Bass Fishing Forum - Westernbass.com

What technique or pro is going to benefit the most from the new 10 ft rod length?
Flippers or swimbaits or finesse or what? What or will have the advantages? Aside from the boat manufactures having to sell new boats to everyone to have compartments big enough for the longer rods?

Im a relatively young angler and I think yeah maybe the 10' rod might be a game changer however, I think 8' is good enough, I used to think 8' was too long especially for me being a shorter guy but 10' I don't know if I personally will ever go past 8'. In a way i think its sort of a gimmick, longer rod = less control in tight spots, ETC

The rare float n fly guys the few back east who do it.

I think that the rods will be too heavy to fish all day at that length without angler fatigue. As it is, 8' rods are hard to get to balance right, especially with the light reels out there now. I'm sure there are some techniques that might work with the long rods, like deep cranking, but the pros are already so good with the existing rods I doubt anyone will use a lot of rods over 8'.

I could be wrong but it seems that not many guys are fishing with the same rod all day anyway so I was thinking they would be for specific situations or baits or tehcniques or whatever and that there must be somebody or some group of anlgers that were lobbying for the rule change or why would it have come about.
And if thats the case then who will it be that takes advantage of this new change.

When the fish are on the beds and you can hide behind a tulle patch and drop the bait right onto the bed, and the fish can't even see the boat. Yeah, that's when the ten footers are going to come out.
Saw a guy damn near clean out a cove full of bass on the beds at a small local lake by doing that exact same thing. I wanted to punch him, but didn't want the jail time.
- Wolfeman

I don't believe this 10' rule will change much, if anything. Many circuits in west do not have a restriction and FLW has never had one. Also when shipping a rod over 9' the shipping price triples. Most Bass anglers don't like 2 piece rods so I don't think this new rule amounts to much. If it does it'll be with CB's, swim baits, and Float n Fly.

My 2 cents. Of course I could be wrong too!!!

will retractable rods come back into play ? The old 7'6" flipping stick comes to mind. Would that make a 10' rod fit existing boat rod lockers ?

will retractable rods come back into play ? The old 7'6" flipping stick comes to mind. Would that make a 10' rod fit existing boat rod lockers ?

Rod that is really the only possibility (I think). But you normally only gain about 10-14 inches. You could gain more with longer handles (but you'd lose forward fishing rod length) or by moving the collapsible joint forward. These must be built thicker and heavier for strength. Still it's a possibility. I just don't see it happening. Oh I believe a few companies will try it and build a few but I don't think it'll be a big deal. BASS was far behind the times with that rule. Most people don't even know why it was really made in the first place. FLW has never had a restriction and I can only remember one angler using a long Float N Fly rod at Havasu one time. He didn't catch them either.

I was able to put 8' rods in my 17 1/2' Ranger's passenger side rod locker by removing the bow access plate and cutting off the ends of the rod tubes, so longer rods can pass through. I use rod sleeves, so the tips don't get caught, or interfere with the wiring that passes through that area.
If you do the math, a 19 1/2' boat should have room for a 9'+ rod.
If longer rods become more commonplace, I bet boat manufs will be able to extend existing rod locker length, without the need for a longer boat.
It could even be a selling point.

mark poulson wrote:I was able to put 8' rods in my 17 1/2' Ranger's passenger side rod locker by removing the bow access plate and cutting off the ends of the rod tubes, so longer rods can pass through. I use rod sleeves, so the tips don't get caught, or interfere with the wiring that passes through that area.
If you do the math, a 19 1/2' boat should have room for a 9'+ rod.
If longer rods become more commonplace, I bet boat manufs will be able to extend existing rod locker length, without the need for a longer boat.
It could even be a selling point.

Thanks, I have problems with anything over 7' now. I have a TR177 Ranger , I'll pull that panel and see if it works for me
I just got a 7'6" punching rod from Vince Borges at Phenix Rods. There Recon Elite. Man thats a nice rod

Rod Martin wrote:

mark poulson wrote:I was able to put 8' rods in my 17 1/2' Ranger's passenger side rod locker by removing the bow access plate and cutting off the ends of the rod tubes, so longer rods can pass through. I use rod sleeves, so the tips don't get caught, or interfere with the wiring that passes through that area.
If you do the math, a 19 1/2' boat should have room for a 9'+ rod.
If longer rods become more commonplace, I bet boat manufs will be able to extend existing rod locker length, without the need for a longer boat.
It could even be a selling point.

Thanks, I have problems with anything over 7' now. I have a TR177 Ranger , I'll pull that panel and see if it works for me
I just got a 7'6" punching rod from Vince Borges at Phenix Rods. There Recon Elite. Man thats a nice rod

Rod,
I used a sawzall blade, with some duct tape wrapped around it for a handle, so I had more control. The TM wiring is around there, so slow but safe it the ticket.
Good luck, and, if your boat sinks, I never met you.

Mark, Now that you say that. I may pull the panel with the rod holes out of the boat before doing anything. I can check fit and cut while out of the boat. Wonder if I could remove the panel completely and replace with a larger tube ?



Thanks

B.A.S.S. came up with the 8' rod length rule to handicap Dee Thomas from using his 12'-14' flipping rods. I would think the true flippers would benefit having longer (telescoping) rods. The finesse anglers using long rods can use a 2 piece rod for float & fly. The swimbait anglers use 9' rods now, so my guess is the B.A.S.S. Circuit swimbaiters will go with current 9' rods on the market. I can't see any reason for putting 1 or 2 long rods in the locker.
Tom

Gary Klein does a great explanation of the Dee Thomas rule on Bass University during seminar. I knew the story but it was great to hear somebody so close to Dee tell the story.

Rod Martin wrote:Mark, Now that you say that. I may pull the panel with the rod holes out of the boat before doing anything. I can check fit and cut while out of the boat. Wonder if I could remove the panel completely and replace with a larger tube ?



Thanks

Rod, I tried to pull the whole rod sleeve unit out, but it was too well attached. Damn Ranger for making such good boats!