What length should i get for my first baitcaster it’s probably gonna be my only one for a while and i’m gonna use it mainly for T rigs and a little bit of everything else, mostly top water and subsurface, and what action? 

7'0 is a good starter point. My first baitcaster was actually 6'6 and a medium heavy fast action. A good beginner rod for you would definitely be a 7'0 MH fast action rod, it would cover just about everything except some finesse baits like the ned rig or wacky rig. 

Get a MH/Fast.   I can practically guarantee you would not notice a difference between 7-00 and 7-02.  

I would also go with the 7 footer in mh . The shorter rod ' I believe ' would make sidearm casting easier and more efficient when throwing spinnerbaits and other lures .  

Mainly for T-Rigs = 7'2, a little bit of everything else = 7', mostly top water and subsurface = 6'10

 

A 7' MH fast will probably be your best bet

49 minutes ago, jbsoonerfan said:

Mainly for T-Rigs = 7'2, a little bit of everything else = 7', mostly top water and subsurface = 6'10

 

A 7' MH fast will probably be your best bet

i mainly fish like flukes, trick worms, stick baits and ribbon worms stuff like that... but why would a slightly bigger rod be better for mainly t rigs, but isn’t t rigs subsurface too? i’m kinda confused lol 

1 hour ago, scaleface said:

I would also go with the 7 footer in mh . The shorter rod ' I believe ' would make sidearm casting easier and more efficient when throwing spinnerbaits and other lures .  

ah i agree with shorter being easier but does the 2 inches really make a difference, well for me i doubt i would really know since i’m a novice lol

2 minutes ago, niiickboy said:

i mainly fish like flukes, trick worms, stick baits and ribbon worms stuff like that... but why would a slightly bigger rod be better for mainly t rigs, but isn’t t rigs subsurface too? i’m kinda confused lol 

ah i agree with shorter being easier but does the 2 inches really make a difference, well for me i doubt i would really know since i’m a novice lol

I like a longer rod for texas rigs because I set the hook straight up most of the time and I feel like a longer rod gives me more leverage. I like a shorter rod for top water baits because I fish them tip down when I walk the dog and tip down when I am popping a lure. By subsurface I assumed you meant a wake bait or jerkbait. I guess technically a texas rig is subsurface but it is a bottom contact lure by my definition.

oh makes sense, i would say i use a t rig “subsurface” 70% of the time so i guess a 7’2? and the other 30 is whatever i wanna experiment with like spinners, jerks, frogs, (lipless) cranks and so on 

the canals and lakes i bank fish have huge drop offs and it’s hard to fish down on the bottom because of it and large rocks... i barely can hop jigs/ribbon worms on the bottom without getting snagged 

 

You will be fine with 7' or 7'2

My worm rod is 6'9" , Spinnerbait / buzzbait 6'8". Crankbait 7'0" Toad 7'0"

Either will work. MH is nice general purpose.

I use a 7’ MHF and am happy with that. 
 

I have to say- I can see a difference between a 6’6” and a 7’ rod. I really have a hard time believing 2” of rod can make that big a difference. 

   The biggest difference is how comfortable it is for you to hold, and the way you hold it. I run my line through my fingers, a habit from fishing so many years in the dirty river water. Therefore, I'm more comfortable with shorter and lighter rods. Maybe you are, too .... maybe not.

    If you find them equally comfortable to hold, go for the 7'-02" for the distance and leverage.     jj

The difference in 7' and 7'2" is not enough to toil over.  I'd say choose a rod with the right action, power, handle length/comfort, weight/balance.  If it is 7', great...7'2", great.

both lengths come with the same action/ power... i guess i’ll just get whatever is available first 

7’1” is the obvious choice, even rod length is bad juju ?