A simple question. Why do so many bass rods have a length of say, 6'9 or 6'10?         Is there a reason?  Years ago most rod lengths were 5'6, 6'0, 6'6, etc.                                 The lengths with 9" 10" seem to be the most common now.                                                          

Marketing ?

I could be wrong, but my Spidey Sense detects the machinations of the Bait Monkey. 

Genetics?  

They make one rod that's 6'9" and sell it to all the people who can't decide whether they want a 7' or a 6'6".  

 

Or, they make one 7' blank. They make a rod out of that. Then they take the same blank and cut 3" off the tip and that's a different rod. Then they cut 3" off the butt and that's a third rod. Then they cut 1.5" off the butt and 1.5" off the tip and the next thing you know you've purchased all 4 rods because they're all different. 

 

Obviously I have no idea what I'm talking about, but all these nearly identical rods are coming from somewhere.

 

 

Years ago, the shorty rods were pistol grip too.

FM

Well, it is the winter so this is a good topic. 
 

I’ve thought about that myself in the past on occasion, and while there might some psychology behind it, like when rods started changing from 6.5’ to 7’, I KNOW some people jumped ship for the former rods, lol. 
 

I think depending on the application, some of the 7 footers had the potential for becoming tip heavy or more tip heavy, so what could be done? Shorten it by 2-3” and voila!! The tip heavy issue is likely resolved — while of course, adjusting the taper accordingly. 

That’s my theory, and I’m sticking to it. 

 

 

One thing I think most people forget is the length isn't as big of a deal as the effective blank length is... If you take the same blank on a 7'0 rod with a 12" butt handle it will handle and balance a lot different than a 7'0 rod and an 8" butt length. 

 

My jerkbait rod is 6'9 but has the same effective blank as my 7'0 rods because the butt is shorter for jerkbaiting. 

To fine tune your rod arsenal, if you desire.    Lucky craft has 82 colors of the 1.5 squarebill on TW's website...so you can have one for every situation.  

Same could be said about 7'1" or 7'2" or 7'3" for that matter.

 

There is a number of reasons why someone might want a 6'9" rod. Perhaps they have a boat that won't fit a full 7' rod, but will fit 6'9" which gives them a slightly longer rod than 6'6" for example.

 

I like 6'8 or 6'9" rods for jerkabaits.

Same reason why Sunline makes 5, 7, and 9 pound test line - because sometimes 4, 6, 8 and 10 pound lines just aren’t good enough ???

Just gives you a more fine-tuned choice to get exactly what you want.

In reality, we could all just forget almost everything except for 7'mh/f casting and 7'm/f spinning and still catch 85 to 90% of the fish we are catching right now. But that last 10% is oh so tempting.

I recently purchase a 6'10" 4 power dock skipping rod from dobyns, To tell you the truth that 2" shorter length make a lot of difference to make it easier for a begginer like me. Honestly I tried with 6'6" and I tried with 7' rod and both of them didnt work like this 6'10". It might be the tip also but somehow that length help me personally.

 

Just spit balling here, but to meet certain rod design and characteristics, they first have to make a steel mandrel for the composite rod material to be wrapped around. IDK for sure but to meet those specifications the mandrel sizes are dictated by those design specs. 

 

Again, just spit balling

4 hours ago, Team9nine said:

Marketing ?

This^.  We are still in the "longer is better" phase, so if you want a "shorter" rod, you want it to be technically shorter, thought not much so. That being said, 6'8"-6'10" are some of my most used rods.

I currently carry 12 rods. 6 are between 6’8 and 6’10.  I really like that length for castability and comfort. 

Why not?  

5 hours ago, Boomstick said:

There is a number of reasons why someone might want a 6'9" rod.

I just ordered a Tatula Elite 6'9" heavy from Midway. There are several juicy stretches in the lakes where I wade that drop off quickly into deeper water. Enough to swamp my waders. I can only step out and away just so far in those zones to avoid snagging overhanging tree branches on the back cast. A 6'9" is just about the limit. I bought an Omen Black 6'7" MHF specifically for those areas, but I needed something stouter for my upsized baits.

5 hours ago, Johnbt said:

They make one rod that's 6'9" and sell it to all the people who can't decide whether they want a 7' or a 6'6".  

 

Or, they make one 7' blank. They make a rod out of that. Then they take the same blank and cut 3" off the tip and that's a different rod. Then they cut 3" off the butt and that's a third rod. Then they cut 1.5" off the butt and 1.5" off the tip and the next thing you know you've purchased all 4 rods because they're all different. 

 

Obviously I have no idea what I'm talking about, but all these nearly identical rods are coming from somewhere.

 

 

I wouldn't doubt it.

Anglers, especially pros with specific preference in lengths drive the demand .  If they don’t sell they get dropped.  Gary Dobyns added 6-3 rods due to an apparent demand from anglers in the mid west.  He was hesitant but designed    And built them. They sold poorly and were phased out.  What about nine foot cranking rods?  A perceived market that went no where.  I have two rods under seven feet. Both are jerkbait rods where the tip is worked close to the surface. That’s practical. They sell.

i think it is easier.... (disclaimer i am GUESSING here) to get the perfect action on a rod by changing the length one way or another.  say you home in on the perfect action..nice softer tip, which transfers to a stiffer mid section with LOTS of backbone.  but the tip could be softer on your first attempt.  i imagine it is easier to just go a tad longer and get the desired affect, instead of going back to the drawing board with blank design.   so i say it is "fine tuning".

So several years ago I started switch all my rods both casting and spinning to 7'5 and 7'6 rods (and my musky rod is 8 feet) and I have never looked back. 

 

I love the extra length for casting and fighting the fish 

All my custom jig & worm casting rods were 6’10” because that length fit my boats front deck area and rod lockers back in the 80’s. 

Todays 7’ rods are not longer from the front of the reel to the tip, handles are 2”- 3” longer.

Tom

Last Labor Day Weekend,  I decided to fish with a St. Croix Pro Glass,  5' 6", pistol grip,  for three days,  just for fun, throwing a spinnerbait.  I was so fun, when I got home after the weekend, I went online trying to find something similar... nothing.   I ended up having one of the guys that has built a few rods for me, build me a rod on a MHX Shooter blank, 6'.  I love it.  I have another two being built as I type,  6' 3". 

I just like short rods.  Plain and simple.

On 2/20/2023 at 3:09 PM, PhishLI said:

I just ordered a Tatula Elite 6'9" heavy from Midway. There are several juicy stretches in the lakes where I wade that drop off quickly into deeper water. Enough to swamp my waders. I can only step out and away just so far in those zones to avoid snagging overhanging tree branches on the back cast. A 6'9" is just about the limit. I bought an Omen Black 6'7" MHF specifically for those areas, but I needed something stouter for my upsized baits.

Often those rods designed for skipping aren't too long but also are a good action for fishing a jig and heavier weighted T-Rigs as well. I wouldn't complain if every rod was 6'9" or 6'10", I mean I can work with longer too, but that's the length you can do everything with.

The 6'10" Tatula MH/F is a pretty good rod if you're looking for a MH.