GEAR
LONG RODS
8 FEET AND BEYOND
MOTIVATED BY RECENT TOURNAMENT RULE CHANGES AT B.A.S.S., ROD
MANUFACTURERS ARE NOW JUMPING ON THE “BIG ROD BANDWAGON” AND
ROLLING OUT STICKS IN EXCESS OF 8 FEET LONG
R
48
eady or not, the long rods are
coming. I’m talking magnum sticks
that go beyond 8 feet in length. A
few will invariably push the double-digit
length barrier.
Actually, bass rods longer than 8 feet
have been around for a while, but they’ve
remained niche items for the most part.
Big-bass specialists out west have been
using them to throw big swimbaits for
quite some time, and smallmouth
anglers frequently rely on extra-long
spinning rods to perform the float-n-fly
technique in gin-clear waters in winter.
Back in the early days of tournament
fishing, when anglers were paired two
to a boat by draw, legendary California
pro Dee Thomas (known as the father of
flipping) won several tournaments by
using a 14-foot-long rod to drop jigs ver-
tically into tight spots in stands of tules
By Matt Williams
that his partners couldn’t reach with
conventional rods.
The tactic proved so effective at
times that other anglers were quick to
cry foul, resulting in a 1976 rule imple-
mentation by B.A.S.S. that limited
anglers to rods no longer than 8 feet
long in its events.
Even though FLW and many other
tournament organizations never put a
limitation on rod length, the “reach rod”
concept has never generated much
interest among the modern masses,
likely because 8 feet became the
accepted – though unofficial – maxi-
mum among tournament anglers.
Things began changing last fall when
several pros suggested a rule change
and sparked a discussion among anglers
and tournament officials that led to
B.A.S.S. amending its rule to allow rods
up to 10 feet in length beginning in 2017.
Seemingly overnight the chatter
began in bass fishing circles about the
benefits of longer rods. Though mostly
untested at the time, the 8-plus sticks
were said to contribute to longer casts
with magnum crankbaits, better hook-
sets with jigs, improved leverage in
heavy cover and increased power.
Rod manufacturers listened, and
some scrambled to the drawing board
with new designs to feed what most
hope will turn into bass fishing’s next
consumer feeding frenzy. While several
companies such as Lew’s, Halo, St. Croix
and Shimano debuted their new 8-plus
rods at ICAST 2017 in Orlanda, Fla., in
July, others are likely waiting to see
whether or not the industry and – more
importantly – the anglers, will bite
before taking the leap.
FLWFISHING.COM I AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2017