I think a lot depends on how deep you are fishing. If you are in 4 to 8 FOW then yes, maybe the 10ft rod would be close enough to the TM and boat to spook some, but if you are in 10 to 30 FOW or more, I personally don't think the 10 ft. is a problem. Having several different lengths, however,does help disperse the lines so tangles are minimized.