Shorter Rods

[GReb]

Majority of my rods are between 6’8 and 6’10. One of my favorite rods ever was a 6’ Shimano. No telling how many fish I caught on it before the tip snapped 

[soflabasser]

One of my favorite frog fishing rods is a heavy action 6 foot rod. It has helped me catch lots of big bass and is perfect for bank fishing in areas with overhead trees and heavy aquatic vegetation. In places like these accurate cast and strength is much more important than how far you can cast.

[the reel ess]

I would like to qualify my opinion. From the kayak, my idea of pitching is usually a sidearm cast. I either try to cast low enough to get under some overhanging cover or structure or I skip the bait. Sometimes, it's just a one-handed cast. But I'm usually pretty close to the target. Rarely do I flip. 

[fishwizzard]

I would guess about half of my rods are under 7’ and maybe a quarter of them are under 6’6”.  
 

I do a lot of hiking/fishing trips and a 6’X”rod is vastly nicer to bushwhack with then a 7’X” one. Most of my bank spots are marshy and overgorwn, so there again a shorter rod lets me make more casts from more angles then a longer one will.  
 

The only real disadvantage to shorter rods is line movement on the hookset, but I have trained myself to pay a lot of attention to slack line management, which has improved my hooksets overall with any length of rod. 

[gim]

I have a couple rods that are 6'6" to 6'8" but I don't have anything shorter than that.  I use the 6'6" rod for skipping plastics under docks.

 

Some of the muskie rods out there are coming in at 9 feet long.  Its a bit out of hand.  My rod locker won't even hold a rod like that, max is 8 feet.

[Randy Price]

I'm 56 and have seen the increase in longer spinning/casting rods.  I bank fish a lot and most of my multi species rods are 6'6"-7'2".  My musky rods and 8'0"-9'0".  For transportation purposes anything over 6'10" is kind of a pain in my GMC Terrain.

[Catt]

1 hour ago, fishwizzard said:

The only real disadvantage to shorter rods is line movement on the hookset, but I have trained myself to pay a lot of attention to slack line management

 

Shorter rods aren't really a disadvantage, ya just gotta adjust you!

 

Oh by the way you have to adjust to longer rods.

[Mobasser]

I think it would be impossible to know if more fish are hooked and landed these days on longer rods, as opposed to maybe 30-40yrs ago, when rods were shorter overall.                                                        Most guys would probably say that more fish are hooked now. Rods are lighter weight now, which might help with quicker hooksets, and being longer, take up slack line quicker on a hookset etc. But, as far as strike detection, that's all up to the angler, and his own sense of feel. It all starts with feeling the strike, regardless of what length of rod your using.

[fishwizzard]

40 minutes ago, Catt said:

Oh by the way you have to adjust to longer rods.

I have two “frog” rods, one is 6’3” and the other is 7’5’.   At the start of the day it takes me a bit to get used to switching out between the two of them.  

[Bankc]

I really like a good 5'6" pistol grip rod for poppers and spooks.  I also like them for skipping, but usually when I'm skipping a lure, I'm not ONLY skipping the lure, so I rarely use them for that.  Short rods like that should only come in pistol grip, and pistol grip rods should only be short, in my opinion.  

 

So I'll often keep one on me, especially if I'm getting up early enough to chase the topwater bite.  But generally speaking, the disadvantages far out weight the advantages of a longer, split grip rod.  So one is enough.  

 

It is funny you don't see more people using them, however.  Especially with the fad being pushed towards technique specific rods.  There are a few techniques where these rods really shine.  

[Aaron_H]

The shortest rods I own are 6'8" and the longest are 7'2". That's about the longest that I feel dialed into where I can just pick it up and go with no adjustment. I use the shorter rods only when I want to throw a lure where I'm working the rod tip down or if I'm in tight overhead cover, generally prefer ~7ft. My father still has an old Silstar BX-lite 5'6" pistol grip rod that he throws traps on and he loves it, but it's the complete opposite of how I approach the technique.

[papajoe222]

I, too, wish rod manufactures would offer some shorter options. Not only experienced anglers would be a target for purchase, but parents looking to buy a quality rod for their youngsters.  I've made two 5'8" rods for my grandson, both from cut down blanks from MudHole.  He's grown a lot taller since I made them, but still enjoys using them when bank fishing.

[ironbjorn]

6'6" will always feel best to me even though I don't use many rods under 6'9" and most of mine are 7'-7'3".

