Does size really matter?

[Mangrove Cuckoo]

Curious as to y'all's thoughts on why most flyrods are 9 feet in length?

I recently received a new 8 wt that is a bit shorter than 8 1/2 feet and I am blown away by it.

With the shorter length and a reel that is a bit older and not of the recent feather weight trend, it feels like nothing in my hand, but it casts poppers and such like a dream. I can cast it all day without the usual cramps in my hands. Fishing shores is constant casting... and this thing is a game changer.

I am aware that some other anglers I know have recently gone to longer (10') rods, and seem to like them too. Not for shores, but for nymphing or wading.

So... what is so special about 9'?

[Paul Arden]

Tradition. Compromise. Mostly compromise.

Longer rods (of longer than 9’) allow you to pickup /slip more line. Better mending and fly control while fishing. To a point they are also better for distance. The line and flies pass further away from the body and you have more trajectory angles to play with.

Shorter rods are usually slightly faster (at least for the same action, although they are not normally made this way). They are more practical in confined spaces. And better for playing fish, especially up close. I also like the feel of casting them.

I believe optimal distance for a single handed rod is between 9 and 10’. Closer range Accuracy I would think is between 8 and 9’.

IMO it much easier to make a better quality shorter rod of 9’ and less than 9’6 and up.

I experimented here in Malaysia with both longer and shorter rods. 10’ and 8’ respectively. I was particularly interested in fighting Snakehead with the shorter rod because I know that is a more effective length. However I lost both distance and accuracy with the shorter length on the Snakehead Shot. The longer rod felt clumsy in the stumps. So 9’ I think is just a good compromise — and to land fish I just hold the rod further up from the grip.

Cheers, Paul

[Graeme H]

I love my 8' rods and use them for fishing as often as I can. My favourites are my 1 piece 8' 'glass rods, which are fine to fish with lines between 7 and 12 wt (on the same rod). For normal "fishing distance" casts and pick-ups, they are just right. (They are not the typical 'glass profile though. I have made the blanks with a much faster taper than commercial 'glass blanks.)

For many fishing situations, an 8' rod in the hands of a good caster is very useful. This is especially true in salt water from a boat. I can see situations in river fishing where the longer rod helps control the fished-fly more easily.

Casting a heavy line on a short rod is easier on the body. The "swing weight" is lower due to the shorter lever arm of the rod. That also helps when fighting the fish.

I think the reason people want 9' rods is the inherent conservative nature of fly fishermen, IMHO. The perceived wisdom seems to be "If it's not a 9' carbon fibre blank with wire guides and a cork handle, it's not really a fly rod ...". There isn't a lot of "outside the box" thinking being used.

Cheers,
Graeme

[DryFly]

I do fish 8´- 8,5 ´ rods a lot for pike fishing from a boat, some of them are old glasrods from various german/ europian companies like DAM, Balzer, Sportex, Germina, Hardy, ect. Most of thMost of these rods are fairly fast tapered.
Recently I fished one of the glas rods, a 2,4m ( 7´10´´) #7/8 for bone fish on the Bahamas, from boat and wading.
For the barracudas I used a 7´8´´ glas rod.
Never had the feeling, that they are to short for this fishing.
Just building a 8´4´´ , #8, from an old tuned 9´Fenwick HMG blank.

Due to the shorter lever the heavier lines feel much nicer than with a 9´er.
For the lighter rods and waters with enough space, I like 8,6´- 9´for mending the line.

Reinhard

[Mangrove Cuckoo]

My new short 8 is not glass but recent graphite. It has changed my winter fishing. Its light but powerful and ignores the wind on my usual 60-ish shoreline painting.

Of course, I had to try, and I could hit my 100' tree with a 7 MED, but I stopped there since distance is not what I wanted it for.

With it in my canoe carry case I had to find another rod to play with in the field. So i put the reel with the 7 MED on the 8 rod that the new one replaced.

And I think I proved to myself that I am schizophrenic. Because I love that rod too! But it is completely opposite. It is much slower, bends deeply, and has a buttery recovery that sends the loop out like magic. It definitely does not ignore the wind though.

It too will reach the tree, but I would not ask either of the rods to come to a competition with me.

Casting the rods, I came to the conclusion that, much like automobiles, there are sports cars and there are luxury models. And both have their place where they shine.

[whinging pom]

For years i fished a 7'10'' on my local water but always felt it was just too long loved the action of the TXL, but it was just too long for the confined spaces
. How much too long was the question?

I was lent a 6'6'' Trout bum 2wt and loved the action with a silk line and realised this was the direction to go ! And thus a ten year journey started with gawd only knows how many rod/line combinations.

So taking this to an extreme I bought a 6' 2wt, liked it but felt it was a touch short for most situations and action wrong. And where i really need short it was still too long, so realised it was me that had to change.
Got another 6' 2wt with better action. Still felt short.
Then i tried the 6'6'' again *( could get a trout bum) and still found it too short now.
Tried going the other way to with to see if my demands had changed .... an 8' .... too long. ( its getting like bloody goldilocks and porridge).

Then tried a 7'6'' and i finally feel like I had the length i wanted....

After all that journey through Sage and Winston and Helios and Scott and Greys and even TFO.

So I find the answer seems to be ..... 4 lousy inches!

On the 9' issue i do find 8'6 is a lot more comfortable and i feel in more control and on reasonable sized UK rivers 8' feels just about perfect..... but that's what years of using 6 footers does to you ( and being a short arse).

Diminutive pom