Rocky areas call for you to break out the elephant gun. My rocky area set-up is a 10-5' Lami S-glass, trimmed a foot from the tip, a Calcutta 700 TE with 80# Power Pro and a 100# mono leader.
Rocky areas aren't noted for clear water----you have a lot of foam from waves breaking over the rocks, lots of kelp and loose vegetation, so you can go heavy on the line and leader without sacrificing hook-ups.
Rod length--if you have a longer rod and use it to try to keep your line clear of the rocks out where the fish is, that helps. Some of the locals who fish Squibnocket regularly bring their 13' rods out there. Elevation helps---in a place like Watch Hill where you're standing elevated, 9' rods do fine. If you're standing knee-deep, a longer rod works. You could also try wading out a bit and climbing onto a relatively flat rock, like many guys do at Montauk. Bring Korkers
One other little trick---old timers, especially those at the Canal, swear you can get a bass to change direction away from trouble by either giving the rod butt a couple of whacks or twanging the line like a git-tar string. They claim the vibrations make the bass change direction to get away from it. I'm not vouvhing for its effectiveness, but it wouldn't hurt to try.