Rod Length,

Another fantastic forum question! Although my all my rods except one are from 6ft to 7.5 ft, I am serious about changing my arsenal to favor rods closer to 7 ft. Worm shaking rods, made popular by Don Iovino, manufactured by Phenix, known as doodle rods were from 5.5 to 6 feet long. Relatively short, but these rods were designed for deep water, vertical fishing. Shaking a worm, moving it slowly along the bottom can be done best with a short rod. It's all about presentation for highly pressured S. Cal/desert bass. Yes a 7ft rod would work, but you tend to fish a little faster(you move the worm too far on a single lift). That was the old tyme philosophy behind the short doodle sticks.

Today, I don't even bring my 55M2 Phenix rod out with me. It's a wall hanger...Excalibur handle, and old school. Very cool. However, as my fishing's changed, I'm learning to fish longer rods more effectively in deep water worming and jig situations.

There are literally 30 rods I'd like to custom create, all with weird odd lengths. Like 6'4", 6'9", 7'2", and every inch increments in between! Bass rods are very specialized. Basically certain baits require a certain rod and reel set up to be fished to their full potential. Longer rods are great for long casts, and the superior leverage in hooking and fighting fish. Think about the different rod it would take to effectively fish a the walk the dog type topwater baits. A Zara Spook is bulky and weighs maybe 3/4-1oz. depending on changed hooks and added split rings. Then look at a Sammy or Megabass bait...they've got plenty of weight to cast, but are a more compact, high performance bait. I'd fish a Spook on a rod with a little more guts than the high performance baits.

I could have 8 rods for just fishing jigs! Pitching, open water casting, flipping, swimming, Yamamoto Jigs, and some as back ups!

I think there is a general trend for bass anglers to take advantage of longer rods these days. You'll never see one with a rod over 8'. Universal tournament rule across the country!

I think 7ft rods in medium to the light side for cranking (graphite) are a wonderful choice. I'm not really into fiberglass, but I'm will to remain open minded!

Bottom line is: Yes you can get by with shorter rods, some prefer the accuracy. I know a longer rod can be just as accurate, combined with the right line size, lure weight, and presentation! If you want to be the best, longer rods are where its at (in my opinion!)

matt