Bent Butt vs Straight Butt Fishing Rods: Which Should You Use?

October 30, 2017

Originally published 30 October 2017. Updated August 2026 as a practical guide to choosing between bent and straight butt fishing rods.

A bent butt fishing rod is not simply a straight game rod with a funny handle. The bend changes where the reel sits, the angle of the rod in a holder and the way heavy tackle works around the side of a boat. For trolling, deep dropping and fighting big fish from a bucket or rod holder, those changes can be genuinely useful.

We have fished bent-butt rods off Sydney for years, including at Browns Mountain, and used them with conventional game reels and electric reels. This guide explains where we think the bent butt helps, where a straight butt still makes more sense, and what to check before buying.

Bent Butt vs Straight Butt: The Short Answer

Use	Bent butt	Straight butt
Heavy trolling from angled holders	Often excellent; can keep the rod sitting lower and flatter	Works well, but the rod normally sits at a steeper angle
Game fishing from a fighting bucket	Can move the reel lower and closer to the angler	Traditional stand-up position; familiar to many anglers
Deep dropping / electric reels	Very useful for line and reel clearance around the gunwale	Can be preferable where the boat's holders are designed around a straight butt
Holding and moving the rod constantly	More specialised	Usually the more natural all-round choice
Casting	Not the purpose of a heavy bent-butt game rod	Normally the appropriate style

1. A Bent Butt Changes the Rod-Holder Angle

Most offshore rod holders are already angled away from the boat. Add a straight butt and the rod tip points higher again. A bent butt reduces that effective angle, so a trolling rod can sit closer to horizontal with the tip aimed more directly back toward the lure.

That is one reason bent butts are popular for heavy trolling. The exact result depends on the angle and depth of your rod holder, so check the geometry on your own boat rather than assuming every bent butt will sit perfectly.

Bent butt fishing rod sitting low over the gunwale during offshore fishing at Browns Mountain — An older Browns Mountain setup showing why rod angle and gunwale clearance matter offshore.

2. Fighting Position Is the Other Big Difference

With heavy game tackle, the reel position matters. A bent butt can move the reel lower and closer to the body when the outfit is used with a suitable fighting bucket or harness. Many anglers find that position more comfortable during a long fight than holding a comparable straight-butt outfit higher.

That does not reduce the actual drag pressure or make the fish smaller. It changes how the load is presented to the angler.

Angler fighting a mako shark on a bent butt game fishing rod off Sydney — Heavy tackle in use during one of our Browns Mountain mako sessions.

Bent butt rod loaded while an angler fights a large fish at Browns Mountain — The reel sits low while the rod takes a heavy load.

Bent butt game rod under load during offshore shark fishing — Another view of the fighting position with the rod heavily loaded.

3. Bent Butt Rods Make Sense for Deep Dropping

For us, deep dropping is one of the strongest arguments for the bent-butt layout. A short heavy rod often spends much of its time in a rod holder, especially when paired with an electric reel. The bend can keep the reel and line path farther away from the gunwale while still putting the tip out over the side.

That is particularly useful when fishing deep offshore structure where heavy sinkers, braid and electric reels are doing the repetitive work.

Bent butt fishing rod with an electric reel for deep dropping — An electric reel fitted to one of our older bent-butt deep-drop setups.

Electric reel mounted on a two-piece bent butt rod for deepwater fishing — The same geometry is useful when the rod is doing its work from a holder.

Daiwa Tanacom electric reel on a bent butt rod for deep dropping — A Daiwa Tanacom setup from the archive showing the bent-butt layout used for deep dropping.

Our Deepwater Fishing with Electric Reels guide covers the broader technique, while the current 24kg Bent Butt Fishing Rod page has the rod specifications.

4. Real Browns Mountain Fishing Is Why We Kept Using Them

The original version of this article was written around fishing Browns Mountain off Sydney. Gemfish, makos and other heavy fish provided plenty of opportunities to find out whether the rod layout worked in the real world.

