What is the best length rod for kayak fishing?
The best rod length for kayak fishing is between 6 1/2 and 8 feet in length. The optimal rod length depends upon whether you are fishing towards heavy cover where casting accuracy is paramount or out in the open where casting distance is the most important factor.
I am a kayak fishing guide on the Treasure Coast of Florida. I have been fishing the mangroves and grass flats all over Florida for more than 40 years. I usually bring a rod for accuracy and a rod for long distance casting with me when I am kayak fishing.
When you are fishing from a kayak you are sitting down for the most part. You can stand up and cast if your kayak is stable enough but most kayak fishermen stay seated when they are fishing.
This increases the difficulty in casting accurately for most kayak anglers. If you are one of those fishermen that like to fish in the mangrove roots, then you know how important the length of your rod is for getting your bait or lure to the location you want it to be.
This is when a smaller length rod will give you the performance that you need. A 6 1/2 foot medium/heavy rod gives you just about the perfect blend of accuracy and casting distance to fish those tight fishing spots. I like to use a 6 1/2 foot rod to skip lures under the branches of the mangrove trees when I am fishing for snook and redfish during the higher parts of the tide. I will cover this in more detail below.
In the article below, you will learn more about the best rod length for kayak fishing around the docks, out on the grass flats, around the mangroves and up in shallow tidal creeks.
Catch more tarpon kayak fishing with a 7 foot medium/heavy rod.
The best rod length for kayak fishing is between 6 1/2 and 8 feet in length. The optimal rod length depends upon whether you are fishing towards heavy cover where casting accuracy is paramount or out in the open where casting distance is the most important factor.
I am a kayak fishing guide on the Treasure Coast of Florida. I have been fishing the mangroves and grass flats all over Florida for more than 40 years. I usually bring a rod for accuracy and a rod for long distance casting with me when I am kayak fishing.
When you are fishing from a kayak you are sitting down for the most part. You can stand up and cast if your kayak is stable enough but most kayak fishermen stay seated when they are fishing.
This increases the difficulty in casting accurately for most kayak anglers. If you are one of those fishermen that like to fish in the mangrove roots, then you know how important the length of your rod is for getting your bait or lure to the location you want it to be.
This is when a smaller length rod will give you the performance that you need. A 6 1/2 foot medium/heavy rod gives you just about the perfect blend of accuracy and casting distance to fish those tight fishing spots. I like to use a 6 1/2 foot rod to skip lures under the branches of the mangrove trees when I am fishing for snook and redfish during the higher parts of the tide. I will cover this in more detail below.
In the article below, you will learn more about the best rod length for kayak fishing around the docks, out on the grass flats, around the mangroves and up in shallow tidal creeks.
Catch more tarpon kayak fishing with a 7 foot medium/heavy rod.
What is the best length rod for kayak fishing around docks?
I like to use a 6 1/2 foot to 7 foot rod when kayak fishing around docks. This is an area where you will usually be skipping lures under docks. You will also be trying with pinpoint accuracy to get your live bait right under those docks too. That is why a smaller rod is a good choice for fishing under or right at a dock and its pilings.
Sometimes there is a lot of distance between each dock that you are fishing. If you like to fish the docks from your kayak, then you know what I am talking about. Between the docks you might want to use your longer rod options.
The longer rods will give you longer casting potential. Longer casts make it much more likely that you will not spook the fish that are in the shallow water between the docks. Shallow water fish are usually very spooky and a longer cast will make you less likely to scare away the fish that you want to catch. When you are chasing snook and redfish this can be huge issue in shallow water.
Learn how to catch a snook from a kayak here.
If you are a minimalist and only want to bring one rod with you, then I would go with a 7 foot rod. This size of fishing rod will give you the best of both worlds. You will have a decent amount of casting accuracy and you will be able to get plenty of distance on your casts from your kayak.
What is the best rod length for kayak fishing out on the grass flats?
When I am out on the grass flats kayak fishing for snook, redfish, speckled trout, tarpon or whatever else is swimming around that day, I like a longer fishing rod length. I am trying to cover as much water area as I can when I am drifting the flats in search of fish.
You will want to probably choose your longer rod for kayak fishing the flats too. The key to fishing the flats is covering as much water as you can, as quickly as you can. Out on the grass flats, 80 or 90 percent of the fish that you want to catch will be in roughly the same area.
This area of water will have bait, good temperatures and some decent current usually. Your job is to find the places that have all three of these characteristics. A longer rod length will definitely help you do that more efficiently.
WANT TO CATCH SNOOK, TROUT, REDFISH AND TARPON? BOOK YOUR FISHING CHARTER TODAY!
Many kayak fishermen make the mistake of spending too much time fishing a dead zone. We have all come across that fishing spot that looks like the fishiest place on the planet. So we cast and cast and cast but there are no feeding fish in the area. Now we have wasted precious time fishing in a dead zone when we should have kept moving until we found feeding fish.
DO NOT FISH DEAD ZONES! If you are not getting any bites or seeing any life where you are fishing, then it is time to move and find feeding fish.
Learn more about kayak fishing for tarpon here.
An 8 foot medium action rod is a great rod length for kayak fishing the flats. You can get away with a lighter rod because a big redfish or snook has no where to wrap your line and cut you off. When you are fishing around structure you will want to use a medium/heavy action rod.
Out on the grass flats, an 8 foot rod coupled with a 2500 to 3500 series reel filled with 10 pound braid will give you tons of casting distance. You might get an extra 30 feet of distance for every cast that you make. That will add up to a lot of extra water coverage during a day's worth of fishing.
