I've been a trout fan for 45 years now and although I say it myself, am a competant caster, but in recent years I've found I prefer to use shorter rods.
This hasn't been at the comprimise of distance or control, maybe rod materials are improving apace?
for small river fishing now I favour 6 to 7 foot rods and even large rivers only 8 foot, where I sued to use a 9? Anyone else finding this?

I mainly fish a big river and find myself using my 10' the most. I also just took delivery of an 11' 4# this weekend, will use it in a couple of weeks I like the longer rods for nymphing. On lakes from the bank or in a float tube or pontoon boat I use a 9'.

I've got a prototype ultra fast 7'6" 5wt and I really enjoy fishing with it. It casts almost as far as a 9' but weighs almost nothing. Not sure if it would suit everyone as you do need to give it a bit of a rip......entertaining though.

__________________
Steve Parkes

www.atomsix.co.uk

info@atomsix.co.uk

Terenzio silk fly lines

Atomsix furled leaders

previously
www.zenithflyrods.co.uk

On wider open rivers, carrying bankside vegetation, I can see advantages with longer rods, but many of the rivers I fish are heavily tree lined with Alders and thorn. I also find the shorter rods are less tiring to use on a long day out.
In terms of distance I've found with single handed rods very little difference between rod lengths.

Use what you are happy with. Most use 10 foot rods for boats on puddles. Can't see any advantage when bank fishing especially if there are trees around

personally, i've always found the shorter rods easier to cast

__________________
Have a look at my blog- davejsmith's blog

ive one of these in 4/5# , second rod down ..
Angling Classics Airflo Fly Rods

a superb rod that casts a superb line

__________________
WHEN YOU LEAVE THE RIVER, TAKE NOTHING, AND LEAVE ONLY FOOTPRINT'S!!!

THA CAN TELL A YORKSHIREMAN ,BUT THA CAN'T TELL HIM MUCH !!

Penny dropped with me a few years back, when I won a distance competition at my local stillwater club with a Loomis Streamdance 9 foot #5 when many were touting 7 and 8 weight pokers.
Started scaling length back and remembered all the teaching Lee Wulff did with very short rods, seem to remember he landed a 30 pound Sockeye once, with a 6 foot rod with ease?

A little belter of a rod... Used it only once on the Cover last year but gets a big thumbs up from me!

Today I had a few hours out on the reservoir. I usually fish with a 9' 6# dry/buzzers/nymphs with a Rio Grand WF6# anyway I set this rod up with a team of buzzers and took my 8' 3/4# Truefly which I set it up with a single dry fly and a buzzer on the dropper on a 4# Cortland line.
I was getting better accuracy and distance and much better presentation with the 8' 3/4# compared to the 9' 6#. Picking up and casting the 9' 6# felt like I'd gone back to a big 8# afterwards... erm am I making sense

__________________

Many years back ago, I used to fish a small well stocked Chalk stillwater and one of my cronies hooked and landed a 20 pound Winter rainbow on a 7 foot 6 3 wt Redington with just a 4 pound tippet. At that time I was using a 9 foot 6/7, (Had to borrow my Gye net though)