09-07-2006, 02:34 PM
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...I always wondered why manufacturers were so set on 9 ft rods. I think they mainly make them because that is what we buy but I think we buy the 9 ft because that is what everyone says that is what you need. From what I have read that preception may be changing. ...
[black][size 2][font "Verdana"]It's always "been changing". When modern fly fishing was just getting going back in the mid 1800's it was common to use 12 or 14 foot "poles". Then the sizes started to shrink with 6'6" bamboo rods being more or less standard fare by the middle of the 20th. In the 1960's and 70's, rods of around 8- through 8'6" were the norm. Since then, longer and shorter rods have been promoted for "special purposes". I notice that in the last 5 or so years the "norm" has been to move toward 9-footers. I certainly notice the difference, especially when casting out of my Kayak or a belly boat: the longer (i.e. 9') rods help me keep my inept casting up.
You're certainly right that the manufacturers are just reacting to the demand which explains why almost everybody has a complete line of 9-footers, but their sorter (<8') and longer (>10') rod selections may occasionally be limited. Of course, if we all started craving 10-footers, then ...
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...I always wondered why manufacturers were so set on 9 ft rods. I think they mainly make them because that is what we buy but I think we buy the 9 ft because that is what everyone says that is what you need. From what I have read that preception may be changing. ...
[black][size 2][font "Verdana"]It's always "been changing". When modern fly fishing was just getting going back in the mid 1800's it was common to use 12 or 14 foot "poles". Then the sizes started to shrink with 6'6" bamboo rods being more or less standard fare by the middle of the 20th. In the 1960's and 70's, rods of around 8- through 8'6" were the norm. Since then, longer and shorter rods have been promoted for "special purposes". I notice that in the last 5 or so years the "norm" has been to move toward 9-footers. I certainly notice the difference, especially when casting out of my Kayak or a belly boat: the longer (i.e. 9') rods help me keep my inept casting up.
You're certainly right that the manufacturers are just reacting to the demand which explains why almost everybody has a complete line of 9-footers, but their sorter (<8') and longer (>10') rod selections may occasionally be limited. Of course, if we all started craving 10-footers, then ...
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