6'6" rods

[bassheel]

Are the shorter rods like 6'6" slowly going away? I was looking in the 150-200 price range and the choices are becoming lean. I did a rod reach on TW as well. I have two older crucial  Shimano mh/f I wanted add to since I bank fish a lot.

[Darren.]

Hope not! Plenty of us still use 6'6" and below.

 

Though TW doesn't carry many rods 6'6" and 

below based on my checking over the years.

[nascar2428]

Did a quick search on ebay. Plenty of em, you just have to weed through the results. St Croix, shimano loomis just to name a few.

[grub_man]

It's just one of those trends.  The blanks available to custom rod builders are going through a similar phase now as well.  A decade or two ago, finding rods in between the standard 6" increments was pretty rare.  Good rod builders trimmed and extended blanks to develop some technique specific rods, and then all of a sudden the general fisherman began reading about 6'10" drop shot rods, 6'11" pitching rods, 7'3" frog rods, or the 7'11 31/32" crank bait launcher, and everyone had to have a rod of 6'9", 6'10", 7'3", 7'4", etc.

 

Blank makers have latched onto the marketing and it seems like 2" is being added to the old 6'6" and 7' models just to appease the marketers so that they can offer something new or unique to their brand.  I doubt that the 6'6" rod is a dying breed, but they are becoming a bit less common.  The good news is that in another 10-15 years, people will get tired of handling rods longer than they need and the 'new' technique specific rod will be the 6'4" to 6'8" close quarters rod, applying downward pressure to rod length.

 

I know I love my little 5'8" spinning rod for working in close quarters on foot and around docks and such on the boat.  6'6" 6'10" rods are still my preferred length, but moving to a big lake with more open water, I am appreciating the extra casting distance of the few 7' rods I use.

[DINK WHISPERER]

Haven't used one since I was 15 myself. I don't see them much in stores either.

[fishnkamp]

Go look at the G Loomis Bass Classic series.

[Log Catcher]

Bass Pro and Cabelas both have 6/6 rods in their own brands and maybe some others.

[Hulkster]

im going the other way. I just bought a loomis E6X 903c that is 7 foot 6 one piece. I used to love 6'6 rods, now I love the longer ones for doing all the same stuff. go figure.

[Fishin Dad]

I am a fan of longer rods, however, look at FFO if you are still looking.   They have a 6'6" Abu Garcia Villain for $88.   If you really like them buy one, get one 50% off.  2 rods for $133.  These rods retail for $180 each.

[LCG]

I seem to have a strong preference for shorter rods 6'6"-6'10". Maybe because I fish from shore 99% of the time. Sometimes I think of getting a longer rod but then I encounter an overhanging tree branch and remember why I prefer shorter rods. That being said I have never fished with anything longer than 7ft.

 

[islandbass]

4 hours ago, Luke G. said:

I seem to have a strong preference for shorter rods 6'6"-6'10". Maybe because I fish from shore 99% of the time. Sometimes I think of getting a longer rod but then I encounter an overhanging tree branch and remember why I prefer shorter rods. That being said I have never fished with anything longer than 7ft.

 

As a shorebound angler too, 6'6" is practically my minimum length. 7' is my preferred length and as you mentioned sometimes trees and other foliage can get in the way of an overhand or sidearm cast.  So unless I need a mega cast, I just cast underhand (pitch) in tight quarters, regardless of the rod's length, even if it's one of my 8'6" salmon rods. Doesn't matter what is tied on either.

 

You should see the looks on steelhead/salmon anglers faces when they see me underhand cast. They look in amazement and say, "I didn't know you could cast like that. Cool."

 

To the subject, I hope they aren't going away. IMHO, 6'6" is the "middle ground", baby bear rod. Not to long, not too short, but just right.

 

 

[fishwizzard]

16 hours ago, fishnkamp said:

Go look at the G Loomis Bass Classic series.

I just picked up my third rod from the series and really dig them, every time I think about selling one off I can never bring myself to do it.  

[BrackishBassin]

Saw this post today and did some looking (fellow bank beater). Dobyns also offers some of their stuff in the 6’ 6” size. 

[Armtx77]

I use 6ft a bunch, but than go to 7ft, with nothing in between

[fishwizzard]

 I know I’m like a broken record on this, but MajorCraft is almost always an answer to “I want a thing that most American rod manufacturers don’t make”.  

[greentrout]

Man oh man things change with time...use 6', 6' 6" and 5'6" in med. & mh açtion. 5'6" is a pistol grip. Love it. 20-30 yrs. ago Larry Nixon was using 6' rods to slay bass with worms. 

 

Shorter folks don't always adapt well to those long rods...

[burrows]

I like a 6’10 .....

[Brad in Texas]

For kayak fishing where we are often seated and low to the water, I LOVE using a 5'6" St. Croix Medium Power spinning rod for pitching finesse presentations up to about 75 or so feet. I can hit spots that are hard to get to with a 7 footer.

 

The power you can generate, too, is greater with a shorter rod as your lifting point is closer to your hands. So, the power equation with the fish is actually better. I have a 6' MH spinning rod, too, and a short casting rod. I use them all.

 

For making long casts, of course, this is when the additional length comes in handy. The leverage shifts in the other direction. 

 

Note that the Bass pros are now permitted to use up to a 10 ft. (I think???) rod. Let's see what happens when a power bass angler like Kevin VanDam can suddenly make casts that cover another 20 or 30 feet of water. For lakes where power fishing dominates, these super long rods will change results in tournaments I think.

 

Brad 

[craww]

Most of my rods are longer, but theres something nice about pinpoint casting a spinnerbait or chatterbait with a crisp 6'6" MH. I have an older Fenwick HMG that stays in the rotation for that reason.

 

I'm an ok caster, nothing special normally- and not trying to brag- but my buddy is constantly making comments about where Im putting baits with that rod.

[scaleface]

10 hours ago, greentrout said:

Man oh man things change with time...use 6', 6' 6" and 5'6" in med. & mh açtion. 5'6" is a pistol grip. Love it. 20-30 yrs. ago Larry Nixon was using 6' rods to slay bass with worms. 

 

Shorter folks don't always adapt well to those long rods...

When I started bass fishing 5'6"  was the standard . I went to the local tackle shop and ordered  components to make a 6'0" rod and the owner  couldnt understand why I wanted a rod so long .