What length rod for kayak fishing?

I have an 807 abyss. I use it for sturgeon and SoCal trips. It’s a little too long and cumbersome for jigging, but works well for soaking bait.

I have the 808 Abyss and it's a great boat rod. but on the kayak it is a beast.

I've caught salmon from a charter on it and thought it was a breeze, tried jigging with it on the kayak and my arm nearly fell off.

I've since moved to a Shimano Trevala 7' Medium Light and even with the same Reel the combo is over a pound lighter than the Abyss rod by itself.  now with the Lexa 300 and it's even lighter.

I tried last season for salmon with the trevala and I'm sure if I was a more experienced angler I would stick it out, but after a few disappointments a friend and I are going to be moving to a 8'6-9 foot fiberglass rod for salmon fishing this season.

I do love the 7' ML Trevala for everything else I've caught.  something with specs like it would be perfect. 1-4oz lure weight.  I've used up to 18oz lead heads on charter boats and was more scared that my reel would hold up than the rod.

For most things, I like 7 to 7.5 feet. Long enough that if you've got a good bend going from a fish that's right under the kayak, you got enough rod length to work your line around the bow and stern without any acrobatics. Too much longer than that can be cumbersome to manage.

Shimano Trevala 6.6 or 7.  What others have said, make sure you can reach forward and swing the rod over the bow. I did this and made about a 300 degree turn around my kayak counterclockwise, missed my anchor rope to land a sturgeon. Chucky and JohntheFisherman were there.

Long enough to be able to pass your line around the front of your kayak.

This!

Another vote, except mine is 7.5 - 8 ft.

Yes me too.
Most of mine are 7’6” Okuma Baidarka (L-MH). Few 7’

I bumped up from 6.5 to 7 feet for the stated reason of easily getting the line around the bow.  At some point, I have to image a rod is too long for easily landing fish at the side of the kayak.  As it is with a 7 foot rod, I am happy to have a fairly long handled net.

It really is dependent on technique and personal preference but there’s a few factors of basic rod dynamics  to consider. 

The standard size saltwater rod used to be 7’, which is still pretty common but there’s a growing trend toward longer sticks.  Most of mine are now in the 8’ range and although I prefer the extra length there is some downside. 

They give the fish added leverage during a fight, you’re gonna expend additional energy and strength bringing fish in (or just bringing in heavier weights when jigging all day).  Shouldn’t be a big issue unless you’re stacking the lings in deeper water.  I had day when I landed 9 in 200’ all 10-15lb range, eventually the rod started kicking my ass and I wasn’t gonna rail it lol.  This was on a boat so it’ll probably be a bit rougher on the core and back when on a kayak. 

Landing fish on the kayak, the long rod is gonna make getting the fish close enough to land more difficult and you wind up high sticking to draw em in.  When I fish black bass I lost a few big girls that went berserk and shook the hooks while I was trying to get em close enough to lip.   I keep a net handy now.

The handling of the rod takes some work also.  Long rods usually have longer handles which get tough to maneuver in the yak.  I’ve also found em to be a pita trying to store them in the yak hull.   My yak is only an 11’er but it’s still more rod to finagle into a hatch and down the center of a yak. 

I think Pat Sin Coast was the first guy I seen recommend a shorter rod with a shorter handle for the yak and it was probably among the smarter bits of wisdom that generally gets ignored I’ve seen on this site.   If I ever get back to yak fishing the salt a 6’6” rod with short butt section and long foregrip for general vertical jigging and drift fishing will be my build. 

With that being said, the axis is a fine all around rod.  I’m pretty sure it’s  a glass composite blank that has a more parabolic action to it so the shut off point is closer to the reel which will get you a bit of that leverage back.  Although it may not be ideal for the yak, it would be versatile for moving between both boat and yak and handling most fishing conditions. 

my criteria (other than action) is that I need rods that will reach the line around the bow, and that will fit in my truck bed. 7ft is pretty much the sweet spot.

I agree on the 7 foot length. Seems to suit the kayak best

What about longer kayaks? Like a Revo 16 or a Stealth? Is a 7' still fine?

What about longer kayaks? Like a Revo 16 or a Stealth? Is a 7' still fine?

I'm short~ 5'8" and my arms arent particularly long and usually fish my 6.6' Trevala and can get it around the bow of my Adventure (Revo16) without a problem.    

Thanks for all the advice. We have the new Phenix Abyss HD's coming into the shop so I'm going to take a look at those before I make a decision.