Salmon Rod Length?

Hey all. What length do you find to be the most effective when trolling for salmon? Thanks for the help!

I'm not sure what optimal is for salmon per se, but I can tell you that rods in the 6.5 to 7ft range work best for me, in terms of generally being long/short enough to maneuver, cast, troll, jig, etc. I think you should consider how much boat you have in front of your seat - a rod long enough to swing around your bow is really helpful, but not so long that you need to bring the rod entirely vertical to bring your lure/fish alongside.
A lot of rods in this length are advertised/marketed as "boat" rods.

I’ve seen lots of people using 7. But others using 9. I agree about having a rod long enough to allow maneuvering around the bow.

Personally I prefer a 9 light trolling rod because salmon hooks are barbless, and even if the fish jumps there is enough energy stored in the rod to eat up the slack. Alternatively, if there is a sudden slack (say due to the fish and the kayak getting closer), you can quickly swing the rod to regain tension even before you reel.
A 9 ft can also be bent more when trolling, so once a fish pulls the line out of the downrigger, the rod would eat up more line, again helping set the hook.

In terms of landing, I find a 9 easier because salmon trolling has a long leader and flasher setup, so when you reel all the way, then swing the rod to your side, the fish is so close you can grab it by the mouth.

Having said that, I believe each angler develops a method that works for them. I’m sure some are as enamored with their 7ft stick as I’m with my 9ft.

I think 8' is the sweet spot. But depends on what your setup is. I had a hell of a time landing a salmon with a 7', but I was running a diver, flasher, and 4 ft leader. I couldn't lift the rod tip high enough to get the fish into position. It was a miracle it didn't come off. But I learned from then on that 8' was my preference. If you were running straight bait on a sinker release or downrigger you could probably get away with 7.

My go-to is 8'2" for reasons mentioned above - both the rebound on downrigger release and my preference for a long leader.  Lamiglass Classic Glass.

Having said that, I believe each angler develops a method that works for them. I’m sure some are as enamored with their 7ft stick as I’m with my 9ft.

This - Well said!

Long enough to get around the front of your kayak and land the fish, but not so long that you have to high stick the rod to land the fish. I use a 9 foot lamiglas.

I agree with everything already mentioned above.  But important to remember that its not just about the length of the rod (BING BONG! That's what she said!  ).  The parabolic shape of the rod under load when you have a fish on will also dictate how the end game develops.  I fish salmon with the Abyss 805 and 806 series which are 8' 6".  However, the slow action and parabolic shape of the rod is such that the fish is quite close when its time to net.  I love the action on that rod!  OMG SALMON SEASON FEVER DEVELOPING.   

All of the above, but just to confuse you even more

In the 80s for ocean salmon I started going toward lighter tackle I used fishing salmon and steelhead in the rivers (12lb test and long skinny rods) to give the fish more of a fighting chance and to be able to keep the tip high on a fish doing acrobatics

It gives the fish a shot at making it to the river and bumps up the adrenaline rush

Gives you a little advantage because you’re sitting on the water but is tougher to land when you’re getting it to the net

My rods are 10’6” but Ive also used much shorter ugly sticks, you just need heavier test line

I realize that’s not very helpful info

Thanks for all the help! I guess I'll have to just learn by trial and error until I find what works the best for me. Heck, I have a 12 ft noodle rod I used to use on the American for Salmon and Steelhead....maybe I'll even try that out sometime 

12’!

So you get what that advantage is when you need to keep your tip up, same is true + you’re already sitting low to the water so longer is better

Only disadvantage is when you have a fish next to the yak but a long handled net helps there

Only thing with stubbier rods is you can’t go light tackle or you will lose fish

Everything the regulars are telling you here is good, especially about having something long enough to reach over the end of your yak

There’s probably some happy medium but it’s about preference. If you’re used to chasing a fish up and down a river bank with a long rod and light tackle something in the 9-10 foot range might work

You can land big fish on a trout rod if you have patience for it, some of my biggest salmon were on tackle I used for steelhead in the rivers

I use a downrigger and a 7' rod.

With a 7' rod vs my 8'6'', I get significantly less tangles of line around the tip of the rod and it's much easier to undo those tangles quickly. 

With a downrigger set up, my flasher (or if no flasher, a swivel) is the first piece of hardware on the line and is usually ~2.5' from the bait so length is not an issue in the context of netting the fish.  If you are using a set up with a longer leader from first hardware to hook, it could be.

I've been using Trevala ML but recently bought a Trevala L to give me a little more noodle action to keep pressure on salmon but not too much pressure that they come in too hot which is what was happening with the ML.  Hopefully it will work out this season.

7’ seems short but that’s coming from somebody with peculiar salmon fishing habits

I need to rig up some kind of downrigger to work on a stealth just for the sake of not dropping lead but also to go back to light tackle

Or get a TI

If i'm going to use a 1-2lb ball i'm going to go with my 7' M Trevala this year, as someone was using when they caught a huge salmon at SC and seemed like it worked well.  But if i'm going to use a banana weight, or a DR i'm going with my 8ft Lamiglass, which has been good for mooching at least. 

Good points - a 9ft light rod is less versatile, in my opinion, compared to 7 medium light. The 7 ml can be used for RF, Ling, Hali, Sabiki .. whereas the 9ft light has pretty much just one purpose.
Another thing - I like how a 9ft breaks into two. It’s easy for surf launching.