As you can probably guess, there’s no one perfect rod length for a bass rod.
Instead, the ideal length depends on several factors, specifically your technique.
That’s not to say that there aren’t good compromises available for an all-around bass rod, but if you look at the deck of a pro’s boat, you’re going to see about a dozen rods rigged for different techniques – and the lengths of those rods will vary quite a bit.
But if you’re a one-stick bass fisherman, a good compromise length is roughly 7 feet. With the right blank material, power, and action for your favorite techniques, a 7-foot rod will balance long casts with accuracy, giving you great all-around performance.
If you want to know more about the best rod length for bass fishing, keep reading!
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Rod Length Basics: Blank Material, Power, and Action
All other things being equal, longer rods cast further – but less accurately – than shorter rods. Shorter rods are more accurate but can’t provide the reach or casting distance of their longer alternatives.
But of course, all other things aren’t equal, so let’s break down some of the differences.
Blank material
Three materials dominate the water: graphite, composites of graphite and fiberglass, and fiberglass.
Each has distinct features that make them perfect for different applications.
- Graphite is extremely stiff and sensitive, making it ideal for applications where maximum lure feel is critical. In bass fishing, that covers a pretty wide range of applications from Texas and Carolina rigging, to jigs, to flipping and pitching with options like the Damiki rig. On finesse rods, graphite blanks allow for the ultimate in sensitivity, enabling techniques like weightless Senko rigs, drop shot rigs, Neko rigs, light shaky heads, and other presentations that rely on light lures.
- Graphite/fiberglass composites offer much of the stiffness and sensitivity of graphite. By wrapping fiberglass around a graphite core, this blank material typically casts farther than graphite blanks because it allows for greater loading and parabolic flex. That casting distance can be critical for applications like deep-diving crankbaits, and the softened hookset this material provides is ideal for treble-hooked lures like crankbaits, most topwater lures, jerkbaits, and the like.
- Fiberglass takes soft hook setting and long casting as far as blank materials can, offering a far less stiff alternative to graphite that’s perfect for treble-hooked lures and crankbaits generally. What it lacks in sensitivity it more than makes up for in casting distance and lock-up with a crankbait or jerkbait.
Power
Power describes how much force is required to get a blank to bend. The “heavier” the rod, the thicker it will likely be, and the more force it will take to bend the blank.
For some applications, very heavy power rods are essential.
For instance, when you’re pitching and flipping, casting isn’t going to come into play, but very hard, very short fights are common. And since you need to wrangle a monster out from thick cover before it can get tied up, you need a rod that can really fight.
Another application where you’ll see very heavy rods is A-rigs. Because they’ll often weigh upward of 2 ounces, you need a stout rod to even think about casting and fishing these hyper-effective fall and winter lures.
But when you’re fishing a finesse technique, such as with a weightless Senko that you’re causing to dart erratically – almost like a jerkbait – a heavy-power rod isn’t going to be your friend. It will cast poorly, and since the Senko and hook just don’t weigh enough to get the blank to load, it can’t offer the sensitivity of medium or medium light rod.