Anyone else making the shift to longer rods?

[breezy]

Nope. I guess I'm the minority here. I love 6'6 to 6'8 rods for pitching and my reaction rods are 7' to 7'3. I think these length rods work well for me for a few reasons. I fish with others a lot and I feel longer rods are harder to move/travel with in my SUV and in and out of my house. I also rarely fish deep/open water, most of my fishing is up close and personal. Lastly, I feel these length rods suit me well at my 5'8 height.

I prefer rods around 6'9-7' for ease of transport also. If I was fishing out of my own boat year round I could see moving towards longer rods but unfortunately that's not the case. It can be a huge hassle to carry 4-5 setups, tackle bag and any other gear every time I fish and the 7'6+ rods just make it more difficult. I really enjoy my 734 when fishing jigs and soft plastics but I'm not sure if the extra length is worth the increased hassle during transportation.

[brokeneye]

first time i ever saw a 6' bass rod in a tackle shop, i thought it was a marketing gimmick.

since then, after years of the longer sticks, guess i've come full circle as well...anymore, the 803 glx is the longest rod i own and the 783 glx and 722 glx are my highest producers.

hell of it is, am not sure i ever missed a beat either going up in length thru the years or coming back down.

[mhood]

My personal sweet spot remains 6' - 6'6". I have several sticks 7' and over and don't dislike a 7' rod but I still love the feel of a CR722.

[RGMatt]

6'6-6'10 is my sweet spot. I do have longer rods too but most of the time I'm fishing those lengths. just fits me well as I'm not a tall guy.

[v3n0m]

I prefer 6'6 to 6'8. I have a BSR852 GLX that is becoming a pain in the @$$ to transport in my truck.

[mobassman]

I prefer to use rods fro 6'8" to 7'3", most of the fishing I do is close quarters so I don't really need to long of a rod.

[SPAZ]

I'm still going back and forth on length. So far 7'3 has been a really good length for me though.

[BB144]

I only started fishing about 4 years ago. My first 3 rods were 2 7' rods and 6'6". Now, I've got multiple rods over 7' despite the 7' rod locker on the boat... I'd have to say the rods between 7'2" and 7'4" are probably my favorites for all around fishing. I also have a 7'6" deep crank rod, and a 7'8" Mike Long jig rod and I love them both. So I'd say, overall, I have been shifting towards longer rods. I still use a couple 7' rods, and on a rare occasion I'll use that 6'6", but I prefer the longer 7'+ rods.

[Smalleyez]

6' to 7' for most. I have a couple longer up to 8.5' for specific applications like jig/bait on wing dams, but 6' - 7' is enough for me if things are in balance.

[georgeweeber]

All my rods now are 7ft and over except for my 66 spinnerbait rods. I use to use a 7'2" cumara for football jigs and now I use a 7'8" mike long jig rod and it is my favorite rod in the boat.

[tracker01]

I can not give up my short rods. I'm in my 60's and retired that tournament thing quite a while back. Now it's a "fun" thing for me and a nice light rod makes it even more fun. 6' to 6'6", just right.

[gundog]

I don't fish much deep water. I prefer 6'6-7' rods. I pitch just fine with 6'8 rods. 7' for carolina rig and reaction baits

[froteur]

i've also been making the move to longer rods. in fact, i recently sold a 6' steez and two 6'7" steez's. the only bait casting rod that i use on a regular basis that is shorter than 7' is my evergreen gunslinger and, even then, i wish it were 7' or longer instead of 6'10". on the other hand, it is among my favorite rods so i keep using it.

i was at the same dobyns seminar as drperf and was also talking about longer rods with gary (maybe with drperf, whom i haven't personally met). gary even recommended longer rods for me and i am 5'2". i like the ability to move more line and even at my height (yes, i AM short) have had no issues with pitching or flipping longer rods (maybe it is just a napoleon complex that makes use longer rods).

my favorite rod, in fact, is my 8' compile-x. i've used it to pitch, flip, punch, throw small swimbaits, frogs, senkos, jigs, crig ....etc, etc.

-perry-

[fishingandfords]

lasty 4 rods bought were 7'2, 7'4, 7'6 and 7'8

[olamagic]

Actually I'm doing the opposite.