long rods

[zippyFX]

I bought a 9 foot Ugly stick this year just for that reason. Though I went for medium rod for bass and walleye and stuck with 6'6" UL for getting better distance on my UL for Crappie. It gives me the ability to cast my lures significantly farther it also makes for longer gentler casts with minnows. When shore fishing if you can increase the amount of water covered by 20% it can make a huge difference. Given the length though it is awkward and cumbersome to use in tight quarters. In the example you give the guy was probably using a crappie rod and the lack of backbone and it may be difficult to land larger fish.

Other things come into play as well. I have noticed that when my rods are fully spooled it makes as significant difference regardless of rod length. It can get pricey but I have been perfecting my splicing and top a spool up when it hits the half way mark.

A long rod will not help you if you can't hit the structure you want though or the structure is in reach for shorter rods. Being able to cover more unproductive water does not help you catch more fish

I did an inventory of my local haunts and determined that for 3 or 4 of them a longer rod would be practical and make a difference and it has. Good structure to hit and the ability hit water farther out than others on shore has provided some success in difficult and pressured water.