I think its a matter of what you are comfortable with. Being comfortable translates to confidence and confidence is the most important thing you need whether its in your rod or the bait you are using. Confidence translates to success!

I like a longer 7' rod in ML or Med. action spinning, depending on what technique I'm doing. For some reason, drop shotting for smallies has this "stigma" about 6'6" rods being "ideal". I go longer, to 7' ML. Gives me better control with the presentation. Hard to find rods like that though.

Seems like a very personal question to me. But at the risk of being labeled a prude I'll say 7'.

Seems like a very personal question to me. But at the risk of being labeled a prude I'll say 7'.

We have no small mouth here but we have peacock bass, I'd say for the most part the water we catch them in is shallower.  I use a 6'6 ml or 6'6 light.

We have no small mouth here but we have peacock bass, I'd say for the most part the water we catch them in is shallower.  I use a 6'6 ml or 6'6 light.

I had a 6'.6 M and went up to a 7' MH and couldn't be happier. On a side note the new rod is a much higher quality.

Felix77, on 04 Feb 2014 - 09:48, said:

No difference for me.  Same I use for any bass.  Technique specific ... not species specific.

 

Best answer.

 

Exactly. I'll go one step further and take the reference to bass out completely. Rod length should match the presentation & comfort regardless of the species that might bite. 

I use mainly spinning rods for my smallie fishing, 7' Med action. My casting rods that I use when targeting them are 6' 6" Med action. Most of my smallie fishing is in rivers so I mainly use the spinning rods.

Since I do a lot of my smallie fishingin rivers and tighter spaces I usually go with 6 ft or 6.5 ft

I like rods ranging from 6'6 to 6'9

I use a 6'8'' Light rod for smallmouth.

Rod length is usually tech specific but even then its personal preference. For me I can go either a 6'6'' or a 7'. When I first started fishing I could not aim properly with my caster but as I learned to control my casts I could use any rod to give accurate casts. If you want max cast distance then longer rod is ideal but for nice and easy accurate casts id say 6'6'' is geat.

I use a 6'8'' Light rod for smallmouth.

No smallies here I'm using 6'6 light for peacocks.  For me there is not definitive rod size, factors I look at are the water conditions such as current and vegetation, target species too.

6"6" for spinner baits,7'  for jigs and all others

C22

between 6 and 7.5

 

no more no less.

6'6" for longer cast. This is very important when it comes to smallmouth in clear water IMO. I go to a shorter 6'0" when I'm hiking into the creek I wade because I don't need to make such long cast, and I don't want to bust the tip. 

6'-7'...covers every rod I own.

 

uh, not quite true, I own a 7'10" also but never use that one for smallies

I prefer a 6'6".

7 foot

Doesn't matter what it starts out at as long as it's bent over more often than not . . . .

 

A-Jay

6 6 or 7. 

6' 2" to 7' 10", which would cover every bass rod I own I don't care which one I'm catching them on, as long as I'm catching them. 

I have NEVER caught any fish where there are NONE.

 

That said.     I can catch them on anything.  If they are in my casting or trolling  distance.

 

I have a virgin untouched waterfall & pond. I can get 15 to 20 strikes in a 50 foot cast with some of my lures with no hooks on them.

 

It is the abilities of the person not his gear.