Hi, I am a newbie to this site and I just got one quick question. Does a longer rod give you more control when fighting a fish over a shorter rod? I fish for stripers and mainly just use 8'6" rod. My fishing partner use 10'6" surf rod and he always tell me he dont want to use a 8'6" rod cause he cant control the fish. Is this true? I think my 8'6" rod can handle the stripers pretty well. Please advise and thanks in advance.

Shorter rods give you a power advantage as far as the actual tension the fish is subjected to, all things being equal as far as the rods go.

Depends on what you mean by "control." A shorter rod means the fish has a shorter lever to use against you. Thus, he can't apply as much power on you as he could with a longer rod (lever). You'll be able to apply more power against the fish with a shorter rod than with a longer rod.

However, you don't get something for nothing. You won't be able to move the fish as far with each sweep or pump of the short rod compared to that of a longer rod. There will be less shock absorption (maybe - depends on your tackle and what you're trying to do in the first place). You may not be able to lead the fish over or away from obstructions when fighting in close.

So it comes back to what you mean by "control." If it's strictly a matter of wanting to put the brakes on the fish or to apply more pressure, then shorter will do the job better. This is why stand-up fishermen are able to whip large tuna with very, very short rods. With longer rods, the fisherman would have one heck of a time against these same fish in a non-fighting chair situation.
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I have a 11 1/2' GLoomis GLX 8/9 weight with a Ross Canyon 6 that I thought was "thee" outfit for chuck n' duck Salmon fishing - I would catch Salmon and just reel them in. Two years ago I hooked the biggest King my boy and I had ever seen in the Big Manistee here in Michigan and that fish kicked my rear end. Lost it trying to net it, had to sit on the bank and rest for awhile afterward - haven't used that rod since!

We've had a number of requests for rods of 8'6" and 9' for throwing baits off the rocks up north for stripers (Rhode Island, and further north). These guys need the length to keep the line over the surf, as is true with all surf rods once the fish is on. We've had comments that other than that, they would use shorter rods.

Control is also a function of the rod action. You can do all sorts of stuff in the design to enhance the element of control during the fight. Longer/shorter is just one element of the design. That's the beauty of custom building.

Uncle Russ
Calico Creek Rods

Daniel,
A longer rod is more forgiving and allows you to bring in bigger fish with lighter line.

However, if you have really powerful fish, you need a short rod to give you the power to lift the fish.

For example, many steel head rods are typically 9 - 10 feet and can often catch 10-20 lb fish on 4 lb test line as long as the line doesn't catch in the rocks. It does take a long time to tire the fish, but the forgivness of the rod protects the light line.

In contrast, if you have a 150 lb tuna on the line and you are using 80 lb line, you simply need the brute power to bring the fish to the boat. This is most easily accomplished with a short ( 5-5 1/2) foot rod to allow you to get better leverage. i.e. there is a shorter lever arm. So, although you take in less line, on each retreive of the pole, you will have the strength to retrive the fish.

In contrast, if you had a very heavy action 8 foot rod, you likely would not have enough strength to pull the tip of this longer rod and heavy fish to the boat.

Take care
Roger