Just in case there are still some doubters out there about the benefits of long rods for float fishing...
Unlike a lot of the folks on this board, I only own a few rods. My regular steelhead rod is an 8 1/2 ft loomis, great for drifting, pulling plugs, etc. Yesterday I decided to try a long rod so I strapped a small spinning reel on my 9 1/2 Sage RPII (fly rod). Floated some jigs thru a couple nice runs nearby. Just an extra foot made an incredible difference in line control. Really opened my eyes. Now I'm going to have to get a ten footer or so and I imagine it will be my main rod on medium to large rivers. Thanks to everyone who has contributed the good info on equipment.