[bigfishnfreak]

i found the same  to be true, shorter rods are harder to find. i broke a st croix legend tournament  6'3" spinning rod i used it for throwing small jerk baits, i like the shorter rod for the technic , not slapping the boat or water.

i fish it with a lite drag , and mono for stretch, never have a hook pulling issues, with the light wire hooks these bait have.

still searching for a replacement, i don't need a extreme for a moving bait rod .

[QED]

On 8/13/2021 at 7:48 AM, Bankc said:

I really like a good 5'6" pistol grip rod for poppers and spooks. [stuff deleted]

 

Pistol grip casting rods have become something of an anachronism and are extremely hard to find.  Custom or ebay.  I still enjoy using the Shimano colfor (cold forged) aluminum handle graphite and boron pistol grip casting rods.

[Guitarfish]

I had no idea.  I have a couple customs I had built a looong time ago. Pistol grips, still like new.

 

After I move I may sell them off.  They're in storage all wrapped up.

[Big-Bass]

I have a 5'6" Lamiglass G1000 pistol grip that has a Daiwa Procaster SM1A on it.  Makes a great topwater rod.  But for me, it is just a pond outfit.  My dad used to fish 5'6" and 6' Berkley Phazer and Independence pistol grip rods with Ambassadeur Royals and Light Cast 4600CB reels and I thought he was the king of bass!  My first "good" rod was an All Star 6' casting rod I got to go with my Ambassadeur SM 3600C when I was about 13.  I made the jump in about 2000-2001 to a Lowrider 6'6" MH "Herm Special."  When I got my Shimano Chronarch SF, my dad got me a G. Loomis IMX 783C as a gift.  I also still have a Falcon Expert 6' rod that I will occasionally use but it just has a nostalgic value to it.  Nowadays almost all of my rods are 7' or over and that sweet spot is like 7'2" - 7'5" range.

[Hulkster]

one of my favorite spinning rods is the Loomis SJR700 GL3 Mag Light. its 5 foot 10 and totally awesome

 

that being said all my other rods are long. 

 

I have a 7'6 casting rod, 7'5 spinning rod and 8' casting musky rod 

[jtharris3]

I started out when 5'-6" and 6' rod were the thing. Currently my arsenal consists of all 7' rods with one 6'-6" MH for more targeted casting (i.e. throwing spinner baits into tight spaces). I do still have two 6' M Original Lightening rods that I recently got back out just to see how they felt in comparison to what I fish with now. About the only thing that I could imagine using them for would be for small topwater baits (i.e. small poppers).

[Diggy]

I started buying longer rods, now I am going in reverse. Looking for 6'-6'6" rods for bank fishing. I watch mainly JDM videos and the practicality makes sense based on areas that I fish, plus reduced fatigue. I can use longer rods when needed.

[Deephaven]

On 8/14/2021 at 6:24 PM, QED said:

 

Pistol grip casting rods have become something of an anachronism and are extremely hard to find. 

That's because modern reels enable you to hold the reel and rod making the old ackward pistol grip obsolete.

 

When bank fishing the number one thing that frustrates me is being 5' short of the spot on my maximum cast distance.  Best cure for that is a longer rod.  Might have to roll cast instead of overhead or side...but that is better anyways.

[QED]

1 hour ago, Deephaven said:

That's because modern reels enable you to hold the reel and rod making the old ackward pistol grip obsolete. [stuff deleted]

Pistol grips work fine for ultralight and bfs casting.  Full length grips are awkward for these use cases.

[Deephaven]

1 minute ago, QED said:

Pistol grips work fine for ultralight and bfs casting.  Full length grips are awkward for these use cases.

No need for the pistol grip though, just a shorter butt section is fine.  The days of needing the grip to be how you hold the rod are long gone.  Reels aren't big huge round things anymore.

[scaleface]

23 hours ago, jtharris3 said:

I started out when 5'-6" and 6' rod were the thing. Currently my arsenal consists of all 7' rods with one 6'-6" MH for more targeted casting (i.e. throwing spinner baits into tight spaces). I do still have two 6' M Original Lightening rods that I recently got back out just to see how they felt in comparison to what I fish with now. About the only thing that I could imagine using them for would be for small topwater baits (i.e. small poppers).

Thats me exactly . 

[NHBull]

I think that in a couple years, a 7' rod is going to be considered short.  Today a 7'2 is my sweet spot for BC.  <7 will always have a place for CB and TW.

 

All I know is that with new materials a 7'6 jig rod will be my go to for open water bottom contact.

 

On a side note and a bit off topic, I do think it is possible to outcast your hook-set ability?