Rule of thumb....IMHO ,line should be the same length as the extended rod.I fish with 14' rods,and use 14' of line,as you lift the pole,you should be able to swing the lure ( or fish) toward your waiting hand.Any thing longer or shorter will make the task sloppy at best.I crappie fish from a nucanoe in a sitting position,when I catch a crappie,I simply lift the pole until the fish just clears the boat edge.If the line were to short,the fish would end up swinging out of controll as I try to drop it in the yak.A line to long,makes it difficult to lift the fish enough to just clear the sides,works for me!