I remember somewhere was the statistic that over 80% of fish are caught within 20ft of the boat. So even a short 9ft rod with a 9ft line plus 3ft tippet puts you within range of 80% of the fish.
David
Everyone must believe in something, I believe I'll go canoeing. -HDT
Flyfishing is a drug. It's addictive, it can be expensive, not many others will understand it, it is possible to get others hooked, and everyone has a favorite place to get their fix, but there's no hangover in the morning (from the fishing at least).