9ft vs 10ft rod

[hooter]

For the rod experts out there...are there advantages of a 10ft rod over a 9ft rod of an equivalent wieght? a few companies offer 9', 9,6" and 10' rods...Why one over the other? What are the disadvantages of a 10ft rod in an inshore saltwater (8 wt) package?

Thanks in advance.

[Oyster Dog]

Everything else being equal, a longer rod can generate faster line speed which will result in longer casts. Also, a longer rod will keep your line higher above the water (duh!) which is an advantage while seated in a kayak.

A longer rod will weigh slightly more than a shorter rod. Plus, because a rod is a lever a longer rod will require more force to cast than a shorter one. A shorter rod is easier to cast all day long.

Personally, I have a 9'6" Sage XP 7-weight and I love it.

My favorite small river/creek rod was a 6'0" Fenwick 5-weight. It wouldn't cast as far, but it also wouldn't tangle in the trees as much as my 8'6" Sage 5-weight!

[Austintatious]

Id like to add that as far as casting distance goes, I think the max is different for different people and their respective physical builds.

For instance, I can get out about 30 yards of 9 weight line on a 9 weight rod. Im 6'1" and 250 lbs with a lot of muscle.

Now My uncle is about 5'5" and 130 if he is lucky, pretty small guy and Ive casted side by side with him and he can whip out jsu tas much line as me witha 4 weight setup!

Its prettyamazing, of course his tequnique is a bit better than mine as well.

I too think that perhaps that weight rods and line jsu tmatches him better. I guess I should have traded rods with him and seen what happened!

[Bird]

Oyster Dog summed it up pretty good. You might also want to look at the action of the rods too. A fast rod will generate more line speed and be easier to throw longer casts. They are also a bit harder to load on the back cast so your timing/technique is a bit more critical to get the distance. On the flip side, a slower action rod is easier to load and a bit more forgiving but is a little bit more difficult to reach out 70'+.

A longer rod would probably help toss those big flies too but I really doubt you'd notice that much difference between a 9 and 10 foot rod unless you were in a kayak. Good luck, its give and take either way you choose.