Long Rods

[OntarioFishingGuy]

The longest rods I see commonly used for bass fishing are 8 footers, sometimes a little longer for swimbaits and such, but this past fall I tried a 10'6 steelhead rod with a Senko and was pleased by how well it handled the lure and by how much casting distance I was getting. So my question is, why don't people use such long rods for bass fishing? Is it because bass generally associate with specific structure and cover, so a shorter rod offers better casting accuracy?

Any insight would be appreciated.

[Ozark_Basser]

Give it another twenty years, and I bet we will be. At least, for deep water applications and what not.

[Dwight Hottle]

I think the long rods are best suited for bigger waters from a boat. I have many times used 8.5 foot steelie rods with 7 foot rods while fishing for smallies. Long rods on the outside with shorter rods on the inside for a bigger spread while covering water.

[FloridaFishinFool]

Just today I took out my new 7'11" IROD and casting it with one hand was uh, difficult to say the least. The longer rods are not as well balanced, and can cause muscle fatigue much faster. You really have to be in shape and have strong muscles to use one to its maximum effectiveness. I am now 50 and not as strong as I use to be and it was more difficult for me. 

 

I noticed trying to get my accuracy dialed in was more difficult. I was throwing off by at least 10 degrees or less with one more foot of rod.

 

Another forum member here also tried it out and he was using two hands to cast with it.

 

Longer rods require more physical strength. Or they will wear you out fast!

[Ozark_Basser]

Also there is the rod locker aspect. I don't think bass boats make a locker that long.

[Dwight Hottle]

Once you get to 8.5' foot rods or longer they are two piece.

[QUAKEnSHAKE]

I think tourny wise 8' is the limit??? so if youre a bass angler wanting to compete your your rods wouldnt be allowed.

I have an 8' spinning rod that is 3.6ozs I use for senkos spinnerbaits small cranks once accustomed to length accuracy isnt hindered. It is my favorite stick for senkos now.  Ive also used 9-10' crappie poles for bass launching spinnerbaits senkos but mostly the length helps me reach over shoreline brush thats on embankments of certain lakes I fish. 

[Angry John]

Locker and bass rules are what I think. The fatigue aspect is something to consider. Lake fishing might be OK but I would pass on over 7 for smaller rivers.

[Bluebasser86]

Most tournaments have an 8' length limit so that would be on potential reason. Rod lockers not holding rods that long like others said would be another potential reason. 

[Fishinthefish]

Personally I feel incredibly awkward trying to handle a long rod, especially in a small little 22 footer bass boat. I'm always afraid I'm going to smack someone off the back of the boat. I prefer the 6'10-7'8" rods.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

Common tournament rules limit length to 8'. Anything much longer will be two pieces to fit in a locker but I can see too long being cumbersome with two in the boat. As for fatigue I spend 10 hr days wading steelhead rivers with a 13 footer and I'm admittedly not in my prime conditioning wise. Working on changing that though. lol

[Jeff H]

I just bought an 8' rod for bobber fishing, and am thinking of getting a 10' for same.  Helps keep line off the water for controlling drift.  If tournament rules allowed 10' rods, you'd see a lot more being used.  Competition anglers will go with whatever they're allowed and find a way for it to be an advantage.

 

This IS why I'm starting with 8' for the bobber rig, so if I do enter an event I can use that if I want to.

[ChrisWi]

I've used my steelhead float rod for dragging tubes. 8' 6" ML. I'd like to say I missed a few fish because of how spongy the rod is, but using braid would probably eliminate this. I could bomb a tube with a 3/16 head pretty far with that rod.

[Poolshark]

I do a lot fishing from a boat where distance isn't something I think about often. But fishing from banks which I do often as well l... I tend to favor my longer rods. There is always spots I'd like to reach but can't with shorter rods. I am considering purchasing a longer rod for that reason. It wouldn't be an issue fishing crankbaits and spinnerbaits, but I can see how it would be fatiguing for bottom contact lures.

[Big Bait Fishing]

I have evolved into using nothing but longer rods, I use mostly 7'10" rods for everything , I am gonna have a 9' swimbait rod built in a few weeks !! I am 6'1" and am 220 , longer rods feel very comfortable, better casting and for working lures .

[matuka]

Back in the day, when bass tournaments were fished out of boats that didn't even have rod lockers, Dee Thomas was kickin some serious bass with a rod somewhere in the eleven foot range. He was "tule dippin", a method which morphed into flippin as we know it. Competitors were complaining so much that tournament organizers had to ask him to use a shorter rod. They were afraid that pros wouldn't compete in they're events where Dee continued his method. He complied,(to his mutual benefit) and fairly arbitrarily picked a seven and one half to eight foot rod to keep every one happy. And so came the rod length limit that most tournaments adhere to.

[SirSnookalot]

I don't care to fish with anything longer than a 7' rod for bass.  I don't need the distance that an 8' or longer rod will give and I don't I get as good a hookset.

I use 8' rods all the time just not for bass fishing.  Longer rods have longer butts, IMO harder to handle for bass.  I fish out of a center console boat, an 8' rod is a bit awkward if there is a bimini top.  I use my longer rods only for fishing the surf and off jetties.

[fishballer06]

I can imagine putting a 10.5 foot rod in a 17 foot boat would be a bit tricky.

[WIGuide]

I'm thinking I'm in the minority here, but I'm not a fan of longer rods. I've only got a few over 7' and it'll probably stay that way. I think a lot of it has to do with the way I cast. The majority of my casts are one handed and I roll cast a lot. If you factor in the length of the rod and my "go go Gadget" arms, it makes casting with them a little cumbersome. One of my short friends uses rods mostly over the 7'2" range and I can almost as far as him with a 6'6" (within feet) that he can plus I'm getting the nod on accuracy for the shorter casts so I'm happy. 

[Penguino]

Longer rods are good for distance casting, but are not as good as shorter rods for exact placement of lures. The distance they have causes them to have less accuracy.

[cadman]

I as well do not like long rods. I've tried several and I find I have to use two hands to cast it. I bought a 7' Daiwa Tatula rod, and I love the feel of the rod wish it was more like 6'-6 to 6'8", then I could control it better. To each his own. I'm only 5'6, so maybe height has something to do with this as well.

[OkobojiEagle]

... float & fly rods

 

 

oe

[SirSnookalot]

An 8' rod is a ball in the surf but we are not pulling fish out of heavy cover, IMO a shorter is more rod efficient for that.  Longer rods are pretty accurate, but not to targets the the size of a tin can lid.  There is always discussion about "moving a fish around", a shorter rod with the same power I think does a better job.

Fatigue and soreness can be an issue with a longer rod, I don't think too conducive for certain bass techniques.  Longer rods a really nice in open water, the nature of the way they are casted is actually less tiring, they are long flowing casts letting the rod do the work, not snap casting.