Short rods “ any fans “

I got out my 4’10” St Croix Trout Series rod out this morning. Loaded up a Shimano Sahara 1000 with 2# line , tied on a 1/64 bare jighead and went out to the driveway to see how far I could cast.
Close to 60’ . I thought that was pretty good.
I was throwing a 5’6” SC Panfish series yesterday and was getting around 65’ , a 6’ SC Premier , about the same .
I was supposed to go fishing today, but a front came through yesterday and today we have 10-15 mph winds with gusts to 25 .
Tomorrow is supposed to be better and I’m thinking of taking the shorty fishing for some gills .
I own several five footers and a few 5’6”ers .
I haven’t been using my shorter rods , mainly because a lot of my fishing has been from shore with a float and fly (microjig) and I use a six-six or seven foot UL rod to throw the F&F rig efficiently. Using a weighted styrofoam float .
I’ll be taking a couple of six footers along for the trip tomorrow too .
One good thing about fishing out of the boat , I can take more tackle :) .

I lile them alot on brushy shorelines. They are easier to maneuver around. Also like them under low bridges. Sometimes you don't have the room overhead to set the hook with a longer rod

I’m a wade fisherman and really love my 6’6” and 6’2” U/L rods. I like the light weight, easy casting and ability to cast under overhang branches, etc.
Bob

I love my short rods for close quarters fishing. They are easy to store, easy to handle and for me really make the THUMP a bit more exciting. The light weight and balance are awesome. I especially like my BnM Leland’s TCB paired with the Pro 50 reel!

You had a lot more short rods when fiberglass was king. Since graphite became the dominant rod material, rods have been getting longer. (That goes for fly rods as well as spinning and casting rods.)

When I first got into dock shooting I was using a 5' Quantum 653n UL with a Shakespeare Alpha XT 1000 reel & 4# line for a lot of my normal casting, and it worked just fine for both. Got asked to be a Field Tester for ESP rods when they were first being introduced, and I was sent a 5'6" UL (no spec labeling on the blank) and it quickly took over the casting & dock shooting duties. My Avatar pic shows me holding a 2.75# Crappie that I'd just caught on the Quantum/Shakespeare combo: (Spring 2007 - Watts Bar Reservoir)

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I used the ESP UL with the same Shakespeare reel for several years, until I stressed it a bit too much and broke it (long story, but it was operator error for the most part).

Since then I've moved my casting duties to the ESP PowerLite 6'6" rod with a Mitchell 308x reel & 6# line.

Don't do any Bluegill fishing (specifically for them), but still catch them when casting for Crappie. And if I ever catch one that's over 8" .... it goes in the livewell along with the Crappie. :ThumbsUp

When I first started UL Spinning fishing in the 60’s and 70’s , a five footer was king . Sometimes you’d run across a shorter one , sometimes a five foot six , but that just about covered it .
Shakespeare was the working man’s manufacture, as they are today . The WonderRod .
I remember the 4’6” and 5’ Ugly Sticks were popular. Heavy little rods , especially compared to today’s offerings.
And the Daiwa MiniSpin was an early entry .
I still have an old WonderRod , and a push button Daiwa rod and reel combo .
Caught a boat load of crappie , gills, and bass up to five pounds .