whats a 5ft6 rod for? 2025
ohihunter2014 reply :
I found a 5ft6 light action ugly stick in the garage today and a 30 size diawa reel laying around so threw it on there. what type of techniques would this setup be good for? That little rod is pretty bad a.. cause I caught several 24''+ catfish on it.
Outdoor Zack reply :
Finesse approaches from the bank for bass.
Or spool it with 6# mono and you have an awesome panfish rig.
Darren. reply :
A light ugly stik? That's got a lot of noodle to it,
so I'd probably pick it for pannies. But you could
do bass with it, though might be fun keeping them
buttoned up 
slimjim1135 reply :
If you've already caught a few bigger catfish on it, you know that it's a powerful little rod for the action. I have a 5'6" that I use for creek Largemouth and panfish. A good short whippy, noodly rod is great for fishing small areas, so if you're fishing under trees or are in tight space, the 5'6" would be a better fit than a bigger rod.
Catt reply :
whats a 5ft6 rod for?
The 1970s 
Raul reply :
How about for catching a 14.5 lber ?
jdz197 reply :
Out of sheer curiosity, I bought a 5'6" shakespeare durango at walmart for $10 and put my silvermax with 10 lb fluoro on it. I've only used 7' rods for the past few years and I must say It's nice to have a short rod option to reach into tight spots with overhanging trees.
That being said, it's flimsy as can be so I don't expect it to last forever.
The Bassman reply :
On 3/27/2017 at 11:19 AM, Catt said:whats a 5ft6 rod for?
The 1970s
And now for some of us old throwbacks. LOL Actually, I use mostly 6' because of being stuck on shore.
Master Bait'r reply :
Children
?
LBASS01 reply :
I always used the lighter setups like that when wading small streams and rivers.
NYWayfarer reply :
It's for people with really small cars that hate 2 piece rods.
sll reply :
Topwater.....pistol gripped short rods for great accuracy around a lot of cover or docks.
Jaderose reply :
On 3/27/2017 at 8:33 PM, sll said:Topwater.....pistol gripped short rods for great accuracy around a lot of cover or docks.
This. I have an old school 5'6" pistol grip with a PQ on it that is my topwater rod. Perfect for it
J Francho reply :
Sounds like this is a spinning rod. My vote is for skipping unweighted plastics or tomato stake. The former, especially if you're fishing from the shore.
crypt reply :
I use one for throwing under boat docks,overhanging limbs,branches etc. spinnbaits,topwater,squarebills.etc. great for pinpoint accuracy.
Team9nine reply :
On 3/27/2017 at 8:56 PM, J Francho said:Sounds like this is a spinning rod. My vote is for skipping unweighted plastics or tomato stake.
Yep, another vote for tomato stakes ? though in the winter, they also serve a dual purpose of marking the edges of your drive and street so the snow plows don't take out your yard 
-T9
junyer357 reply :
I have a 5'6" and 5' spinning rods i use for panfishing while wading creeks.
J Francho reply :
On 3/27/2017 at 9:46 PM, junyer357 said:I have a 5'6" and 5' spinning rods i use for panfishing while wading creeks.
This is one application where a shorter rod really comes in handy - especially if you're using a spinning rod. Good point!
RoLo reply :
Most anglers envision a short rod as a thin, wimpy blank, and therein lies the prejudice.
In order to have a fair comparison between a long and short rod, all other things must be equal:
same blank material, root diameter, spine and taper. When 'rod length' is evaluated in isolation,
the shorter rod will offer more advantages than the longer rod.
Legendary Zane Grey was the first man to boat a fish over 1,000 pounds.
As you can see, the distance between the reel seat and tiptop guide is less than 6 feet.
When all other things are equal, "Power" is one of several advantages of a shorter rod.
Roger
J Francho reply :
Zane likely wasn't casting. No need for length. I'm often discredited for using 6'3" drop shot rods. I just don't get why you need all the extra length for a vertical presentation. Besides, my rods are only about a 1/2" shorter than many 6'6" to 6'8" rods, from seat to tip.
ohihunter2014 reply :
its a spinning rod. I used it for most my fishing but it was always bobber fishing from the bank. never used it for anything else.
blckshirt98 reply :
As a shore guy there are a few snug spots I've come across where a 5'6" rod would have come in handy. From a boat maybe other options would be better depending on what you're throwing, but as long as the rod is in working order it can still catch anything.
Maggiesmaster reply :
A bunch of us fish a small lake with many overhanging trees. A 5 1/2 or (preferably) 6 ft. rod is perfect. Longer rods don't work as well.
fishwizzard reply :
I am a big fan of short rods. I fish from bank or kayak and in either case I rarely need or want to make super long casts. Most of my rods are under 6'6" and I wish there were more high end offerings in shorter lengths.
XpressJeff reply :
I have a 5'6" Shakespeare pistol grip med action with a Shimano Bantam on it. It's a blast!!!
RoLo reply :
On 3/28/2017 at 1:25 AM, Maggiesmaster said:A bunch of us fish a small lake with many overhanging trees. A 5 1/2 or (preferably) 6 ft. rod is perfect. Longer rods don't work as well.
Yes, a big advantage when bank fishing by overhanging trees & dense brush (i.e. the best spots)
All other things equal, a shorter rod is also more sensitive than a longer rod (comes closer to hand-lining).
Also, a shorter rod offers more water clearance for working a jerkbait, without standing on your toes 
For sure, a longer rod offers greater casting distance, which has been done to death,
but a shorter rod offers better casting accuracy (less magnified lateral error)
As a bonus, shorter rods are easier to store than longer rods, in your home, your truck and your boat.
Roger
J Francho reply :
On 3/28/2017 at 3:15 AM, RoLo said:shorter rod offers better casting accuracy (less magnified lateral error)
I'd argue that practice = accuracy, but yeah - the shorter rods tend to be more accurate. I know I go to a shorter rod when I want "sniper style" accuracy.
david in va reply :
I have 3 or 4 of the short rods, bought them back in the 70s to stripper fish with. They are stiff , used 888s and 808s on them You needed short rods when bank fishing the Staunton [Roanoke ] river. We caught a lot of fish on those rod & reels. They are Berkley with pistol grip. Buck tails were the bate of chose, cheap at the time, you could trade a few deer tails for enough buck tales to last a long time.
Oh I still use em too. But would not trust them to a 25 or 30 pound strip Bass now.
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