Rod Length

[Mobasser]

I see a lot of questions and comments on rod length, mostly about rods in the 7 to 7.5 length. If I'm fishing in our boat, and can stand up, or sit in an elevated seat a longer rod is probably better for some applications. The last two seasons we've been fishing from our canoe. It's a stable, square back style, and almost 4ft wide in the center. Fishing from our canoe, a shorter rod is definitely better. I carry 1 6ft spinning rod, and 1 5'6 casting rod.  They excell at accurate casting. Some folks would argue that the longer rod takes up slack line on a hookset much faster. This might be true for some, but with the shorter rods, one quick turn of the reel handle will take up slack very well, then your ready to set the hook. The shorter rods seem much faster at hooking fish. With the really long rods, I've seen guys cast much farther than need be.  For moving baits this may be good. But, not for everything. Shorter rods have been on the way out now for several years. The trend has been for rods to keep getting longer and longer. With modern materials, guides, and handle styles, they can make some 7ft and longer rods that are very lightweight. But, I still think shorter rods have a place for many anglers. I hope they don't phase them out all together. Any thoughts or opinions on shorter rods? Do you use one? What applications do you use a shorter stick for?

[BassCats]

I prefer all my rods to be under 7ft except my carolina rig rod. 

[Teal]

Over the last 10 years... I think the industry standard or median length is 7 foot.  20 years ago I thought 6'6 was long and 7'2 was a flipping stick.. lol.  I'm comfortable between 6'6 and 7'6.  Majority of my rods are 7' to 7'3.  I have a couple on the 6'6 and 6'8 side and a couple on the 7'6 side.   It's purely a comfort thing and what's available out there..so I get it that a short rod would def work better in your conoe. I like a 7 footer but some of the specific makes and models that I chose are actually 7'1 pr 7'2 because that's what they have.  If I have to get tech iqye specific with it, I like a bit short rod for jerk baits and top water, and a longer rod for punching and true flipping.  Some times the flipping stick gets stuck on c rig, or swim bait duty if I'm on a bite that has me working a flat or a long point.  Some time my 6'6 topwater rod gets small jig or q finesse worm tied to it if I'm on a do k skipping bite and I want it for a quick back up or a change of lure.  It's all relevant to what you like and what you do. In general, I like a shorter stick for top waters, jerks, and any lure like a spinner bait, fluke, and sometimes jigs and finesse worms.. any thing were it gets a little tight and or if the short rod is easier for me to impart action to the bait.  

[Vilas15]

I've got a 5' UL all the way up to a 9' musky rod. My bass rods all fall between 6'6" and 7', but I am tall and plenty comfortable with longer than average rods. I don't fish out of a kayak or canoe much but I would use my 6'6" spinning rod for that.

[Captain Phil]

Shorter rods have their place.  I use them for fishing hard jerkbaits and topwater lures.  If you need to impart a lot of action to a lure, a shorter lighter rod will help you.  A heavy rod will give you a bad case of "tennis elbow".  I like longer rods for spinnerbaits and rattle traps.  Today's hooks are so much better than we had years ago, you don't need a pool cue for worm fishing anymore.  

[Tywithay]

I just buy what I get the best deal on. If a 6'8" is $50 less than the 7'3", then I'll make it work. I can't recall any situation, at least while fishing, when a couple inches would have made a difference. 

[Angry John]

For jerkbaits I like a 66mf.  For most other duties a 7 ish foot is great.  For deep cranking where bombing a lure is essential to getting down and bottom time a 76hmf gets the nod.  I use all of them from my kayak.  

[Vilas15]

17 minutes ago, Tywithay said:

I just buy what I get the best deal on. If a 6'8" is $50 less than the 7'3", then I'll make it work. I can't recall any situation, at least while fishing, when a couple inches would have made a difference. 

I agree. I think it's ridiculous when somebody says they prefer a 7'2 over 7' in the same power and action. Take the labels off and there's no way they could tell the difference. I do think there's a discernible difference between say a 6'9" XFast vs a 7' Fast but some guys just need to justify having 30 different rods. All this is assuming you're comparing within one brand, since two "identical" rods from different brands can be different.

 

Back to the original post, shorter rods have their place and don't fall for the trap of using what everyone else says just because.

[MN Fisher]

I just stick with two lengths - 6'6" and 7'0". Working from mostly a seated position in my canoe, any longer would be unwieldy and shorter rods, IMO, don't have quite the action I like. And that's from experience with 5'6" and 6'0" rods.

[soflabasser]

Most of my bass rods are between 6-7 feet long. I prefer a shorter rod when bank fishing in a place with lots of trees and other plants.

[Captain Phil]

I don't buy expensive tackle.  I have drawn partners in tournaments that had boxes full of Loomis Rods and $600 reels. They rarely catch more fish than I do.   It's not the rod or the reel that makes a good fisherman, it's what you do with it.  I haven't bought a new rod in awhile.  All my rods came from Bass Pro.  I bought them on sale for $39.95.  The fish don't know the difference.

