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.
Action
A rod’s action tells you where on the blank any applied force will cause it to bend. The “faster” the rod, the farther toward the tip that bend will start. “Slow” rods, typically manufactured from fiberglass, will bend along their length, offering lots of springy loading for long casts, but less sensitivity.
Rod Length: How Does It Affect Fishing?
It’s easy to see why tournament winners come ready with an arsenal of pre-rigged rods, ready to go. Ideally, you have a rod on hand for each technique or application, picking the right tool for the job.
And in much the same way that it’s possible to pound home a rail spike with a claw hammer, you’re going to get the job done much more easily with a sledge or maul. Conversely, that sledge is going to make a mess of driving a nail home to hang a picture.
It’s all about the right rod for the technique you’re using.
Length comes into play as it interacts with the blank material, its power, and its action. Most bass rods range from about 6 feet to as long as 8 feet, but within that span, inches matter.
Casting distance
Inch for inch, longer rods are going to load better and cast farther than the identical blank a few inches shorter.
That can make a huge difference if your chosen application is a deep-diving crankbait, and it’s obviously a game-changer when you need to stand off to cast to wary fish.
Accuracy
Inch for inch, shorter rods are going to be more accurate.
For instance, 6-foot rods are perfect for super-accurate casts into heavy cover, where a mistake is going to end up in a snag. If you know that you’ll spend all day trying to hit small pockets of open water in and amongst thick vegetation, you want to reach for a short bass rod.
Leverage for hooksets and fighting
Now that braid is widely available, problems with hookset power weakened by stretch are almost a thing of the past.
But not always.
A longer rod allows you to move more line when you go to set the hook. That helps you overcome and stretch or slack, delivering more power to the hook to drive it home.
Shorter, heavy power rods can still deliver hard hooksets, but inch for inch, longer is better.
And once you have a bass on your line, longer rods offer more leverage, acting more like a spring to provide tension on your hook and transmit power to that tournament winner.
Ideal Bass Rod Length: Compromise is Key
If you’re hitting the tournament trail, you already know that one or two rods aren’t going to get it done.
Instead, you’ll need the right tools for the job, and you’ll have a wide range of rod lengths, materials, powers, and actions ready, including a few spinning setups for true finesse techniques.
But if you’re talking about one rod to rule them all, a single bass rod that can get most jobs done without being truly ideal for most of them, you’d be well-served by something in the neighborhood of 7 feet.
Much longer than that, and you’ll sacrifice casting accuracy. Much shorter than that, and long casts are out of the question.
Of course, length is only one consideration, and you’ll want to pick the blank material, power, and action that fits the techniques you use most.
Final Thoughts
As a one-rod bass angler, picking the right length is all about compromise. You’ll want to balance casting distance against pinpoint accuracy, choosing the right material, power, and action for your favorite techniques.
But if you’re building an arsenal of rods for different techniques, length selection should be driven by the necessities imposed by that presentation. And given the ways in which rod length interacts with the other aspects of a blank, selecting rod lengths that are ideal means a one-size-fits-all approach will always fall short.
We hope you’ve learned something from this article, and as always, we’re here to answer any questions you might have.
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Source: usangler.com