Once you start catching fish toss out that anchor and notice the water depth. Often the fish will stay in a certain water depth because the temperatures are right for the fish. Figure out the water depth where most of the feeding fish are and do not leave feeding fish to find more feeding fish.
This is a mistake that I see kayak fishermen make all of the time. They will finally start getting bites but it is not their target species so they leave. Most marine predators on the grass flats will all be in the same general area. So if you are catching ladyfish and you want to catch snook and redfish, change your technique.
Many times you can slow your lure retrieval rate and let the lure get down further in the water column and start catching snook and redfish hiding in the grass. Your job is to get the lure down from the upper and middle parts of the water to where the good fish are lurking.
Watch the video below and see some grass flat kayak fishing for speckled trout.
When I am out on the grass flats kayak fishing for snook, redfish, speckled trout, tarpon or whatever else is swimming around that day, I like a longer fishing rod length. I am trying to cover as much water area as I can when I am drifting the flats in search of fish.
You will want to probably choose your longer rod for kayak fishing the flats too. The key to fishing the flats is covering as much water as you can, as quickly as you can. Out on the grass flats, 80 or 90 percent of the fish that you want to catch will be in roughly the same area.
This area of water will have bait, good temperatures and some decent current usually. Your job is to find the places that have all three of these characteristics. A longer rod length will definitely help you do that more efficiently.
WANT TO CATCH SNOOK, TROUT, REDFISH AND TARPON? BOOK YOUR FISHING CHARTER TODAY!
Many kayak fishermen make the mistake of spending too much time fishing a dead zone. We have all come across that fishing spot that looks like the fishiest place on the planet. So we cast and cast and cast but there are no feeding fish in the area. Now we have wasted precious time fishing in a dead zone when we should have kept moving until we found feeding fish.
DO NOT FISH DEAD ZONES! If you are not getting any bites or seeing any life where you are fishing, then it is time to move and find feeding fish.
Learn more about kayak fishing for tarpon here.
An 8 foot medium action rod is a great rod length for kayak fishing the flats. You can get away with a lighter rod because a big redfish or snook has no where to wrap your line and cut you off. When you are fishing around structure you will want to use a medium/heavy action rod.
Out on the grass flats, an 8 foot rod coupled with a 2500 to 3500 series reel filled with 10 pound braid will give you tons of casting distance. You might get an extra 30 feet of distance for every cast that you make. That will add up to a lot of extra water coverage during a day's worth of fishing.
Once you start catching fish toss out that anchor and notice the water depth. Often the fish will stay in a certain water depth because the temperatures are right for the fish. Figure out the water depth where most of the feeding fish are and do not leave feeding fish to find more feeding fish.
This is a mistake that I see kayak fishermen make all of the time. They will finally start getting bites but it is not their target species so they leave. Most marine predators on the grass flats will all be in the same general area. So if you are catching ladyfish and you want to catch snook and redfish, change your technique.
Many times you can slow your lure retrieval rate and let the lure get down further in the water column and start catching snook and redfish hiding in the grass. Your job is to get the lure down from the upper and middle parts of the water to where the good fish are lurking.
Watch the video below and see some grass flat kayak fishing for speckled trout.
What is the best rod length rod for kayak fishing around mangrove roots?
Fishing around mangrove roots from a kayak can be tricky. The key to catching fish around mangroves is to get your bait or lure as close to the mangrove roots as possible. Most of the fish that you want to catch will either be hiding in the roots or cruising within 18 inches or so of the roots.
You will need some pinpoint casting accuracy to get your bait or lure in the right spot without getting it hung up in the roots or branches. This is when the shorter rod lengths work great. I have a rod that started life as a 7 foot rod but I slammed the tip in my truck door.
This cost me about 5 inches of rod length but I put a new tip on it and it is my go to rod for fishing tight spots now. It won't cast very far at all but I can use it to pitch my baits and lures precisely to where I want them to be.
Learn how to catch more redfish kayak fishing here.
It also lost a lot of sensitivity because the top part of the rod is thicker than it used to be. BUT I love that tough little rod for wrangling big redfish and snook out of the mangrove roots.
The point is that only you know what rod length will be the best one for your fishing abilities. Try a few different rod lengths out to see what size works the best for you.
Conclusion:
Picking the best rod length for your days out on the water kayak fishing is very important. Rods are a tool that help you more effectively catch fish. A rod that is too big will be hard to cast in tight spaces. A rod that is too short will not cast very well.
You have to pick the best rod length for your abilities and fishing environment. In my world of kayak fishing, rods between 6.5 to 8 feet in length cover all of my fishing needs. Those will probably fulfill all of your fishing needs too.
Try out a couple of different rods for your different fishing techniques. Are you into casting top water lures on the grass flats? If so, then a longer rod is probably the way to go.
Do you like to fish will live bait? If you do, then maybe a stout fishing rod with a medium length is the way to go for you.
Don't spend a lot of money on custom rods until you know exactly what your performance needs will be. Walmart and Bass Pro Shops have some great generic rods for 50 or 60 dollars. You can pay 150 to 250 dollars for a custom rod. I use Ugly Sticks and they catch fish just fine.
*I am not sponsored by Ugly Stick rods. They are tough, cheap and they work perfectly for me and my kayak fishing charters. Give them a try before you spend a ton of money on expensive fishing rods.
Watch the video below and catch more snook kayak fishing.
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