Long rods are finally coming to market 2025
fishballer06 reply :
Looks like St. Croix is revealing their extra long rods to go with BASS now allowing rods up to 10' in length. What does everyone think of these sticks?
https://www.bassmaster.com/news/st-croix-debuts-half-dozen-extra-long-legend-tournament-bass-casting-rods-bassmaster-classic
QuoteMODELS:
LBC80HMF (FLIPPIN') 8’, Heavy-Power, Moderate-Fast Action
LBC88HF: (BULLFROG) 8’8", Heavy-Power, Fast Action
LBC88HM: (MAGNUM CRANKER) 8’8”, Heavy-Power, Moderate-Action
LBC811HMF: (FLIPPIN'/PUNCHIN') 8’11”, Heavy-Power, Moderate-Fast Action
LBC811XHF: (MEGA SWIM BAIT) 8’11”, Extra-Heavy-Power, Fast Action
LBC911HMF: (FLIPPIN'/PUNCHIN') 9’11”, Heavy-Power, Moderate-Fast Action
Burke reply :
Would love to have one of those but how will this fit into my Nissan Sentra ?
it gotta hang out of the windows or put on the Thule Rack !
Oklahoma Mike reply :
I'm not a big fan of anything over 8'... but then again, there was a time when I wouldn't fish a rod longer than 6'-6" so maybe I will change my mind over time.
Yudo1 reply :
I have no desire to get a rod that long. For me, transporting and storage would be a pain. I wonder how tip heavy they will be.
RichF reply :
I think they'd just be more of a pain than their worth. They're not gonna fit in my rod locker, truck, or apartment. They with definitely be tip heavy unless you add a bunch of counter balancing weights (or they have 2 ft long handles). I just can't imagine they'd be comfortable to fish with. Who would want to frog with an 8'8 heavy rod?!
BassWhole! reply :
Except for flipping, I don't usually use a rod over 7' now, so for me, meh, I can see where in some specific situations they might be useful, but not for me.
*Hootie reply :
I remember when anything over 5 1/2 ft. was a long rod.
Hootie
Angry John reply :
I would havery to pass. I have an 806 and I am not fond of a rod that long. My 7'6" cranking rod is as long as I will go again. Might try a dobyns 795 but longer than 8 is a storage and transportation nightmare. I am sure some proom will start telling us that we have to get these but I am not biting.
smr913 reply :
If I did any deep cranking I would consider a 9 foot cranking rod.
lmbfisherman reply :
I think I will pass, may be my height. I won't go pass a 7'6". I think that is more than long enough.
kickerfish1 reply :
On 3/22/2017 at 11:35 PM, *Hootie said:I remember when anything over 5 1/2 ft. was a long rod.
Hootie
Yep! Hootie, we are not old, we are vintage.
Darren. reply :
No interest whatsoever for bass fishing.
I do use long rods from 10-20' for no-reel
fishing. Just long poles. Lots of fun.
BassThumb reply :
I wonder how they balance out with a standard-sized reel.
MickD reply :
I have an RX8 Rainshadow 8 1/2 that I built into a casting rod, and it's fine for salmon. Will throw a spoon a "mile," and really nice to handle fish with it, but it's more rod than I want for bass. I just don't see. Unless I'm offering a whole bunch of new design long rods for all the guys who have already bought all my shorter rods.
On 3/23/2017 at 3:59 AM, BassThumb said:I wonder how they balance out with a standard-sized reel.
they have to be tip heavy. I see no practical way that they can be anything other than tip heavy.
hunterPRO1 reply :
never used a rod over 7'6 and unless i pick up an 8 foot swimbait stick i probably never will.
BassThumb reply :
On 3/23/2017 at 4:07 AM, MickD said:they have to be tip heavy. I see no practical way that they can be anything other than tip heavy.
I wonder. I have a 7' 9" Dobyns Champion Extreme flipping stick that is in no way tip-heavy. Granted, the rods listed are all a foot or more longer. I'd really like to fish with one, especially the cranking stick.
Caliyak reply :
If anyone surf fishes, long rods are common in that industry. Nothing new in fishing. I hope they come in 2 piece.
RoLo reply :
In surf-fishing, a long-cast is necessary to reach the swash, otherwise buy a boat.
But the long freshwater wands I see kicking around violate the point of diminishing returns.
The longest one-piece rod in my arsenal is 7'6", and that will be the first rod to find my overhead fan 
Roger
WRB reply :
All you backseaters need to wear a helmet! Can't imagine a 8'11" crankbait rod with a few feet of line hanging down with 10X crankbait whizzing past your head all day!
