I've given this a considerable amount of thought and learned a lot the hard way. When I first started kayak fishing I was partial to A 7-foot rod simply because it seemed about the right size and it fit inside my truck. Kayak fishing in general dictates that a somewhat shorter rod be used, and I shorten the butts, of course. It turned out to be a good fit for the way that I fish, too. When a big fish chooses which side of the kayak she's going to come up on, you just have to follow. And at least while she's still some distance from the kayak you have to be able to switch sides, depending on where the fish presents. For that reason I choose a rod that is short (7 ft) and I store it in a nearly horizontal position. If a big bass is 20 feet away from the yak and suddenly runs under the stern of my (16 foot) kayak and comes up the other side, I just switch hands. Otherwise, good luck: you probably just lost a big bass. I also add a round butt end as a sort of stopper. With fishy hands and only about 8 inches of rod butt to hold on to, it's a safety mechanism. Also more comfortable while reeling. Not too big, or it won't fit in your rod holder. Nothing fancy - like you'd put on the foot of a folding chair. $5 for 4 at Home Depot. I reshaped it slightly (sandpaper) and epoxied it on.
The bigger lesson that I learned (the hard way) was about the weight/pound capacity of the rod. Because I started out bay fishing in the kayak before I started catching fish off Montauk Point my rods were medium-weight rods, 15-30lb. Not very rigid, and I prefer Ugly Sticks because they're cheap and incredibly durable. When I started catching big fish off Montauk I decided to switch to a medium heavy, still 7 foot. The difference in rigidity was not a lot - it was rated for 30lb - but it was just enough to prevent the rod from bending enough. The first fish that I hooked into the night that I bought the rods was about a 5 lb bluefish, and as I got it near the kayak it darted downward and nearly tipped me over. Had it been my medium weight Ugly Stik, the rod would have simply doubled over and absorbed the increased weight that the fish was asserting. It was an eye-opening experience for me. I returned the two medium/heavy weight rods I'd bought before the sun was back up.
My recommendation to almost anyone who plans to catch big (10-40+lb) fish from a kayak is a short, flexible rod that won't break when you touch tip to butt. Shorten the butt and add a butt end as a precaution and for comfort.
Good luck!
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