Fishing rod selection

There are so many different fishing rods in market. When I went to buy my first fishing tackles, I asked a clerk for recommendation. For general everyday fishing, he recommended me Medium power, 6'6" rod. I can see almost every angler use this type of rod at shore.

I have had no problem in using the 6'6" rod until I started using 6" swim bait. My rod was too weak to handle the lure properly. It made me think about rod selection. Here is my thought about lure selection:

1. Weight of lure: It is the first consideration. If you want to use heavy lures, you have to choose a heavier power rod. With light rod, you can not make right presentation of your lure.
2. Weight of target fish: It determines power and length of a rod, too. If you are targeting large fish, you need heavier power and longer rod. The rod will make fighting a lot easier. But reel is more important in fighting. It means that although you have a light rod, if you have a heavy reel, then you can land the fish without any serious problem. It will take more time in fighting, though.
   
3. Casting method and location: It determines length of a rod. If you want flipping or pitching most time, you should choose a longer one. If you will fish at beach, you definitely need longer one, too. But casting seems not so important consideration in rod selection.