7 foot vs 10 foot bass fly rods

[bakerboy2222]

After seeing fly rods like the Sage bass rods, Redington's Predator, and Ross's flystik that are all mainly geared toward bass fishing, Ive noticed all are fairly short. They all say this is because bass tournaments don't allow longer rods. I'm confused on whether the length makes a large difference, or possibly hinders the caster's abilities. I fish lakes and ponds on shores without much overhead obsticals, or in kayaks or floats with no obsticals and do not intend on entering and bass tournaments any time soon. For kayak fishing it would seem to make sense to me that you would want a longer rod so you could have a higher point to throw around your line and not have it hit water on the front or back cast. For someone who has no preference to length, and only wishes the best rod, what is better? Shorter or longer?

FYI my intention is to buy a 7 or 8 weight, if that makes any difference to anybody, Thanks to all

 

[Frank Whiton]

Hi bakerboy,

I fish from a pontoon boat a lot and I like a longer rod. For Trout I use a 9'6" 5wt and it works for me. Not because it will keep you from hitting the water on your fore or back cast. A proper stroke will keep the line off of the water, not the rod length. I like the longer rod for two reasons:

1. I can cast a longer distance with less effort.

2. A long rod makes it easier to mend and control your drift.

So don't buy a long rod to keep the line off of the water. Buy it because it is more versatile than a shorter rod. You need to be careful about buying a 10' rod. If there was ever a time that you need to cast a rod before you buy one, it would be with the 10' rods. The long rods I have cast are all over the place. Some have soft tips, some are too tip heavy, some are just right. My 9' 5wt is a wonderful rod. I have one 9'6" 8wt that the tip is too soft. They are the same model rods from Sage. So I would not buy a 10' rod with out trying it. A tip heavy rod is very tiring to cast for long periods.

Frank

 

[bakerboy2222]

Sorry, I didn't exactly mean a 10 foot, more as a number to represent longer fly rods. 9' 6" was the long length I was thinking would be most practical and it sounds like I had a good guess. Thank you much for the response.

If anyone has had the chance to try a shorter 7' 11" or 8'3" Fly right, I would love to hear of your opinions of it.

Thanks again Frank

 

[SkipS]

I do some bass fishing from a canoe and I prefer rods from 8' to 9'.Longer rods feel heavier and put more pressure on your wrist,especially something like an 8wt.Shorter rods are much more accurate for casting to small spots like an opening in the pads or under bushes.I fish an 8' 6wt glass rod thats great for this.My favorite 8wt is 8'8" and I use this for my saltwater game.If you decide to go with a longer rod,make sure you cast before you buy and cast it with the flies you intend to use.

 

[Rip Tide]

In the small weedy ponds that I fish, distance casting is rarely an issue.
What I need is a rod that can cast accurately into holes in the weeds, but also is long enough to be able to mend over the lilly pads that grab your line during a drift.
My compromise rod is a 8'9" 8wt IM6
I'm not saying that's the best length, but for me it's the one that works.

Earlier this year I built myself a 6'9" 9wt that I had planned on using for kayak fishing in the salt. In the past I've had trouble landing large fish on the 9' rod that I usually use, seated at water level
I thought the short stout rod would work better.
Unfortunately the recycled blank had an unseen crack, and the rod never made it out of back yard testing.
I still think it's the way to go and when I find a suitable blank, I'll try again.

 

[Waterboy]

I love my little cabelas cahill 9' 6wt it is perfect for little ponds and the lower ocmulgee where i fish

 

[Dixiejack]

A month ago I bought a Cortland 10' 5 wt. and I am using a Cortland Bass Taper 6 wt. line on it. The action is medium and I can get some distant accurate casts with it. I use it mostly for farm pond fishing. I am happier with it than my Sage Smallmouth bass outfit. Waterboy, you must fish below Jesup.

 

[MoscaPescador]

The modern warmwater rods were designed to make short, accurate casts as SkipS alluded to. A person who uses one is not going to spend time repeatedly backcasting it. It is a pick up and shoot rod.

I'll let this YouTube infomercial speak for itself.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8ghKMLrfIo

MP

 

[Dixiejack]

I agree with you. I fish 2 cypress ponds that are so thick in some areas that I can barely get my 13' gheenoe into. This is where I use my 5' 6" 'lil streamer and my Sage Smallmouth Bass and do a lot of slingshot casting because there is no room to back cast. That is usually where you find the big fish along with the big gators, snakes,and humongous mosquitoes.

 

[BigCliff]

I've got a rod very much like the one RipTide describes that I built up from a GL2 Popping Rod blank. It also likely needs a 9wt line (have to haul like hell with an 8wt to flex it much) but that gets a bit tricky. I commonly fish a longer 9wt and the reel my 9wt is loaded onto doesn't balance well AT ALL on that short rod.

I should probably just track down a cheap 10wt line, cut off 20' of running line, and stick it on an old 8wt STH reel I've got laying around.