Tom
soflabasser reply :
Funny how some people are telling others they need +8 foot rods for bass fishing and +20 years ago people where doing just fine with 5'6"-6'0" rods.
WRB reply :
What happened is B.A.S.S. changed their tournament rule to allow rods longer than 8'.
The 8' rule came from flipping when Dee Thomas was using 12' rods back in the early 70's.
I don't see a big advantage going over 8', although some swimbait anglers like 9' rods for greater casting distance.
Tom
Catt reply :
The problem for Dee was not rod length but the fact he had no reel attached, he was in his own words a "Tule Dipper".
“I started tule dipping in California in the 50s,” he said. “In that technique, you have a 12- to 18-foot rod. There’s no reel so you either attach a length of line to the tip or you run a length of line down through the rod tip and affix it at the butt-end of the rod. Either way, you have a length of line, about as long as the rod, and that’s what you use to present your lure.”
Reference http://bassfishingarchives.com/features/the-birth-of-the-flippin-stik-part-one
fishindad reply :
I have no idea what BASS was thinking when they put this out there (other than more dollars for rod companies) nor do I think this was very smart on St Croix's part to make these rods one-piece. Can you imagine all of the warranty claims they will be dealing with? As mentioned it's enough of a pain to deal with rods over 7 foot.
The main scenarios I see these rods as an advantage is big water cranking/swimbaiting where it helps to cover tons of water. Or dippin' tules like Dee Thomas did/does. And IMO, there's no way St Croix had enough time to thoroughly field test these rods given the time between BASS' announcement and them rolling out (no pun intended) this line of long rods. These rods seem more like muskie-type rods. And where's the fun in yanking 4 and 5lbers, 9 feet out of the water?
fishballer06 reply :
On 3/23/2017 at 8:39 PM, fishindad said:I have no idea what BASS was thinking when they put this out there (other than more dollars for rod companies) nor do I think this was very smart on St Croix's part to make these rods one-piece. Can you imagine all of the warranty claims they will be dealing with? As mentioned it's enough of a pain to deal with rods over 7 foot.
The main scenarios I see these rods as an advantage is big water cranking/swimbaiting where it helps to cover tons of water. Or dippin' tules like Dee Thomas did/does. And IMO, there's no way St Croix had enough time to thoroughly field test these rods given the time between BASS' announcement and them rolling out (no pun intended) this line of long rods. These rods seem more like muskie-type rods. And where's the fun in yanking 4 and 5lbers, 9 feet out of the water?
I don't think everyone is realizing the demographic for these rods. Every single one of these rods are built for a very specific purpose/technique. Techniques that the average fishermen probably just gets by with something else that he already has. Even further on the average fishermen aspect, these are Legend Tournament rods. These are $300 rods. Again, something that the average fishermen isn't spending for a rod that is specific for just one specific technique.
The fishermen who is going to go out and buy that 9'11" Flipping Stick isn't the guy who throws everything into his Honda Civic and goes down to the local pond. The guys who are buying these rods are competitive tournament fishermen, guide services who are on the water almost every day of the week, or the guys with deep pockets who always want the best edge they can have no matter what the cost is. These are people who know what they need and they know how to treat their equipment. If these rods were being offered in the Triumph line ($80-90 retail), then yeah. You might see Joe Schmoe's buying these and breaking them because they have no clue what they even have.
As for St. Croix not knowing what they're making with these rods, I beg to differ. St. Croix isn't just blundering blindly into a rod over 8 feet in a power that they've never made before. We're talking about a company that has been in the rod making business 70 years. A company that has been producing rods much longer than the traditional bass rods for applications like trout and musky fishing. From just looking at the St. Croix website, I see that they make a 9' Heavy powered musky rod in multiple different product lines. So this is certainly an area where they have familiarity with.
J Francho reply :
A 10' punching rod would be sweet! They got the taper right too, with mod-fast.
tholmes reply :
On 3/22/2017 at 9:36 PM, Yudo1 said:I have no desire to get a rod that long. For me, transporting and storage would be a pain. I wonder how tip heavy they will be.
^This, exactly. Won't fit in the bed of my pickup, won't fit in my rod rack. I guess I'm stuck with 7' and under rods.
Tom
J Francho reply :
As far as the tip heavy speculation, I have a 13' Avid spinning rod for centrepinning, and it's not tip heavy at all. In fact, with the centrepin mounted, it's tip light, which is ideal for this style of fishing.
portiabrat reply :
Even top of the line musky rods, which tend to be around 9', are tip heavy, unless you hold the foregrip instead of palming the reel. They're great for swimming, cranking, and twitching applications, and they cast a mile, but jigging with them isn't fun.
