Is 7ft the best all around length?

[LCG]

I think it depends on the person, how you fish, and where you fish. I am am 5'10" and mainly fish from the bank, a kayak, and sometimes a boat. I have found the sweet spot to be 6'8"-6'10". I think it's more about feel than anything else. YMMV

[Fishes in trees]

best for what?

[NittyGrittyBoy]

23 hours ago, Grim_Reaver said:

If you could only have one rod length to do everything, what would it be?

@Fishes in trees

[Angry John]

What is the purpose of the exercise.  Do we have a minimalist with a decent budget, or a young kid who only has money for one rod.  Is transportation the issue or assembled length the cut off? What is my primary type of fishing? If I choose 7' does that mean I'm fishing an ugly stick.  I fish 6'6" to 8 foot and no desire to fish the new super long rods.  If I could only have one rod it would be my st croix 70mhf sc5.  It's the rod always with me.  

[J Francho]

11 hours ago, Fishes in trees said:

best for what?

[redmeansdistortion]

I'll admit, when it comes to bass, I can be pretty unconventional when it comes to what gear I use.  I do tend towards rods in the 6' to 7'6" range, but something must be said of using a longer rod for smallmouth.  My favorite rod to use for pre-spawn smallies is an 8'6" Lamiglas 1/4oz-3/4oz steelhead rod.  I wade along the shores of Lake Huron, and that longer rod with the slower action will really put your bait out there, even a smaller 1/4oz tube jig.  I can cover much more water in that situation than my friends that usually fish with 6' to 7' rods.  Plus it makes for a more fun fight.  Once the smallies are post spawn and in deeper water, I target largemouth with my shorter rods.  I caught my PB smallie on Muscamoot Bay (back when you could wade it) with a 9' light power Guide Series spinning rod with 6lb mono.

[J Francho]

31 minutes ago, redmeansdistortion said:

something must be said of using a longer rod for smallmouth

Two things I can think of.  I catch smallies in current using my centrepin rigs.  They are 11-15' long, and work well for the same reasons you cite.  Back when we soaked softshells, leeches, or crawlers on split shot rigs for smallies, an 8'+ slow action rod was preferred.  You could lob the live bait rig pretty far, without whipping the bait into the stratosphere, and the rod acted like a big shock absorber, keeping the tiny hooks pinned.

[redmeansdistortion]

9 minutes ago, J Francho said:

Two things I can think of.  I catch smallies in current using my centrepin rigs.  They are 11-15' long, and work well for the same reasons you cite.  Back when we soaked softshells, leeches, or crawlers on split shot rigs for smallies, an 8'+ slow action rod was preferred.  You could lob the live bait rig pretty far, without whipping the bait into the stratosphere, and the rod acted like a big shock absorber, keeping the tiny hooks pinned.

That's my favorite thing with the slower action, keeping the fish pinned.  It helps immensely on the rivers because you have a much better chance of steering the fish away from logjams and such.  

[Khoa Vu]

When I see "all around", I think it has to be optimized for good enough accuracy and distance, and that's probably has to fall somewhere in the middle of the pack in terms of rod length. We see rods from 6'6 to 7'6 being the extremes on both ends nowadays, so 7' is a good middle ground, in my opinion. Long enough for distance compared to 6'6 rod, but short enough to still be accurate. 

[wisconsin heat]

On 2/11/2020 at 10:52 AM, NittyGrittyBoy said:

Only one rod? Easy gimmie a 6'6 all day

Same. I love my 6'6s. Both spinning and casting. I like them better than my 7's and 7'+s  for accuracy in a kayak or from the bank around trees and brush and whatnot.

 

Once upon a time I had a 6'8 spinning and a 6'10 casting but both of them, the tips broke off relatively early in their lives- so not much experience with anything between 6'6 and 7'. A little extra length might be nice, so If I build myself a custom rod, I'll probably try for something in between 6'6 and 7'.

[dodgeguy]

One rod only would be 6-6.

[Bankbeater]

Most of my rods are 6'6".  I have a couple that are 7'0", but the shorter rods are easier when your walking through brush.

[galyonj]

On 2/11/2020 at 11:25 AM, J Francho said:

I want my 6' pistol grip back.  That rod was cool, like a 7', but with a short handle.

My firs baitcaster back in the late 90s was a 6 or so foot pistol grip combo. It's long gone now, but I learned a whole lot about how not to use a baitcaster with it. lol