BrASSmonkey

There seems to be some bias in your opinion there. And your post suggests that all rods should be built the same length since it is based on angler height rather than technique. I am no rod building expert. But, while one's comfort using rod's of a particular length will be very closely related to the angler's own physical dimensions; some of the physicical benefits and detractions of a long rod will remain constant regardless of angler. For example, a longer rod will always move more line on a hookset than a shorter rod. It is physics. A longer rod may not fit into a rod locker. Longer rods allow an angler to cast further, but give more leverage to the fish. All of these things are true regardless of angler height. IMO, a good rod builders will take the above into consideration in addition to a customer's preferences and physical attributes when recommending a length to a customer. A 7' rod may be perfectly comfortable to one angler, while it may be completely unwieldy to another. So, while I agree that you should not take recommendations on length on good faith; I do recommend that you learn the reasons particular lengths are recommended. Then go to a store, pick up some rods and determine for yourself a) whether they are comfortable; and whether you agree with the reported reasons that a longer rod are superior to a shorter rod in a particular circumstance.

There is a small weight savings.

This

I always have a soft palstic trailer (I think yum makes the twin tail trailer that I use) I also always have a trailer hook on there. I too have caught numerous fish just on the trailer hook, and like the added confidence it provides. I use 30-50 lb briad. I fish my spinners just above heavy weeds, and like the braid for ripping the spinnerbaits through the weed tops. I use a 7' MH fast action rod for spinnerbaits. The length is really for distance (I want a 6'9" for better control), The action is to make ripping the spinnerbait out of the weeds easier.

Jigs and C rigs for me this year with a splash of chatterbait.

Then I have found the orange contrasts nicely against green or stained waters. The line can be hard to see if you have brighter colours behind the line, such as bright reflections, or against the sky for example.

The angler's visibility or the fish's visibility? As far as the angler's ability to see it, I use the orange because I like the contrast so I can see the line. I am unsure about fish being able to see it because I use a fluorocarbon leader.

MHX SJ781 custom baitcasting rod. Paired with a Sol, it is superlight, balanced and a blast to fish with.

I have caught all of 1 fish on each of these. One of my goals this year is to become more proficient in jig fishing. Perhaps I will add chatterbaiting as another goal. Last season, my goals were to become confident in using soft plastics and lipless crankbaits, and ended up being very successful with both of these lures/presentations. By setting up a bunch of rules for my outtings last year, and sticking to them, I was able to force myself to learn these new (to me) techniques.

Weightless. I toss em out, then let them sink slowly until they get to my target depth. I begin my retrieve which consists of a couple of jerks or twitches, followed by slock to allow it to flutter back down. I try to mimic an injured baitfish that will struggle and kick, then go limp before repeating this.

I find that with spinning gear, I tend to use a hard snap when casting. However, when i use baitcasting gear, I try to make sure my casting motion is much more smooth in order to allow the spool to accelerate proportionally to the speed of the lure flying. I find when I snap cast, the line flies off the spool initially really fast, but the lure's flight does not maintain the speed to keep up with the line coming off the reel. It seems to me that a smoother cast does not do this as badly. Also, with respect to accuracy; aside from the aforementioned lure weight, I find that my release point with a smooth casting motion is different than with a snap cast. In general, I tend to release the line sooner in teh casting motion with a baitcaster as compared to a spinning reel. I have actually had problems releasing the line too early when going back to spinnning gear, and sending the bait almost straight up. I once sent the bait backwards, but the line slipping off my finger... I swear...

I was using mon with a 7' MH mod-fast rod and found that there was way more stretch on a hookset than I liked. So, I switched to braied with a fluoro leader, and have been happy with the setup up. While the fish hooking itself through smooth tightening is a potential advantage of cranking rods, the slow action is better for keeping the tension on the line, which helps to prevent the fish from using the mass of the lure to spit the hook during headshakes and direction changes. I also find that there is also some shock absorption from the thump of deep crankbaits.

I spent $320 CDN for a 7:1 JM Carbonlite for my brother and a Daiwa T3 Ballistic HS for myself.

I believe you are referring to one of the TD-Ito reels. Myself? Custom 6'9" MH Fast spiral wrapped micros with a TDZ-103H

They don't look like carbon fiber washers from the picture.