# Do longer rods cast farther?



## Maxwell (Sep 20, 2004)

I was considering the St. Croix 11'6" Premier surf spinning rod. I currently have their 10' Premier surf spinning rod. I was thinking about the longer rod in hopes of getting more distance on my casts. Two questions: 1) does anyone have an openion about how well St. Croix rods cast? and 2) will an 11'6" rod cast farther than a 10' rod just because it is longer, all else being the same? Any thoughts are appreciated.
Max


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## ReelinRod (May 29, 2003)

As a rule of thumb it is generally held that longer rods cast further.

Any lengthening of the arc the sinker travels allows more energy to be delivered; this is why tournament casters use 14 foot rods and such long casting motions / styles.

Of course this rule of thumb has exceptions and qualifications. A rod, any rod has a specific weight that it will load with, _using your casting style_. A person with a properly matched 10 foot rod, line and sinker using a refined casting motion could easily outcast a person utilizing an unmatched 12 footer and a unrefined snap cast.


St. Croix rods are very nice, I still have and use a many year old Ben Doerr 10'-6" and I have numerous plugging rods. 

My distance rods are nearly all AllStar and BreakAway. The BreakAway 11'-9" is an awesome stick and in that <12 foot range, is the best caster on the market. Keep your options open

Last month I attended a seminar held by Nick Myer of BreakAway, he had with him a brand new rod he is putting out. Connman posted some thoughts about the rod then . . . here's the link

Conn's Post


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## Thumb-Burner (Dec 3, 2002)

*it will cast further....*

if and only if the caster has the skill and strength to bring it around effectively..

the key is the tip speed.. that's a combination of the length of the arc and what you are able to put into the cast... 

for example, with really heavy weights, there is a point for me that i can't bring the rod around fast enough to get good distance if it is much over about 12' or so.


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## big brother (May 15, 2002)

and a rod much longer than 12'6" is going to start to give leverage back to the fish.
charlie


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## Jamcaster (Oct 14, 2000)

I use A Century Euro hvy. (170 gm) which is 14ft. two equal setions.It is set up for spinning.With a brighton or unitech, whatever you call it, using mono on a Embem ZA I can easily cast over a 100yds.When bringing in fish from a distance the rod has done the work of fighting the fish not me.Isnt Breakaways new rod the LDX 13ft long and lighter than a Zziplex Powertex Bass?There must be some advantage to a long and light weight rod, if not then why build it?


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## Led (Feb 1, 2001)

A rod (Fishing or Tournament) is an inert object.  

It's the person, who is holding the rod, who makes the cast will add the extra distance.  

As Thumb-Burner has pointed out, you must be able to utilise the extra length to get anything out of it. 
Mr Average will see an improvement, which is unquantifiable (each person being different).


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## Maxwell (Sep 20, 2004)

Sgt_Slough said:


> ... St. Croix rods are very nice, I still have and use a many year old Ben Doerr 10'-6" and I have numerous plugging rods.
> 
> My distance rods are nearly all AllStar and BreakAway. The BreakAway 11'-9" is an awesome stick and in that <12 foot range, is the best caster on the market. Keep your options open ...


Thanks for the information. I'm not completly sold on the St. Croix yet. I like them because they are very sensitive to a bite. However, I'm open to all suggestions. Are the BreakAway's only casting rods and not spinning? How well do they fish, ie, how sensitive to a bite are they?
Max


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## Mark G (Nov 15, 2004)

*Breakaway gets a thumbs up*

I have both a St. Croix and a breakaway for casting plugs in the 3/4 to 4 oz range. The breakaway is my preference for both distance and bite detection. I have a number of St. Croix rods and while they are indeed excellent rods, I think the breakaways are better, though more expensive rod. 

My experience is that a longer rod will equate to more distance, though that is a generalized statement. It is a combination of proper weight selection for the rod and style of casting, along with good technique that will maximize distance for each particular rod/ person.


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## Maxwell (Sep 20, 2004)

Thanks to all of you for sharing your thoughts and your insights. I will keep my options open for a while and do some more homework. My short term goal (as a beginner to surfcasting) is to get past the last sand bar at AI which I read somewhere is just past 100yds. I will work a lot more on technique with my 10' while I'm looking at possible longer rods.
Max


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## Digger (Jan 4, 2000)

The Breakaway 1418/2 is made in a spinner. It is a great up to 6oz and a bait rod the 100 yard cast is in it's range and then some, once you figure out how to apply the right pressure. Mine is convential with the 525MAGHO on it.

http://www.breakawayusa.com/

Will provide more info. Look at the casting demo's.


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## chris storrs (Aug 25, 2005)

i have two st croix rods.the 10'6" heavy and the 12' heavy .both are conventional.the 10'6"recently broke as i let a guy on the pier cast it with a 6 oz. anchor.it is rated for up to 8 oz.i am happy with the 12 however it is very stiff and doesnt cast well with less than 7 and bait.i will definately buy an all star 1508 or 1509 for my next rod


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## chris storrs (Aug 25, 2005)

i also agree with digger.i have thrown his 1418 and it is a nice rod


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## Green Cart (May 14, 2002)

*Maxwell*

We met before. Breakaway comes in both conventional and spinning. Many brands such as Daiwa are also available in both conventional and spinning. 

I don't want to get into an argument about "that it is the caster, not the rod" because that is understood. From my personal experience, the longer the rod is, the further the rod will cast, up to a point, say maximum of 11 or 12 feet depending on the strength of the caster. I also notice that it is easier to reel in the heavy sinker on long rods than on short rods. Of course, there are other variables such as a short heavy rod may cast further than a long light rod. You have to use common sense. 10 feet rod is more comfortable than a longer rod, but I notice that 10 foot rod casts different compared to a longer rod. Specifically, in my case, I can cast longer rod better than 10 foot rod because it seems that I wait too long to release the 10 foot rod cast. The point is that these two different rod lengths will feel different while casting. I don't mean to make it complicated, but that is the real world for you - too many variables. 

That is the excuse I have for buying too many rods.


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