Spent the last 3 weeks spending every spare moment chucking hardware or jigs out of a boat. Basically the same as any bass fisherman. I have begun to wonder why I need a 9' rod to do this? It seems like a 6.5' rod would be just as efficient for this type of fishing.

I am guessing that we predominantly use longer rods for hardware just as a carry over from bank fishing where you need the length to control your line over the current. I am fishing in a slowly moving lake essentially, so the current is never really an issue.

For jig fishing, I think it could be an even bigger advantage having the rod tip closer to your hands.

What are your thoughts on this?

i like a 7.5 ft rod for most but a longer rod for bobber fishing

Good question, really. Seems to me some bass gear would be just what the doctor ordered for horsing coho out of the structure they hang around, especially from a boat.

Since I don't fish from a boat as often as I'd like, I need the longer rods to make longer casts and control the line from greater distances.

longer rod makes better hook sets because of the line pick up. they cast lighter lures better. If you get a good balanced one, it can be an all purpose rod. Then of course you get the better line cushion for landing oversized fish or putting the beans to the fish in hairy situations. i learned on shorter rods....i fish with spinning reels that are shorter then my drift rod and i dont like them. my 2 cents.

Better casting distance, better line pickup for hooksets, and by far most important, better line control.

Fish on...

Todd

The bass guys are usually a lot closer to their target. It helps with pitching/flipping to have a shorter rod. Us steelhead/salmon guys have lonnnng rods.

+1

I don't know, I cast about 30-40 feet max when fishing a jig. Seems like I could control it better with a short rod

With a spinner I cast farther but I don't need much line control reeling a spinner back to the boat, and I lose lots of fish in the first 3 or 4 headshakes with my 1084.

I might buck the trend a bit and see what happens. Just like Rosa Parks.

All this talk of twitching, coupled with A-L's sig line, begs for a twitchy response...


"Chicks dig'em" ... duh!

If all one were doing is twitching jigs for coho, then a 1-piece 7-8' rod bass/twitching rod would be ideal.

Unfortunately, that's never the case, as we all know how coho around these parts tend to be more picky than Merg's women! Seems there's float-n-eggs, hootchie spinners, and other shenanigans going on during the day that require the use of more than one rod. Or, you end up hooking that 30+ pound king on a jig and you wished you were using something other than a light twitching rod

This time of year, I'm all about a 10.5 float-n-egg rod and a 8'6" pitching/casting rod. IE, a 1264 and a 1025.

The only thing those two rods don't do well is fish spoons....and I pretty much never swing metal for coho in this state...and if I were too, I'd use a 9'6" Sage 290 for that.

As always when talking about rods, reels, lines, and hooks, your results may vary.

Another long rod fan here, but generally for a different application.

I fish braid, I fish barbless, I fish hangback, and I have a lot of crap anywhere from 6-8 ft outside of the rod tip. I fish either a downstream presentation out of the boat (backtroll or anchored) or forward troll my gear thru the fish 90-95% of the time. That means NOT touching the frickin' rod until it folds into the corks.

What helps me to hook and hold fish is "load".... the more the better. My line doesn't stretch so it is unable to store any "load".

During the bite, that load is imparted to the rod AND the FOLBE holding that rod... rodholder configuration is key to maximizing load, but a long deep-flexing rod is really the critical element to the program.

During the fight, all of the load is imparted to the rod and the rod alone. A LONG fully-loaded deep-flexing rod is what's going to keep that fish from shaking a barbless hook free. This is true of any application where you intend to use braid. Pairing a short stiff fast action rod with no-stretch braid is gonna cost a guy fish during the fight.... esp if he has to fish barbless.

The long rod is also paramount for dealing with all the extra gear sitting outside the rod tip... esp at the time of the netshot.

Oh yeah, one more thing, for maximum efficiency, a long rod requires a long-handled net.

Another reason for us old farts is that it takes a lot less effort to cast. My rods have ended up longer over the years as I get older.

Yes they do.
Especially classic tapers that bend all the way through the handle.



I also like the way they launch your goods and help to cover up fish fighting mistakes. Not that I would ever admit to such a thing.

It's always entertaining to see those that miscalculated rod length/leader length trying to net a fish. I've seen them standing on hardtops, running for the beach, anything to create space between themselves and net man.

I'll agree that most salmon/steelhead fishing favors longer rods for a lot of reasons, but not so much with coho from a boat in a river, which is what I believe Rocket is referring to.

In fact, fishing for river coho from a boat is more like bass fishing than steelhead fishing to me.

Consider the following when casting spinners or twitching jigs for coho from a boat and tell me if this doesn't sound like bass fishing to you:

1. pitching in or around cover (wood)
2. exploring tight shallow backwaters
3. probing deeper pools
4. casts with premium on accuracy over distance
5. rods best with sensitive tip, fast taper and a burly butt
6. Coho, like bass, aren't leader shy

Sounds like bass fishing to me.

My favorite COHO boat rod for spinners and jigs right now is a one piece 7' crankbait bass rod. I also use a double duty 7' 6" Rainshadow HS9001 for pulling plugs too, but the bass rod is better for tin and feathers.
One thing is for sure though, short rods don't make a good flossing rods. And obviously shorter rods aren't ideal for float fishing either, but I'm starting to think these bass boys might actually be on to something when it comes to slayin' silvers.

on a lot of the smaller rivers i rarely use anything over 8'6. it's a real pain to fish with a 10'6 rod when there's overhanging brush and trees all around.

i've got a 7'9 baitcaster i built just for that purpose.

Mooch is following along with me on this. I am speaking to just chucking spinners and jigs at wood in frog water. Everytime I take someone new out on the Chehalis to fish for silvers. I tell them "Just pretend you are fishing for bass".

The main advantage of length is line control across variable current. The main advantage of short rods is accuracy. The reason bass rods are so short is that bass fishermen value accuracy over line control, since there's usually little if any current where they fish. Also, shorter rods are lighter, have a closer center of gravity, and are far more comfortable to cast all day. If you see no advantage to the long rod in your fishing, go short! I bank it more often than not and rarely go with less tham 9 feet.

RR
I think the shorter rods have some merit for the use you described.
The shorter sticks really increase your accuracy. I fished bass a few years ago with a buddy who is into it big time.
Some of the pinpoint jig casts he made wouldn't have been possible with a longer rod, at least in my opinion.
I think the same would apply for salmon fishing with a shorter rod.

WC,
Another reason for the short bass rods is they limit rod length to 8' in the major bass tournaments. There are a number for companies now producing short fly rods so they can be used in bass tournaments.
They've become very popular for saltwater use when fishing in tight quarters around mangroves where accuracy is really important.

Twitching jigs, and throwing plugs/crankbaits, AKA: "Bass fishing for Silvers".... a 6'6 JMS66MT Johny Morris Signature Series Bass Rod rated 8-17 pounds is the ultimate twitching/crankbait rod bar none. It's fast action, has a sensitive tip, and a heavy butt section. I got it loaded up with 30 pound braid and 15 pound mono leader to horse the silvers out of woody cover. Chasing silvers is like chasing bass. They like the thickest crap they can comfortably hold in.

Shorter rods for twitching IMO is the way to go. You can make pinpoint casts into woody cover and doing the twitching motion is WAY easier without having that extra 3 unnecessary feet.