I always buy fishing rods based on how comfortable they feel to me while I would be fishing with them.  Sometimes how limber or stiff they might be depending on what kind of lures I think I'd be casting with them, but usually what I go with is a medium power range with fast tip actions in a 6 foot length......for everything I'd fish on them :-/ and now I'm wondering if I should have something different for different lure types or techniques.  I'm wondering if sometimes I miss fish from having a rod too stiff when fishing a crankbait, or too soft when it should have been stiffer for some other technique.

I'm seeing them in Bass Pro and Cabela's catalogs with descriptions for what each one is supposed to be used for, like a worm rod, or spinnerbait, or crankbait....and on and on.  

Personally, I'm comfortable with 6' and sometimes 6'6" rods, but not longer than that, so 7' I always consider too long.  Any reason why someone would need a rod that long??  And if I see one say for crankbaits that 6'6", but I'd rather have 6' only, how important is that going to be losing that extra 6 inches??  

Also, what reason could there be for making odd sized rods like 7'3" or 6'4" and stuff like that??  6'6" is so close to 6'4" that I can't see enough difference to be worth it.  

I guess I just need someone to help me understand what I should look for in a rod for certain types of lure fishing, and whether or not a 6' or 6'6" rod length should work for ANY type of bass fishing.  

I'm no pro, but I will give my .02. I am sure there will be better answers than mine, but here goes.

I use a 6'9" M-Parabolic(basically a soft) for throwing crankbaits or any other treble hook moving bait. Reason being is that I want the rod to absorb part of the hookset so that I don't rip the hooks out.

For top water lures I use a 6'9" MH. I can work the lure a little better with a 6'9" and it still gives me enough backbone to get a good hookset.

For soft plastics I use a 7' MH. This rod gives me a little more casting distance and definately helps give me better hook sets. Especially on long casts. I will sometimes switch to a Heavy rod with braid if I am fishing cover. I do this to get the fish turned and headed my way as soon as I get a hook set.

Like I said. I am no pro, but these are the reasons I use the rods I do.

Roostertail,

Give this thread a read, I think it will help you.

http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1141187546

Ronnie

Thanks Alpster, I'll read that right now.  

And I heard also that a softer rod is what I need for crankbaits cause of the trebles.  Since I've missed so many fish already this year, I think that must be true.  I'll start using the Ugly Stik Lite Pro spinning rod I have to cast them on until I can get a better baitcast rod for them.  It's softer than the casting rods I have.  Might help out some.  Next trip out, which will likely be this weekend if it doesn't rain, I'll try it.  

Also, thanks for the tips on the type of rods that you use jbdaiwafan.  Seems to all make sense to me when you describe it like that.  But you said you use a MH rod for topwaters.  Don't those have treble hooks also??  I usually use the Ugly Stik Lite Pro rod I have for that too.  

This might help, too:

http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1196114229

Good luck!

8-)