If you check the length of just about any anglers inshore spinning rods you will find most to be between 6’-7’ in length. This has become the standard for many different reasons, one of the big reasons being the manageability of rods in this size range. If you have more than one person in the boat casting a longer rod would become a hazard to your fellow angler, most boats are equipped to handle rods this length, and in most cases rods 7’ and under are much easier for the angler to handle from a boat.
In recent years, however many anglers have begun to realize the advantages to longer rods anywhere from 8’-9’ feet in length when they are not in their boats. Wade fishing has grown in popularity as the number of people targeting fish on the flats has grown. Many anglers have boats that serve more than one purpose. They may have a boat that is for fishing and family fun and most of these boats just draft too much water to be fished efficiently on the flats. Finding flats with a good hard bottom has allowed these anglers to anchor their boats and walk to the fish. Unfortunately wading leaves you with a few disadvantages. You are not up as high as you would be on a boat and this limits you vision and also limits the distance you can accurately cast to a fish.
While a longer rod will not help you with seeing the fish it will help with your casting distance especially when casting lighter lures and plugs. Being able to sneak up on fish is most of the battle when it comes to success and the more length you have on your cast the less chance your movement in the water will spook the fish. Many people think longer rod and they immediately begin to think about a heavier rod, but this is not the case. I recently spoke with Mark Davis of Shakespeare fishing tackle. I thought if anyone knows about rods and their construction it would be the maker of the Ugly Stick. Mark explained that there are rods now being constructed with this type of fishing in mind. You can buy 8’-9’ rods in light to medium actions that w