I built myself a 6 1/2 foot six weight to throw poppers and divers for topwater bass and pike fishing.

I really prefer the shorter rods for working the lures. You can twitch/pop/pull a bait with your rid tip low to the water easier with a shorter rod than you can with a longer rod.

This rod, rigged with an 8 wt. line, lets me throw big pike streamers, deer hair bugs, and balsa or foam poppers up to 3/0 the distances I need to fish (I do fish from a boat for bass/pike, so I'm not even attempting casts over 40 feet. I need to be closer to the fish to hook them and get them away from stuff).

It will handle pike to 40 inches without a problem.

Good Luck.

Buddy