Should I trade/exchange my rod?

So for Christmas I asked for an 8'6" IM-8 X-heavy rod.  I got the 9' X-heavy.  It's rated for a heavier line and lure weight than the 8'6".  Would I be better off trading it (either at the store they got it from, or listing it on here) to get the shorter rod?

The store should be the easiest and you should get all your money back.  Listing it here you have to factor in shipping.  I personally won't pay for shipping on a new item when I order something because that usually makes it more expensive than if I just bought it locally.  If you pay for the shipping when you send it to the buyer, you would be losing some of the value thereby causing the rod you want to be more expensive.  That is just my 2 cents, though.

Well, I suppose I should first ask if the 9' will work as well from a yak as the 8.5'.

One complication with exchanging the rod is my MIL bought it at Bi-Mart.  The closest Bi-mart is a far enough drive that it would be cheaper for me to just buy an 8.5' at a local store than to drive to Bi-Mart just to make the trade.  Plus, I think she got the 9' because she couldn't find the 8.5'. 

Are you asking if the difference between what you got and what you wanted is a bad thing and worth the trouble to have it exchanged?  I don't really see a problem with the rod you got and if it was me I probably wouldn't worry about exchanging it.  Then again, salmon fishermen can be pretty picky with gear so there could be things I'm overlooking. 

Are you asking if the difference between what you got and what you wanted is a bad thing and worth the trouble to have it exchanged? 

Pretty much.  If the 9' rod will work just as well, I'll keep it. 

What I wanted was a "jack of all trades" sort of set up, not just a salmon rig.

Ok help uz with some details. 8ft 6 rod rated at what vs 9 FT rod rated at?
Tending to side with rawkfish on thiz but some details might make a difference...

Pretty much.  If the 9' rod will work just as well, I'll keep it. 

What I wanted was a "jack of all trades" sort of set up, not just a salmon rig.

I see.  The more I think about it if you're going for max versatility it might be worth the exchange if it's a simple process.  If it isn't as simple as take it back to the store and get an exchange done without any hassle than I would say hold what you've got.  Half a foot of rod length isn't going to make a huge difference in most respects though.

    sumpnz,
  Congradulations on the new rod.
   You are asking several good questions so far about using your new pole.Before you decide to trade it out you might ask a couple more...
   1.What will be the primary target for this rod ? I know you mentioned wanting a "jack of all trades".Can you catch a 50 lbs halibut with this pole ?Yes..Can you catch a 0.5 lbs trout with this pole ?Again yes...
   When I moved back to Washington from Alaska I inventoried my gear.I only brought 22 poles down with me.I also gave away a dozen heavy "tuna stick" poles to members of AOD forum because they would get more use up there than down here.Besides that ,I prefer lighter gear most of the time.And giving stuff away to newbies just felt good.
   2.Can you fish from a kayak with a 9' pole ? Again ..yes.Depending on the size of your yak,landing a large fish with that long a pole could be a challenge...but it could also be an asset.Like rawkfish said ==a half a foot isn't really gonna make that much difference.
   Degree of difficulty to exchange the pole sounds like an issue.My suggestion would be to add it to your arsenal,go out and fish it ,and if it's not what you need or doesn't work for you==then trade it out for a rod that better suites your needs and wants,Or ,just delegate the 9"er to specific tasks and call it good.You can never have enough rods anyway............

Ok help uz with some details. 8ft 6 rod rated at what vs 9 FT rod rated at?
Tending to side with rawkfish on thiz but some details might make a difference...

From the Berkley website:
9' X-heavy - Lure 3/4-3oz, 20-65lbs line
8'6" X-heavy - Lure 3/4-3oz, 15-50lbs line

   2.Can you fish from a kayak with a 9' pole ? Again ..yes.Depending on the size of your yak, ...

I picked up islandson671's Prowler.  It's 13'4".

I'd size down.

Shoot, I'd even size down from the 8'6" rod you listed and go with the H instead of the XH.  The XH a lot of rod.

-Allen

I bought the 8'6" XH this fall and I like it a lot. It is on the light side for sturgeon. Tossing 8oz of lead a short distance is fairly taxing. I have not used it for salmon yet, but I can tell it will be great for that. I think that this rod is great for light sturgeon, salmon, bottom fishing will be good, light surf casting. I think it would be not much fun with less than 1oz of weight. The rod is very light and sensitive, but I would not use it for trout fishing. I am about 6'4" and I have long arms for my height. I find the 8'6" to be no issue for length, I would not hesitate to use a 9'. There are no technical problems with that length. Enjoyability is a personal preference. I think that for the "heavier" fishing it is as all around as you can get. I would assume that the 9' is really quite similar. The only reason I would change is that I like 2 piece rods (my 8'6" is two piece) for the kayak. I do not know if the 9' is two piece.

My main criterion for picking a fishing rod is that when you hold it in your hands you can hear the angels sing!

I'd size down.

Shoot, I'd even size down from the 8'6" rod you listed and go with the H instead of the XH.  The XH a lot of rod.

-Allen

+1  a more flexible, softer action rod is often much more forgiving for salmon etc from a kayak

I'd size down.

Shoot, I'd even size down from the 8'6" rod you listed and go with the H instead of the XH.  The XH a lot of rod.

-Allen

From what I can gather, if a step down to the H were something I wanted to do I'd probably buy the H as a second rod rather than trade out.  Good excuse for another rod at least.  Kind of like with guns.   

The only reason I would change is that I like 2 piece rods (my 8'6" is two piece) for the kayak. I do not know if the 9' is two piece.

The 9' is a 2-piece.

I'd size down.

Shoot, I'd even size down from the 8'6" rod you listed and go with the H instead of the XH.  The XH a lot of rod.

-Allen

From what I can gather, if a step down to the H were something I wanted to do I'd probably buy the H as a second rod rather than trade out.  Good excuse for another rod at least.  Kind of like with guns.   

Well, you did say you were looking for a "jack of all trades".  I'd still buy the H as a jack of all trades and go bigger as a second rod.  And the longer rod is not better when going bigger.

-Allen

I would think the first priority would be to choose the one that feels best when casting.    If your will mostly be just dropping down, trolling or back bouncing then
it will be easier to find one rod that can get you by doing all.   If your fishing where you will be casting a great deal,  then nothing would be worst than
having a rod that just doesn't cast well for you.   Maybe carefully mount a reel in the rod you have,  go sit down on the grass of a large area and see how well it casts for you.  Cast the same variety of weights
that you might use while on the water.   I found that my favorite rods for bank fishing just don't do well when trying to cast from a kayak since you loose a good amount of room to load the rod when casting.