While in most cases a medium sized rod will suffice there are situations that give the shark fisherman using a longer rod an advantage.Such is the case when fishing from a bridge or pier where the rods extra length is used like a spring to turn a shark's head as it is attempting to dive under and out the other side.The long rod can be the difference between a catch and a loss in this case.The long rod is used like a teeter-totter ,the angler puts the rod butt between his legs, and rest the rod just below the middle of the rod on the rail and squats down to bend the rod and to apply upward pressure.The use of a thick walled rod blank that won't snap in two is critical for this technique to work and put leverage to your advantage.As the shark goes under the pressure is incresed on the angler so friends may have to hold you down to keep you from being slung up and over the rail into the drink.In order to keep there rods from getting torn up on the concrete bridge rail or wooden pier rail the guys in the shark club tape or tie-wrap a section of clear garden hose from the rod fore grip to just past the rod's middle section .On the beach if you are not in good physical shape those heavy thick walled 9 or 10 foot rods with a 14//0 or 16/0 can be a death sentence but on a bridge it spells success for those that know how to use the extra length to there advantage.
"getting whooped by the Monster that almost SPOOLED THE 16/0" (APRIL 2011)
On the beach the longer rods weight actually works against you in one very critical way and that is when hooking into a giant Hammerhead that is threatening to spool a big reel and the drag is tightened down to the extreme those long heavy rods become very difficult to bend and the rod is pulled almost straight towards the horizon wheras with a shorter lighter rod the angler can lean back and properly bend it.
A Penn Senator 16/0 with a heavy 10 foot gator glass blank,,,just what the doctor ordered for bridge or pier fishing.
South Florida Shark Club member and Junior master angler Aaron Bunch has learned the technique well as evidenced by his many catches on the west coast as well as the east coast of Florida.
Aaron hard at work on a blacktip shark.
The blacktip has been subdued.
The final result before being released.
The veteranJD Hammer(Jimbo) before snapping one of his long rods on a jewfish.
Luis Iglesias another shark club veteran knows how to use the technique well,,,,,,hairy,hairy monster.
SOUTH FLORIDA SHARK CLUB -President SFSC-Founding Member est 1983 SFSC-Website Administrator BIG HAMMER SHARK TOURNAMENT -Founder Rene Memorial Sharkathon -Founder NMFS Shark Tagger
10ft also long butt 24+ inches no gimbal! 
And im looking to buy 1
deff longer. no ballbustin rods 4 me. and long but 21-24in. only way 4 me
leverage is the name of the game on a bridge or pier
2009 Team Hammer N The Phenoms
Go BIG or go home
What class are those 10ft. rods?
depends on the reel we have on them.....most 80-130 or 130-unlimited
2009 Team Hammer N The Phenoms
Go BIG or go home
Excellent thats what i thought! Thanks
I like a short rod with a long but like 26" butt. The mecanical advantage is better on the fishermans end with a short rod. mine is 52" from the tip to the reel. the long butt gives a built in rod holder and digs up in the sand like a fighting chair. Get out in the yard and tie the line to ya buddy, grab the rod and see how much pressure ya can put on him and ya line.
Land Based World Record #5 short fin Mako 700lbs
Team
Land Based World Record #8 Tiger shark 928lbs
True
Land Based World Record #9 Tiger shark 949lbs
Blue
SFSC Panhandle Events Coordinator
long rod all the 9 or 10 ft
i kind of prefer the 9 footers with like a 20inch butt
the longer rods help alot when it comes to the hook set on the beach
you know instead of runing back like a mad man trying to set that hook . you just have to wait till the line is decently tight an jus pull back a few times ive never missed a hookset with my longer rods
i agree with you on the long rods but i would have to dissagree about the hook set.
if you were to go out to where your bait is dropped from the beach an feel the hook set with a few jerks your arm would hardly move. if you feel a hook set with the running man you casn feel it takes alot more stretch out of the line.
from the beach the running man is THE way.(for me)
the longer rod on the beach will also kepp your slack out of the wash
2009 Team Hammer N The Phenoms
Go BIG or go home
see there are ways to keep the slack out of your line
you can really keep that runin man im not about it
like i said (for me) its the way i set the hook, from the bridge reel reel reel an set up like a tarpon setup but harder
2009 Team Hammer N The Phenoms
Go BIG or go home
The running man is a must if ya have mono. With dacron I let the fish tighten the line and bust his a-- as hard as i can as many times as i can untill i cant jerk any more. Reason behinde letting the fish tighten the line is because if a small fish has ya bait in his mouth and you jerk hard, you ant got no more bait, cause you jerk the hooks out of the bait. A small fish most of the time will not tighten the line eneough for me to make a set. This sometimes keeps ya fishing for the fish ya came for.
Land Based World Record #5 short fin Mako 700lbs
Team
Land Based World Record #8 Tiger shark 928lbs
True
Land Based World Record #9 Tiger shark 949lbs
Blue
SFSC Panhandle Events Coordinator
ALL MY SHARKIN ROD'S ARE 10'
HARNELL 555, 552
16/0 14/0 12/0 AN 10/0
CATCH A BIGUN
STEVE.BAIT.TWO@GMAIL.COM
Hi Guys:
Dacron is the answer....No streatch. You can feel everything the shark does.
Best and tight lines,
Norman Bateman
i like 10ft rod with a 22 inch but it gives me all the power i need