I'd buy a long bass rod for swimming applications but not for bottom contact.
Catt reply :
Y'all try one yet?
J Francho reply :
On 3/23/2017 at 10:58 PM, Catt said:Y'all try one yet?
Still internet fishing! 
Big Bait Fishing reply :
On 3/23/2017 at 10:58 PM, Catt said:Y'all try one yet?
i have a 9 ft. swimbait rod i've been using for over a year ..
WRB reply :
Now all you need rod lockers long enough for rods over 9', most bass boat are made for 8' max length rods. I am sure the longer rods are going to sell, my point is 2 anglers sharing the same boat can't be over head casting crank or swim baits without problems, flipping no issue with long rods.
Wait and see how this affects the general bass fishing anglers, they tend to copy what the pro's do.
I own 9', 13' nd 16' long rods for ocean fishing where casting distance can be an issue, transportation and storage is a problem for 1 piece long rods.
Tom
Bankbeater reply :
The longest rod that I use is 7'0". Sometimes when fishing from the bank a long rod is not your friend.
Catt reply :
On 3/23/2017 at 11:18 PM, Big Bait Fishing said:i have a 9 ft. swimbait rod i've been using for over a year ..
What reel & how does it balance?
We had a short winter (2days of 30-32°) which was great for the spawn but it also means a lot of vegetation this spring & summer.
I field tested iRod's IRG7114P “Bub’s Punch Rod”, like most everything but the EVA handles...I hate EVA, feels slimy.
fishindad reply :
On 3/23/2017 at 9:03 PM, fishballer06 said:
I don't think everyone is realizing the demographic for these rods. Every single one of these rods are built for a very specific purpose/technique. Techniques that the average fishermen probably just gets by with something else that he already has. Even further on the average fishermen aspect, these are Legend Tournament rods. These are $300 rods. Again, something that the average fishermen isn't spending for a rod that is specific for just one specific technique.
The fishermen who is going to go out and buy that 9'11" Flipping Stick isn't the guy who throws everything into his Honda Civic and goes down to the local pond. The guys who are buying these rods are competitive tournament fishermen, guide services who are on the water almost every day of the week, or the guys with deep pockets who always want the best edge they can have no matter what the cost is. These are people who know what they need and they know how to treat their equipment. If these rods were being offered in the Triumph line ($80-90 retail), then yeah. You might see Joe Schmoe's buying these and breaking them because they have no clue what they even have.
As for St. Croix not knowing what they're making with these rods, I beg to differ. St. Croix isn't just blundering blindly into a rod over 8 feet in a power that they've never made before. We're talking about a company that has been in the rod making business 70 years. A company that has been producing rods much longer than the traditional bass rods for applications like trout and musky fishing. From just looking at the St. Croix website, I see that they make a 9' Heavy powered musky rod in multiple different product lines. So this is certainly an area where they have familiarity with.
I beg to differ. I haven't fished these LT bass long rods but I do have 8 1/2 and 9 foot LT musky rods so I know a thing or two about fishing longer rods. With the exception of their new 8' flippin rod, none of them would fit in my rod locker nor any other 8 1/2 foot multispecies boat's rod locker. I see no practical application (for me) and I bass (and musky) fish Erie, DR, SCR, and St Clair = big water. I throw high dollar musky lures but, I don't throw giant swimbaits for smallies (maybe I should). Cost of fishing tackle is not an issue for me and I know it isn't for a lot of anglers.
St Croix makes a fine rods, no doubt, as I fish them. But I'm not a SC fanboy and my apologies if I offended you with my comments. There are plenty of weekend warriors (average fishermen?) that have arsenals of legend tournaments and higher end rods and reels; and there are plenty "tournament" anglers who can't afford high end tackle. How many 9'11" flipping sticks do they expect to sell? Maybe it's because I prefer chasing smallies here in Michigan but, I have fished Clear Lake in CA as well as the CA Delta so I believe the situations where one can effectively fish these rods are very limited, IMO. But hey, if you want to pitch jigs to the Three Rivers bass with a 10 foot pole, have at it. Guess we'll just have to wait and see how many BASS and FLW tournaments are won using these rods.
WRB reply :
Can't see need a swimbait rod over 8' long. I will use Butch Brown as a example and he uses 7'11" swimbait rod. I see occasional 9'+ rods being cast from shore anglers, usually striper anglers but a few bass angles over the last decade.
