Pole length when Nightstalking

I've been night fishing for crappie in the summer for a couple decades and have a general idea what length tends to work for me on my pontoon boat but would like to hear other opinions on the subject. I've tried them from 6 foot to 16 foot but what has worked best for me is certainly using all the same length and type so I can watch the rods better. 10 footers seem ideal but do some of you like being closer to the boat in the light or outside of the light ? What brings you the most success on your home lake ? Thanks.

I'll try and ask again in the summer lol

I like 7 foot in my buddies G3. Any longer than that, not as responsive to the hit for me. Prefer to hold the rod

I don't "nightstalk" much anymore ... but, I prefer to have rods long enough to get to most all areas of the light ... in and outside of it ... even if that means using floats, regardless of the lengths of the rods I'm using.

Thats a good idea . I was just getting ready to upgrade my poles that are getting worse for wear and was thinking of going with all 10 footers but really I guess there isn't a foolproof answer to this question. Some nights you need a good 7 foot pole in your hand as the bite is lite. Some nights they hit in the light and then some nights they hit 14 feet out at the edge of the light..............and on any given night you could have 12 poles out and all your fish will come off one pole lol.

Love to night fish here in Ga. have used rods of different lengths and I found if they are biting it does not matter. Because I am still I like poles no more than eight feet. To me the longer rods are harder to land fish.


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when i night stalk and i dont do it much these days , but back when quite often .
i gear my rod length to the bank i am on and or boat or dock .
thick cover on the bank at night with a long rod equals lots of frustration
more open spaces at night with a short rod and heavy fish equals more frustration .
etc etc etc

to better under stand here is what i carry in my back seat of my truck 24 7 365 :highfive
4 foot long up to 8 foot long and all points in between , some are kid friendly just in case :highfive

10fters with the last 18" painted white never failed to put limits in the boat most nights