MY rod

[Dano2]

I was wondering if my rod is long enough, heh!
I bought another berkly rod today,
a 6' casting style, med. heavy action, mainly for when using
heavier bottem bouncers. (2-3 ounce)
Now, I started thinking, is this long enough.

I have another berkly lightning rod spinning style in the med. action that suits me just fine for jigging or trolling rigs, and thats 6' as well, so thats why I went with another 6'.

whats yur opinion, and dont tell me to ask my wife.

[This message has been edited by Dano2 (edited 08-21-2003).]

[Northlander]

I prefer a longer rod. I hardly ever go less than 6'6" for anything. Even have a 8' Avid for live bait and slip bobbers. Mostly I use a 7' for spinners and bouncers. I like the added give in a longer rod. Jigging I like a 6'6'' med/lt or med. My 2 cents.

[can it be luck?]

Dano, You need to get at the least a 7' rod, better yet a 7'6"-8'6" for this type of fishing. Wimpy rods are useless when used for 2-3oz weights,trolling, or fighting heavy fish/tackle. To be honest with you I dont even know what kind of rods I have! I keep my boat and equipment in my brothers pole building, so I can't run out to check. I own 9 rods for this type of fishing, and probably about 25 other spinning,spincast, and other odd and end rods. I also have a bunch that are used for parts. A lot of times I supply all the rods when I fish, I can't expect everyone to have what is needed for the type of fishing I choose. Just show up with clothes and snacks and I take care of the rest. I made some nice ice poles out of some broken rods. Rods for bottom bouncers,trolling,planer boards, must have backbone. Sometimes they are hard to find. There are a lot of rods out there that are very "soft", I cant stand them. I like them with backbone at least 1/2 way up from the butt.

[Guest]

Yep I agree. You need to get a longer rod. You could start with a 6'6", but i like a 7' or maybe even a lil longer rod at times.
For jiggin i like a 7' med or med/heavy if castin cranks or for heavy jigs and a 6' or a 6'6" for light jigs. When I fish by myself I have about 6 to 8 different rods in the boat. They range from heavy baitcasters to ultra lite spinning rods.

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Fish ON!

[can it be luck?]

A 6' rod is not considered "wimpy" if the rod is stout. Longer rods give you better "feel". They also absorb a lot of the stress of the fight, and are more "forgiving". A rod is a tool in fishing. A long rod will allow you to "dip down" when a big fish makes a run and will take a lot of stress off your line, as well as working like a shock absorber when trolling or running heavy weights. I do remember you haveing problems while useing 2oz bottom bouncers, if I remember right, you said you could not feel the hits because of the weight of the BB.

[This message has been edited by can it be luck? (edited 08-22-2003).]

[Dano2]

Makes great sense, thanks.
I took the one back and will be going to a different store to find a longer one, they didn't have a longer one in the kind i wanted.

[fisherdog19]

Longer rods are not only more forgiving but they give you extra leverage for better hooksets. With the added length you can recover more line with the hookset incase there is some slack line. This is especially important when slip bobber fishing. I use a 9'6" light action steelhead rod when slip bobbering, it is much easier to set the hook even if there is some slack line out, it also absorbs alot of shock when the fish makes a surge. I don't use a rod that is less than 6'6" in length.

Fisherdog

[can it be luck?]

Dano, I have a hard time sometimes finding the right one, shop around some. Fleet Farm usually has some decent ones. You dont need to spend BIG bucks for a rod used for what your talking about. You can find something for under $50. Fisherdog makes some great points also. Longer rods are better, IMO.

[This message has been edited by can it be luck? (edited 08-22-2003).]

[Dano2]

Yepper, thats were I'm heading pretty quick here.
I am sticking with the Berklys becasue I like my other berkly lightning rod.
Pretty reasonable in the price range as well.
thanks for the help.
Why dont you go up to the Equipment advice area, and find my topic " Kickers and bow mounts" and give me some feed back on that one, heh, heh!
thnaks

[Dano2]

So a 6' rod is considered wimpy even being a med heavy action?
I dont know if I would want anything HEAVIER than that for walleyes unless I was catching alot of big fish.
Explain it to me.
The only thing i can assume with wanting a longer rod would be getting the line out further from the boat, unless that extra length is giving you better bite detection.
explain it so I understand.

thnsak

[Borch]

I guess I'm in the minority here. My bouncer rods are either 6 or 6 1/2 foot rods with a med or light med action. I use fireline on these rods. Have never had trouble discerning a hit from a weed or rock. If fact I have no problem feeling my spinners working.

Although I rarely use bouncers heavier than 2 oz. Most of my boucing is done with 3/4 - 2 oz bouncer in less than 30 ft of water.

Heavier rods tend to result in more lost fish due to hooks ripping out.

I like longer rods for long lining cranks( but again medium action at the stiffest)with fireline. Definitely longer rods for slip bobber rigging(Soft tip with some backbone n the mid and lower section of the rod.

Also depending on your boat it can be a real hassel storing rods over 6 1/2 or 7' in length.

Borch

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I bad day of fishing??? I honestly don't know what you're talking about!

[This message has been edited by Borch (edited 08-25-2003).]

[Ranckenstuff]

I like a little shorter rod setup for jiggin especially 6'2. Pullin live bait i use 6'6 medium fast tip. And for the bobber rod gramps old 70's fenwick, 6'9 medium, strong backbone.

[Toad]

Gotta agree with Borch. Shorter's better for a bouncer rod. Should be a casting rod, too, something in the moderate to moderately-fast range, about 6-1/2' long. A 7-foot rod can be made to work with heavier bouncers, but again, it should be something in that moderately-fast action range, in other words, a more rigid (fast) taper.

Most of the time, bouncing's not so much of a finesse deal-- almost the opposite, in fact, of slipsinker rigging. Don't need to feed fish a lot of line when bottom bouncing.

You want to distinctly feel that bouncer clanking along botttom, as the spinner whirls behind. A shorter, faster action rod typically yields this level of sensitivity. When a fish hits, drop the rod back a few feet toward the fish, then immediately drive the hook home. A shorter rod allows you to remain in contact with the fish all the while, where a longer rod starts to loose sensitivity and, in a sense, control.

Again, longer rods work wonders for some livebait rigging or slip float situations (or openwater trolling)-- especially when fished passively, as dead rods. But longer also usually means reduced sensitivity, as the top guide (the fulchrum between line and hands) lies further away. Really, you don't technically gain power with a long rod, either, just the perception that this is the case, due to increased line control. Which explains why most heavy duty saltwater rods are 5-1/2 to 6' in length.

Enjoy your fishing .

-a friend,
Cory Schmidt

[can it be luck?]

Versatility and cash may be a reason why I choose the longer rods. I can get away with useing them for several applications, pulling boards,dipsys,drift fishing 3oz bottom bouncers, etc. One pole can handle all these methods, saveing cash when equiping your boat with many rods. On another note, I do keep a 6'6" "heavy", but thin rod in my boat, when it's "hands on" type of fishing.

[This message has been edited by can it be luck? (edited 08-27-2003).]