My first swimbait rod was a custom Lamiglas 956 nearly identicle Loomis SBR 956 heavy, 7'11", back in the early 90's and use it today.
Tom
J Francho reply :
I'm curious about any comment that starts with, "You don't need..." I mean, has "need" ever dictated what we buy when shopping for tackle?
WRB reply :
On 3/24/2017 at 1:15 AM, J Francho said:I'm curious about any comment that starts with, "You don't need..." I mean, has "need" ever dictated what we buy when shopping for tackle?
Fix it just for you. 10' rod could be used for push polling the Kayak.
Tom
J Francho reply :
I wouldn't have any problem hitting a partner on the deck of my Bullet, either. A 21XDC is almost 22' long. 
Catt reply :
On 3/24/2017 at 1:15 AM, J Francho said:I'm curious about any comment that starts with, "You don't need..." I mean, has "need" ever dictated what we buy when shopping for tackle?
Nope 
Aint worried about it fitting in a rod box either...got straps on my deck!
With the expected growth this year it's gonna be a lot Redneck Bubba Bass Fishing!
Delaware Valley Tackle reply :
I vote that the first poster to say they're tip heavy gets caned.
Mosster47 reply :
Most of my salmon & steelhead rods are 8'6", but other than mag cranking I would never want that. A good reel and an 8' rod do pretty well with an XD10.
I think this might be a new way to catch fisherman.
soflabasser reply :
On 3/23/2017 at 8:39 PM, fishindad said:where's the fun in yanking 4 and 5lbers, 9 feet out of the water?
^this^
Seems to be overkill to use a +8 foot rod for bass.I have caught all my double digit bass on 6'0"-6'6" rods, and hundreds of bass 6 pounds or better on rods under 7'0".I understand that many swimbaiters like 8'0"-9'0" rods since many of them are throwing +5 ounce lures, but there's plenty of swimbaiters who catch double digit bass on swimbait rods under 8'0".
On 3/24/2017 at 2:16 AM, Mosster47 said:I think this might be a new way to catch fisherman.
Yes and they are going to sell alot of these +8 foot bass rods since bass fishermen will buy anything their favorite pro tells them to get.
bigturtle reply :
if theres a 2pc that separates in the middle, im down to try it. Otherwise, no, cant even carry it around
S. Sass reply :
On 3/24/2017 at 12:10 AM, Catt said:I hate EVA
I'm not fond of it either.
As for the long rods if you don't like them, or don't think your toyota can fit one don't buy one. It really is that simple. Just don't go making or attempting to make the choice for everyone else. This PC stuff is getting goofy where just because one person has a issue with something they want to imply or impose their position on others.
As for SC not being able to make one properly well I'll just say they probably have 50 years more experience than 99% of the people on this bass forum so they probably will get closer than any of us would.
Big Bait Fishing reply :
On 3/24/2017 at 12:10 AM, Catt said:
What reel & how does it balance?
We had a short winter (2days of 30-32°) which was great for the spawn but it also means a lot of vegetation this spring & summer.
I field tested iRod's IRG7114P “Bub’s Punch Rod”, like most everything but the EVA handles...I hate EVA, feels slimy.
the rod is a St. Croix Legend Tournament H/F" Big Nasty " , i have a Revo Toro 51 on it , and yeah , it's tip heavy despite being spiral wrapped with size 4 micro guides . the tip heaviness does't bother as swimbait's are a tip down presentation ..
when $ is better , i may get the 8'6'' Sling blade for 2-4 oz. baits as the Big Nasty is a beast
fishindad reply :
On 3/24/2017 at 7:31 AM, S. Sass said:
As for SC not being able to make one properly well I'll just say they probably have 50 years more experience than 99% of the people on this bass forum so they probably will get closer than any of us would.
I'm 59 in August so I've been fishing for over 50 years, lol. You?
I love St Croix rods (I use ‘em) and hope these do well but there is a limit to the distance of a reasonable cast. I fish Lake St Clair and believe me this lake is perfect for covering acres of water. But I’d need to buy new reels with giant spools to handle making casts the length of a football field or two. I can just see it now – guys will be throwing 1oz. traps next to my boat from 100 yards away, claiming they weren’t encroaching on my personal space, lol. Now that’s goofy, or better yet uncouth. Guess we will have to wait and see who is the first pro to win an event with these long rods and when.
S. Sass reply :
On 3/24/2017 at 10:53 PM, fishindad said:Guess we will have to wait and see who is the first pro to win an event with these long rods and when.
Yeah will be funny in 10 to 20 years to see what's normal vs old School.
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