[Mobasser]

I agree with all said. I think with a longer rod, super light weight is the key. Heavier long rods don't work for me. I have a slower reaction time on hooksets with these rods. Also think shorter rods work best for bank fishing too.

[Bird]

My longest rod is 7'3 H frog stick.

 

I fish from a seated position and find 6'6 - 6'10 a sweet spot.

[Hulkster]

i like longer rods, my two main rods that i use for almost everything are 7'6 baitcasting and 7'5 spinning. i dont own a boat so i am shore and pier fishing and I do notice a longer cast with these rods since I upgraded from a 7 footer. 

[RoLo]

 

Rod length is a difficult property to assess, because rods of different length almost always have different blank diameters and/or different wall thicknesses. For instance, most ultralight rods are built on a short blank, but that doesn’t mean that short rods have less power than long rods. 

On the contrary, when all else is equal, a short rod equates to low gear (power), whereas a long rod equates to high gear (speed). A good all-purpose rod length is 6’ 9”, where a shorter or longer blank might be more appropriate for certain applications. As mentioned above, the overall trend in rod length has been moving up for the last 25 years (I know not why).   

 

LONG ROD

 

> Cast Distance        

           All else equal, a longer rod offers greater casting distance

> Haul Stroke

            A long rod has a greater stroke for hauling fish out of heavy cover (Handy in Florida)

> Hat Retrieval

          The longer the rod, the easier it is to retrieve a hat from the lake ? 

 

 SHORT ROD

> Power        

            All else equal, a shorter rod provides greater power on the angler’s end

> Accuracy

            All else equal, a shorter rod provides greater casting accuracy (Error is less amplified)

> Storage

            The shorter the rod, the easier it is to store (at home, in the car, in the boat)

 

Roger

 

 

[Hammer 4]

Use whatever length works best for you and the conditions. My rods range from 6'9" to 7'9", each has a place and time.

[LCG]

My preference is 6'6" - 6'10". The sweet spot being 6'8"-6'9". I mostly fish from the bank or sit inside kayak, once or twice a year in a boat. 

[Log Catcher]

All of the rods I currently use are 6'0" or 6'6". I use the 6'6" rod for soft plastics and jigs. The rest of them are for crankbaits an spinnerbaits. I still have some 5'6" rods and they are great for topwater walk the dog style baits. I have no need and don't want any rods longer than 6'6'.

[Riverside.bassin]

I prefer my rods 6'6" and up. My longest bass rod is 7'4". I personally probably wouldn't go above 7'4" though, just because I mostly fish from shore with lots of trees or a kayak. It really just depends on personal preference/feel in the end.

[Teal]

Like I said above, my comfort zone is 6'6-7'6.  But I'm really thinking about getting me a 7'11 or 8ft flipping stick to see what the fuss is about!  Seen an older gentleman on Lews Page that I follow on Fb, haul in a 9lb 1 ounce fish on a 7'11 XH flipping stick... now bait monkey is sitting on my shoulder slapping me in the head until I get me one of those 8 footers.  Worse case scenario I'd can sell it.  

Later in the summer I'll be punching alot anyways 

[Bankbeater]

The rods I use for plastics and jigs are all 6’6”. I use a 7’0” for moving baits, and a 7’0” ML rod for finesse applications which are easier to get distance with.  

[greentrout]

when from the bank or in a boat when around open water i'll have my mh/m 7' casting rods ... used to use 6'6'' exclusively but no longer ... still in use but not like the 7' ft rods with fast action ...

 

when on the bank or in a jon boat ... around trees, docks, piers and hanging branches ... with little room for casting ... use the 5'6" pistol grip ... 5'10'' spinning rod ... pistol grip sometimes with a zebco 33 spincast to flick a worm with a soft fall to the bass ... medium and medium heavy ... depending ...

 

good fishing ...

[WRB]

The big jump in fresh water bass casting rod lengths occurred when Fenwick introduced the Trigger Stick. Before that time casting rods were pistol grip rods with 6"-8" handles.

Before the Trigger stick bass rods were 5 1/2' to 6' lengths. The Trigger stick came with 6'6" length, the rod length from the reel foreword was the the same as a 6' pistol grip. 

My 1st 7' rod was a Fenwick popping rod I used as a crankbait rod in the early 70's. 

Tom

 

[FishTank]

I have a rods from 6' to 8'.  I find the 8' rods even on a boat can be hard to handle unless you are in open water.  

 

The 6' rod I have is a St. Croix Avid ML spinning rod and I use it for inline spinnerbaits and 4in senkos.  It's a blast to fish and it's great for using on my kayak. 

[Catt]

Shorter rod are plus bank fishing under trees!

 

My longest rod 7' 3", my shortest is 6', & ideal is 6' 10"