Mike, It's hard to say comparing this rod to any of the Loomis rods. It has a nice tip for casting, but it has plenty of back bone to horse fish out of the thick stuff. I use it as a frog rod but it would make a nice football head jig rod.
From the end of the reel seat to the butt is 9". I picked it up for $200 on sale @ Tackle warehouse back in 2009. Comparable in pricing to the Cumara and St. Croix Legend Tournament.