I found a 5ft6 light action ugly stick in the garage today and a 30 size diawa reel laying around so threw it on there. what type of techniques would this setup be good for? That little rod is pretty bad a.. cause I caught several 24''+ catfish on it. 

Finesse approaches from the bank for bass. 

 

Or spool it with 6# mono and you have an awesome panfish rig. 

A light ugly stik? That's got a lot of noodle to it, 

so I'd probably pick it for pannies. But you could

do bass with it, though might be fun keeping them

buttoned up  

If you've already caught a few bigger catfish on it, you know that it's a powerful little rod for the action. I have a 5'6" that I use for creek Largemouth and panfish. A good short whippy, noodly rod is great for fishing small areas, so if you're fishing under trees or are in tight space, the 5'6" would be a better fit than a bigger rod. 

whats a 5ft6 rod for?

 

The 1970s

How about for catching a 14.5 lber ?

Out of sheer curiosity, I bought a 5'6" shakespeare durango at walmart for $10 and put my silvermax with 10 lb fluoro on it. I've only used 7' rods for the past few years and I must say It's nice to have a short rod option to reach into tight spots with overhanging trees.

 

That being said, it's flimsy as can be so I don't expect it to last forever.

8 hours ago, Catt said:

whats a 5ft6 rod for?

 

The 1970s

 

And now for some of us old throwbacks.  LOL  Actually, I use mostly 6' because of being stuck on shore.

Children 

 

?

I always used the lighter setups like that when wading small streams and rivers.

It's for people with really small cars that hate 2 piece rods.

Topwater.....pistol gripped short rods for great accuracy around a lot of cover or docks.

7 minutes ago, sll said:

Topwater.....pistol gripped short rods for great accuracy around a lot of cover or docks.

 

 

 

This.  I have an old school 5'6" pistol grip with a PQ on it that is my topwater rod.  Perfect for it

 

Sounds like this is a spinning rod.  My vote is for skipping unweighted plastics or tomato stake.  The former, especially if you're fishing from the shore.

I use one for throwing under boat docks,overhanging limbs,branches etc. spinnbaits,topwater,squarebills.etc. great for pinpoint accuracy.

 

31 minutes ago, J Francho said:

Sounds like this is a spinning rod.  My vote is for skipping unweighted plastics or tomato stake.

 

Yep, another vote for tomato stakes ? though in the winter, they also serve a dual purpose of marking the edges of your drive and street so the snow plows don't take out your yard 

 

-T9

I have a 5'6" and 5' spinning rods i use for panfishing while wading creeks. 

11 minutes ago, junyer357 said:

I have a 5'6" and 5' spinning rods i use for panfishing while wading creeks. 

 

This is one application where a shorter rod really comes in handy - especially if you're using a spinning rod.  Good point!

 

Most anglers envision a short rod as a thin, wimpy blank, and therein lies the prejudice.

In order to have a fair comparison between a long and short rod, all other things must be equal:

same blank material, root diameter, spine and taper. When 'rod length' is evaluated in isolation,

the shorter rod will offer more advantages than the longer rod.

 

Legendary Zane Grey was the first man to boat a fish over 1,000 pounds.

As you can see, the distance between the reel seat and tiptop guide is less than 6 feet.

When all other things are equal, "Power" is one of several advantages of a shorter rod.

 

 

Roger

Zane likely wasn't casting.  No need for length.  I'm often discredited for using 6'3" drop shot rods.  I just don't get why you need all the extra length for a vertical presentation.  Besides, my rods are only about a 1/2" shorter than many 6'6" to 6'8" rods, from seat to tip.

its a spinning rod. I used it for most my fishing but it was always bobber fishing from the bank. never used it for anything else.

As a shore guy there are a few snug spots I've come across where a 5'6" rod would have come in handy.  From a boat maybe other options would be better depending on what you're throwing, but as long as the rod is in working order it can still catch anything.

A bunch of us fish a small lake with many overhanging trees. A 5 1/2 or (preferably) 6 ft. rod is perfect. Longer rods don't work as well. 

 

I am a big fan of short rods.  I fish from bank or kayak and in either case I rarely need or want to make super long casts.  Most of my rods are under 6'6" and I wish there were more high end offerings in shorter lengths.  

I have a 5'6" Shakespeare pistol grip med action with a Shimano Bantam on it. It's a blast!!!