Short casting rods

[bassman51]

Hello, I'm new to the forum, but have many years of bass fishing under my belt. I grew up using pistol grip rods in the 70's and found them to be very comfortable in a small boat. Obviously, the modern trend is to use 7ft plus rods for most bass fishing techniques. How many fishing veterans still use 6ft or less rods in bass fishing. All my rods are less than 7ft and I feel more comfortable using rods that size today.

[FrankW]

Hi bassman51,

I remember those short rods all the way back to the 50s with steel rods.

I still have two glass rods from the 70s with short handles but not pistol grips. One Heddon and one Garcia. I never liked the pistol grips but did like the short rods. I have one 7'6" flippin rod but just don't like the length. I am much more comfortable with a 7' flippin rod. My favorite length right now is 6'10". It gives me some distance but still short enough to comfortably use around my 17' bass boat. I have one 6'6" rod that I do a lot of pitching with. If I had to choose between short or long then short wins hands down for most applications.

Frank

[mhood]

There'll always be a soft spot in my heart for my six foot rods.

[JDLaman]

I am in full agreement with Marc. I own many 6'6" - 7' rods, but I will always enjoy and never part with the 6' rods in my collection.

[buster 2900]

I also remember the metal rods of the ‘50’s. I had a 6’ Heddon casting rod I used for many years (grew up bass fishing in the Midwest and never had a rod longer than 6’). The Heddon rod was fiberglass and had a detachable handle. It was the only rod I had as a kid. I still have it, and this 6’ rod is very special. I’d never part with it.

But yes, I have three modern 6’ rods I occasionally use even now for inshore fishing.

[smalljaw]

I have 3 rods that are 6', the majority are 6'6" to 610" however I have started getting more 7' rods as I add to my collection. For me the short rods still serve me well on the small boat when fishing the river, I'm often trying to hit small spaces from a seated position and long rods don't work as well for those tight spots.

[Teal101]

I have a few sub 7' rods, none under 6'-6" though. I have a 6'-6" MH Veritas spinning I use for skipping under docks and flipping/pitching thats spooled up with some braid.

[bassbandit]

I've got a 5'6 Fenwick HMG pistol grip rod that I fish quite a bit. Love fishing topwaters and shallow crankbaits on it. Love how it seems to fit my hand perfectly and feels like an extension of my arm.

[Johnny A]

I've got a 5'6 Fenwick HMG pistol grip rod that I fish quite a bit. Love fishing topwaters and shallow crankbaits on it. Love how it seems to fit my hand perfectly and feels like an extension of my arm.

You're bringing a tear to my eye in remembrance of my old Fenwick 5'6" pistol grip. I currently use an EG Pantera 6'2", no pistol grip, for topwaters and other surface baits. Megabass had several short rods including the F2-57X "Reservoir Dog", a true classic.

[PancakeFace22]

Just the other day I dug out a 6' St. Croix Legend Elite that I bought just because it was really cheap a couple of years ago, and decided to give it a try.

Now I have used it at least some on every trip since then. It's so light that it barely feels like there's anything out past the reel seat when holding it. Plus the short length and high modulus graphite make for a super sensitive rod.

I prefer rods in the 6'8" to 6'10" range for most techniques, but I do love my 7'1" Cumulus and 7'7" NRX 916.

[MediumHeavy]

The Japanese market has many sub-7 foot offerings. I was just fishing with 7' and 6'10" sticks yesterday and even though it's only 2", the shorter rod felt a lot more comfortable. I'd never used a rod over 6'6" until a handful of years ago. I'd love to find a great short multi-purpose rod to use, actually. But I'm done buying gear for a while.

I have this really short telescopic travel rod and reel combo that is really fun to catch bluegill on.

[jigapig]

I have a 6'3"team daiwa s topwater rod that I use all the time. And I use a bunch of `6'6'' zillion rods. I like these size the best for all techniques.With the exception of my6'11' skeet reese spinning rod. That thing is nice for senkos.

[lil_man72]

I started fishing for bass with 6'6" rods, then switched to 7'. I don't like long rods for certain applications. Now I use 6' to 7'6" rods.
I think a 5'6" or 6' still has its place for rolling lures into tight spaces.