RipTide, I think you'd like a Popping Rod blank for what you're after. They've got a soft tip intended to protect live bait during casting, but a stout butt since they're built for saltwater. Makes for a pretty fair short stout fly rod. You can also build it with sliding rings and spin guides and have a dual-use rod that shoots fly line like a mofo.

 

[Rip Tide]

Cliff
Would that be the 7', light action, P841-GL2, or the med-light, P842-GL2 ?

 

[BigCliff]

It wasn't labeled. I found it via going through old stock up in the rafters at the fly shop where I was working at the time. It likely arrived there during the prior owners tenure, putting it prior to '95, I think. The plastic bag it was in had Loomis all over it, and the blank is definitely the matte navy finish found on GL2's. It's actually a 7'6" blank and I would guess its rated for 6-12lb line.

A little research leads me to believe they're not making it anymore, because I really don't think its the p904 rated for 8-17#. That might make an interesting short 12wt though, ideal for throwing quail sized patterns at big pike or snook.

Batson probably makes something that would work equally well, and for much less.

 

[Rip Tide]

Oh, I wouldn't spring for the Loomis, just wondering about the line rating.

 

[Guest1]

if anyone has had the chance to try a shorter 7' 11"

The reason they started making 7'11" rods is because BASS does not allow 8' or longer rods in their tournaments. The one and only reason for such a short rod is if you fish in a BASS (Bass Anglers Sportsman's Society) tournament. If you don't or do not plan to fish one of these tournaments in the future, there is absolutely no reason I can think of to fish these stubby rods. I think it would be fun to go and fish in one of these tournaments and see if you could show up the hardware chuckers.

 

[EastTexas]

I have an 2-piece 8' 6wt that I like a lot better than my 4-piece 9' 5wt.
I kayakfish for bass & panfish. The 5wt stays home 95% of the time.

There is just something about the cheaper 6wt that just feels right to me.

I have even tested the 6wt reel/line on a 6' ML spinning rod - FUN!
(Shot the line out with no problem.)

I just like shorter rods better for spinning & baitcasting too.

 

[BigCliff]

The one and only reason for such a short rod is if you fish in a BASS (Bass Anglers Sportsman's Society) tournament. If you don't or do not plan to fish one of these tournaments in the future, there is absolutely no reason I can think of to fish these stubby rods.

I disagree. While that short for the heavier line weights have some downfalls, they also absolutely excel at some things. They're generally more accurate, allow you to really tug on a fish when needed, and are a bit easier to swing all day.

That said, their short length makes them best suited to only shallower wading, use from a boat, and situations requiring little to no mending of line.

 

[Guest1]

The one and only reason for such a short rod is if you fish in a BASS (Bass Anglers Sportsman's Society) tournament. If you don't or do not plan to fish one of these tournaments in the future, there is absolutely no reason I can think of to fish these stubby rods. /QUOTE]

I disagree. While that short for the heavier line weights have some downfalls, they also absolutely excel at some things. They're generally more accurate, allow you to really tug on a fish when needed, and are a bit easier to swing all day.

That said, their short length makes them best suited to only shallower wading, use from a boat, and situations requiring little to no mending of line.

The last fly rod I built for myself is a 15' 8/9 wt. Meiser Spey rod. I can hit a spot within a foot at 75', and the rod was designed for fish in the 40 lb. zone. Long has harmed me in neither accuracy nor the size fish I can whip into submission. The main problem I have with short is that you can't get the distance with a short rod you can with a long rod. For example, the longest cast I have put a tape measure on with the spey rod is 126'. I have put casts I didn't measure out in next zip code. My best cast ever with a 9' rod never came close to that. It's all about what you want though. If you don't need distance short is not a problem. Where I live it is all big water. Distance is a good thing. Even with casting and spinning rods I like long better. I have not built myself a rod (casting or spinning) shorter than 7' or a fly rod shorter than 9' in years and years.

 

[kevino]

What Big Cliff said.

 

[Sep]

I disagree. While that short for the heavier line weights have some downfalls, they also absolutely excel at some things. They're generally more accurate, allow you to really tug on a fish when needed, and are a bit easier to swing all day.

That said, their short length makes them best suited to only shallower wading, use from a boat, and situations requiring little to no mending of line.

Cliff is spot on here. I wade a shallow, braided river for largemouths. My 7'10" 6wt Predator lets me get in some tight tree lined places that my 9" rods are a bit cramped in. It also has the backbone to horse fish out of or away from cover, like an 8wt (or better), but with the feel of a 6.

And as someone mentioned earlier, not a lot of false casting with these guys. Pull and shoot. Probably great for those float trips that require quick pick ups and placement, though I haven't actually had that pleasure yet.

A specialty rod for sure, but it definitely has its place.

Sep

 

[kevino]

Sep,

What line are you using on that short six wt?

I picked up a Scott Warm Water Special 6 wt used for a song. I've tried it with 6 wt Rio Nymph and Clouser lines as well as Scientific Anglers Bass Bug taper 6 wt and have great results with all.