Gemfish caught while deepwater fishing at Browns Mountain off Sydney — Gemfish from Browns Mountain, where we used the bent-butt setup for deepwater fishing.

Gemfish bitten by a mako shark while being retrieved at Browns Mountain — The deepwater fishing occasionally turned into an unexpected game-fishing session.

Those sessions are also why the same rods ended up being used across both deep dropping and game fishing rather than being treated as a single-purpose outfit.

Yellowfin tuna caught using a Downrigger Shop bent butt game fishing setup — A yellowfin from the original archive showing the game-fishing side of the same style of tackle.

5. A Bent Butt Does Not Make the Rod Invincible

The butt angle is about geometry, not magic. Rod rating, blank construction, guides, line, drag pressure and the rest of the outfit still determine what the tackle is designed to handle.

Our current rod is rated to the 24kg line class. That is not the same as saying "maximum fish weight 24kg" or promising that any particular fish can be landed regardless of how the outfit is used.

24kg bent butt fishing rod bending under a heavy offshore load — An original photo showing the rod under a serious load.

Downrigger Shop bent butt game rod heavily loaded during a fish fight — The archived fishing photos are much more useful evidence than simply describing the rod as strong.

6. The Two-Piece Butt Is Useful for Storage

Our 24kg rod separates at the butt. That sounds like a small detail until an expensive game or electric reel is sitting outside in a rack being blasted by sun and salt spray. We often separate the rod section and store it in a side pocket, then move the butt with the reel attached into a cabin or protected area.

Older Downrigger Shop two-piece bent butt fishing rod setups — Older rods from our archive. The current product is the 24kg, 5 ft 6 in two-piece model.

7. What About a DIY Bent Butt?

One of our customers once sent us this wonderfully practical homemade solution. We have kept the photo because it shows how strongly some anglers wanted the lower rod angle even before buying a purpose-built bent-butt rod.

Customer-made DIY bent butt fishing rod setup using hose clamps — A customer-made bent-butt experiment from the original 2017 article.

For serious heavy-tackle use, we prefer a purpose-built aluminium butt and reel-seat assembly designed for the job.

When Is a Straight Butt the Better Choice?

A straight butt still makes plenty of sense when you spend most of the time physically holding the rod, move it between different positions, want a more general-purpose heavy rod, or have rod holders and fighting gear designed specifically around a straight layout.

The right answer depends on the boat as much as the fish. Before buying a bent-butt rod, check the diameter and depth of your rod holders, their angle, the clearance around the gunwale and whether your reel and fighting setup suit the new position.

Bent Butt Rod FAQs

Why are some game fishing rods bent at the butt?

The bend changes the angle of the rod and the position of the reel. In heavy trolling and game fishing it can make the outfit sit lower in an angled rod holder and can bring the reel lower when the angler is fighting a fish from a suitable bucket or harness.

Are bent butt rods good for deep dropping?

Yes. We like them for deep dropping because the geometry can help keep the reel and heavy line clear of the gunwale. They pair naturally with short heavy rods and compatible electric-reel setups.

Can a bent butt rod be used with an electric reel?

Yes, provided the reel seat, butt and rod holder are compatible with the reel and boat. We have used bent-butt rods with electric reels for deepwater fishing for years.

Is a bent butt rod stronger than a straight butt rod?

Not simply because it is bent. Strength comes from the rod blank, butt, guides, reel seat and overall construction. The bend changes leverage and working position; it does not replace the rod's line-class rating.

What size is the current Downrigger Shop bent butt rod?

The current model is 5 ft 6 in, two-piece, approximately 880 g, rated to 24kg and fitted with a roller tip.

See the Rod in Real Fishing

If you want to see more catches rather than more theory, our Game Fishing with Bent Butt Rods article preserves years of mako, thresher, tuna, mahi mahi and marlin photos and customer reports.

If the bent-butt layout suits your boat and the way you fish, the current rod specifications and shipping options are here:

View the 24kg Bent Butt Fishing Rod