the recent introduction of short, specialty rods..

[LigonierA1]

So the Sage "Largemouth", "Smallmouth" 7'11" rods have been out for a little while. Sage apparently thought enough of the concept to recently introduce their "Bluegill" version.
Sage owned Redington now has their "Predator" series out, which builds on the same concept. 7'11" 6wt for bluegill, 7'11" 8wt for bass.

I'm wondering how this genre of rods is selling and working for it's users. Anyone got any idea?

I'd love to hear from users as the perceived strengths and weaknesses of these rods as well. Do they really do things better than a 9' 6 or 8wt?

[J Castwell]

I (we) have cast all three rods. They were designed to a length. That is/was the principle controlling criteria; they must be under 8 feet long. Also, they were the first rods designed to that criteria so had to be good at doing the intended job. Simply put, they must perform well at their given goal and they must do it like a Sage. They do. jc

[dudley]

Short rods, what a concept
What was once old and outdated is now new again

[Gandolf]

Hi All,

This may be redundant, but my understanding is that the bass rod was designed to be short enough to be legal to use in bass fishing tournaments. It is aimed at a very specific market.

It is not a "concept rod" length.

Regards,

Gandolf

[J Castwell]

They all had to be/are 7' 11". Under the 8ft bass tournament length.

[dudley]

From B.A.S.S.
Official Rules.... Bass Nation Federation

7. TACKLE AND EQUIPMENT: The use of grippers in landing bass is prohibited. Only artificial lures and biodegradable artificial lures may be used. No "live bait" or "prepared bait" will be permitted during official practice and competition, with the exception of pork strips or rinds. Only ONE casting, spin-casting or spinning rod (8-foot maximum length from butt of handle to rod tip) and reel may be used at any one time. Other rigs as specified above may be in boat ready for use; however, only ONE is permitted in use at any given time. All bass must be caught live and in a conventional sporting manner. Anyone guilty of snatching or snagging visible fish will have his/her catch disqualified. When visually fishing for bedding bass, to be counted as a legal fish all bass must be hooked inside the mouth and must be verified by your partner before being unhooked.

In a quick search of the web I found other smaller clubs who also allowed only casting, spin-casting, and spinning rods. I found no other rules about rod length.
Other non-BASS club rules mentioned neither rod/reel type or length, only the use of artificial lures only

[BobC]

I think I'll take a pass on the < 8 footers. Slightly under 9 works best for me, but 9 will be just fine for the kayak and river fishing.

[CoachBob]

For panfish and largemouth bass (unless I am pretty sure I will find a lunker) I use a TFO 7'6" 3wt. or a Quarro 7'6" 3 wt or a White River 7' 3 wt.

All these rods are softer (slower) than even a 9' in the same weight but they are excellent for all occasions with these fish. They are 3 and 4 piece rods because I travel a lot and I want them packable.
I use exclusively BassPro's White River HC1 reels because they are under $40 and are ultra light and do everything necessary for warm water.

Short rods? Thing about it. You are not going to be casting 60' and you will not have to mend.

The one drawback for big bluegill and medium bass is that the rods lack some backbone for hook setting. These fish require a HARD hook set and I probably miss 10% of the bass that hit a popper due to lack of rod stiffness.

But catching a 6" panfish on one is so much fun I would not trade it for that 10%.

[flyflingerandy]

The Sage rods are not 6, 7and 8s, they are 8, 9.5 and 11. They are overkill for most bass, considering that the tournaments do not allow fly angling anyway. These are niche rods of the worst variety. They are targeted at such a slim market, and calling one bluegill, is a waste. They are overkill for even record size gills.

[SteveGibson]

I think I'll take a pass on the < 8 footers. Slightly under 9 works best for me, but 9 will be just fine for the kayak and river fishing.

I like the shorter rods for kayak fishing. Guess it's all a matter of opinion.