[BigMoneyGrip]

Try to figure out why you're having late hook sets. Is your reaction time slow, is the rod too slow, is it the stretch of the mono??? Might be a combination of all. I'd figure that out first, before spending more money.

I'd switch over to some fluorocarbon line and see if that helps. It transmits way better than the mono, and I'm sure would help.

[bassman1997]

@MichBassMan, I don't use a spinning reel on my casting rod, I have a baitcaster on that and that is what I keep missing hits is with.

[guest]

I'm assuming you are fishing with a t-rigged plastic worm.

I don't think the length of the rod has much to do with the hook up ratio. The power and action of the rod will. You want a medium-heavy to heavy power rod with a fast to x-fast tip for worming. I recommend a graphite rod of decent quality so you can feel subtle bites. If your walmart carries the abu vendetta rods (mine does) consider a 6'6 - 7' version with the suggested power/action above. If you cannot afford a vendetta (~$80) i recommend saving up until you can, you could give the vengeance a try if you really must have a rod for this weekend.

The most likely problem with your hook-up ratio is technique. You are probably either not setting it hard enough, mistaking non-fish as fish, or waiting too long to set the hook. Purchasing a sensitive rod with a decent backbone and a fast tip will help improve on all three of these areas. You won't be second guessing if you have a bite as much and will be able to react faster. You might want to consider giving braided line a try as well. It will increase sensitivity and hook setting power.

Good luck.