BBent66,

I finally got what you were saying. I get blinded by the musky stuff and forget that guys are actually fishing for something besides muskies!

I use longer than normal walleye/trout rods (here on the river) to keep the line from bowing too badly in the current. For me, the little extra weight in the butt section is what I like to keep the rod from being too tip heavy and easier on the forearms....90 percent of the rods I own have "Rod Balancers" sold at Bass Pro. The extra weight from the battery pack (if in the butt section) would serve that purpose, somewhat.

I use an 8'6" Avid Steelhead rod (3/8-3/4oz, I think) as my crankbait rod for trout and walleye and I have found by keeping the line off the water, my SOLID hookups really increased. The crankbait feels much more natural to me and I am sure the fish does not feel the extra resistence on impact. The longer rod allows me to have much longer casts which is sometimes necessary during low flows and crystal clear water. There used to be times when the fish would already have struck and shook me off by the time I got the slack picked up but that rarely happens anymore.