Sub 7' rods

[bassheel]

Are sub 7' foot rods becoming a thing of the past? Many new rods I would like to try but Its becoming harder to find sub 7's. I noticed the higher end market especially.

[Chris at Tech]

Any particular brand you're referring to?  For the brands I fish, I don't have an issue finding 6'6" to 6'10" versions for most.

[new2BC4bass]

I personally prefer 7' or longer casting rods.....as a general rule.  However, I have 6'8", 6'9" and 6'10" rods that I enjoy.  Don't know why that extra 2-4 inches make such a difference to me, but it does.  With spinning rods I prefer the 6'6" to 6'9" lengths.  Maybe because 5'6" to 6' were the normal lengths for spinning rods 50-60 years ago while the 7' or longer casting rods were in vogue when I got into baitcast reels.

 

I do have an old Berkley Lightning that is 6' and still a favorite of mine....whenever I do carry a spinning rod with me.

[Fishinthefish]

6'6" is my go to rod for dock skipping and high accuracy casts.

[A fisher]

Most companies have a 6'6 rod

[HoosierHawgs]

Depends on the technique. It's not as easy to find a 6'6" Heavy Xtra Fast rod, but a 6'6" Medium or Medium Heavy is to hard to find. I use a lot of 6'6"-7' rods because I fish in close quarters shallow cover, the 6'6" rod works great for that.

[pwahmy]

58 minutes ago, HoosierHawgs said:

Depends on the technique. It's not as easy to find a 6'6" Heavy Xtra Fast rod, but a 6'6" Medium or Medium Heavy is to hard to find. I use a lot of 6'6"-7' rods because I fish in close quarters shallow cover, the 6'6" rod works great for that.

X2 

[John G]

The last 9 out of 11 rods that I have bought have been under 7'.

[buzzed bait]

i have no trouble finding sub 7.  i currently have 6 casting combos and 4 spinning combos.  2 of them are 7' otherwise, they are all under.  6'9 is about the sweet spot for me.

[Fishinthefish]

I'm in agreement with them, unlesd I'm punching or tearing grass I don't use anything over 7'3". If I'm punching or working an area with thick cover I'm using a big boy 7'6" or bigger though.

[Capt.Bob]

I use under 7' as much or more than over 7', 6'6" is my most used, and more accurate, if I am casting short and accuracy is my main goal, 6' and 6'6" are my favorites. I want 7'6" to 6' in my arsenal,,, 

[WRB]

I remember when there wasn't a 7' bass rod on the market and had to buy a 7' salt water Fenwick popping rod blank to make a crank bait (plug) rod in the early 70's. 

Bass rods have slowly gotten longer starting with 5' to 5'3" to 5'6" to 6' to 6'6" between the 60's to 80's. It wasn't until Dee Thomas travel east with his 14' flipping rods that rod started to get longer, 8' being the longest a tournament angler can use today.

Flipping changed how bass anglers looked at rods followed by swimbait rods. 

The old pistol grip rod length ended at the reel seat, a 5' 6" pistol grip rod blank was only 5' long. Today's rods end at the butt, the reel seat is mounted onto the rod blank, a 7' rod has a 7' rod blank, so rod makers had to develope new technology to make rods longer, lighter and stronger to meet the demand of 7'+ bass rods.

Bass boats have longer rod storage lockers,the boats have longer front decks to accommodate longer rods, the average bass rod today is 7' and it isn't going to get shorter!

Tom

[roadwarrior]

The only rod I own shorter than 7' is a dedicated jerkbait rig, St. Croix Avid AVC66MF.

 

[J Francho]

I have as many <7' rods as I have >7.  I probably have more 7' rods than anything else.

[bigfruits]

My shortest is a 6' ultralight, longest is a 7'5" jig rod with everything in between. I think 6'8" rods are the most fun.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

There are lots of 6'6" and up. Under that pickings can be slim. There are lots of 6' blanks available in popular bass power/action combos. 

[Senko lover]

6'6-6'8 is where I like my rods.

[blckshirt98]

I'd imagine the 7' and shorter rods would be more practical from something like a kayak where you're seated pretty much the whole time.  A long rod from a kayak I can see myself snapping because of the high-sticking/angle the rod tip will be in when landing a fish.

[J Francho]

I use 8' rods in a kayak with no problem.  Rod angle is rod angle, regardless of length.  Don't high stick it.  A longer rod is easier get around the bow should the fish turn on you.

[soflabasser]

All my bass rods are between 6'-6'6" and never had a need for a bass rod bigger than this.Have a couple rods that are +7' for Saltwater gamefish.

[Bankbeater]

All of my rods are 6'6" except for two that are 7'0".  The ML spinning rod, and the crankbait trigger rod are both 7'0" long.  I like the extra length for getting more distance when I casting from the bank.

[Jeff H]

I've slowly been creeping up in length over the years.  I have 2 rods over 7', 3 at 7' and about 20 others from 6'10" down to 5'6".  This is one of those areas where I'm way behind current trend....as usual.  I'm slow to change what worked so well for me for so long even though advantages are noticeable for some techniques.

[tander]

All my rods are 6'6" except my Carolina Rig and my spinning rod.I fish primary Falcon rods and they have a good selection of 6'6' rods. These seem long to me since I grew up on 5'6" pistol grip rods.

[scbassin]

I have rods from 5'6 to 7'6 and use them all from time to time depending on what type of cover I am fishing.

[Deleted account]

As long as there are Ricos and overhangs, I'll keep my 6' to 6'6" rods. Check the manufacturer's literature. They are being made, but longer is trendy right now, so retailers will devote more floor space (and the Interweb equivalent) to them. I'm 5'8" so other than flipping, I hardly ever use a rod longer than 7' for bass. I do own a 13' surf rod though.