Is there any given theory to what is the longest rod a person can use ?

I have a lot of guys that want 14' 15' or even 16' rods and they think it will make them throw further but the more i try to tell them it is not the rod it is how well you can load it is the key they will just not listen.

So is there a stopping point to where a rod is just to big for the person using it ? How can i get them to listen?

All else being equal, if the guy can move the 16 footer as fast as he can move a 10 footer then he'll get more distance with the 16 footer. This was the key to increased casting distance for the first graphite surf rods. The material itself wasn't magic - it just allowed you move a longer rod as easily and quickly as you could the shorter, but thicker and heavier glass rods. If you can move the rod at the same speed at the point of effort, the tip of the longer rod will be traveling faster than that of the shorter one.

But each person will have a limit as to the length they can still handle before they have to exert greater effort or simply get to the point where they can't move the darn thing fast enough to see any benefits from the extra length. Not many can move a 16 rod fast enough to see any benefit.

If you can afford it, build to test rods, one a 10 or 12 footer and then perhaps a 15 footer. Let them try both and decide for themselves. I know of maybe 2 guys I've built for over the years that can easily handle and cast a 15 rod. For most, 12 feet ends up being about the limit.

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/17/2008 09:55AM by Tom Kirkman.

TEll them it won't work, when they insist, buil them teh rod, making sure to charge them extra for teh additional length. Once tehy get it and are unable to cast it well, you can tell them I told you so, and have them re-order anotehr rod at teh higher price because now they know you have a clue what you are doing. Or they'll get teh rod, and will be able to cast it, in that case you thank them for enlightening you, and repeat teh above procedure when they tell their friends adn they wan tone just the other one.

you can't lose. lol.

Thanks Tom and Billy

I have tried to tell them the same ting but it is just no luck. I have built a couple of test rods and they want me to throw them to see how they cast but i am 6'4" 300+ and i can load up a 16 with no problem and they think they can too at 5'4" 120 (LOL) but they dont have enough lead in there briches to do that .

When it comes to money, the customer is always right. If you don't build it for them, someone else will.

Give them this analogy, from the world of golf:

The stiffer the shafts are on your club, the farther you can hit the ball. Sounds simple, right? Well, except for one major point: your swing has to be fast enough to load those stiff shafts. Tiger Woods plays with shafts that are so stiff that his clubs would be just about useless to the average golfer - the hacker is physically unable to generate enough clubhead speed to use them. It's the same thing with surf rods.

I actually think that except for unusual situations (like when 200-yard casts with small baits are a requirement for catching any fish), there's no reason the average recreational surfcaster needs a rod any longer than 10, or at most 11, feet. I fish the surf a lot, and just don't see why a 12-foot rod is needed, let alone a 15-foot rod. Take a common situation in Jersey, when you're fishing clams for striped bass. Even if you are the best caster in the world, if you apply too much force during the cast, your clams are going to end up in a different zip code than your hooks. So what good does the extra length do you?

I feel this way, but most guys don't. I think this is because old ideas die hard, and there's a macho thing at work here: guys think that more length = bigger, tougher fisherman. It isn't the case,

One is power and the other is length. Similar but different for similar but different reasons.

I thought stiff flex was for accuracy, regular flex was for distance - no wonder my golf game is bad.

I've found that a longer rod can aid you in casting soft baits like dough baits, chicken livers, crappie minnows, etc... Mine work better, (long rods), at 8 to 10 feet long for this purpose. I believe a longer rod can give you a longer acceleration to cast a delicate bait farther than a shorter rod, all else being equal, or close to it. You still must learn to get the most out of the length rod you are casting.

If at first you don't succeed, go fishing, then try, try again.

Mike I am 5'4" 140 medium build I can handle a 11ft. rod . but when it comes to a 16 footer I can't cast it as far as a 81/2 footer. I also have short arms. I even made both rods for sturgeon fishing so the reelseats are at a length I can handle. The only way this long rod can be cast by me is using the sling shot method. They use this style of casting on the Columbia River by the dams. They really use a sling shot. Columbia river guys tell them I am right and not lieing.
Good Wraps Bob

Hey Bob

Do they use just any type of sling shot or is it made just for that use? I have a sling shot that is used for water ballons and i can send a ballon over 400yds. Wonder if i can use this for fishing too.

The one I have seen are hooked to a bumper of a PU they coil the line in a bucket. They use bungy cord with a pouch to hold the lead and pull back and let fly. I have only seen this once. I live about 200 miles from the Columbia River dams
Good Wraps Bob

The customer is NOT always right, but they are still the customer. Is the customer right if he says the sun rises in the North? Lol...

Paul