Maj - I'll vouch for the 16-12-8' front to back setup out the sides, I can pretty much turn on a dime with no tangles as long as I don't have a ton of line out and I can't do that with only 2' difference in the rod lengths (as in 12-10-8 or something). I'll sometimes add a couple of down lines to that mix on 6' rods out the front holders.