The solution behavior of a rod-like, water-soluble, polyelectrolyte-surfactant aggregate system (pC16TVB) is detailed. These aggregates are generated by in situ polymerization of a cationic-hydrotrope wormlike micelle system. A feature of the system is the fact that the monomer groups and the surfactant are present in ion pairs in the absence of added salts or counterions, so the stoichiometry (with respect to charge) is 1:1 for the aggregates. Therefore, after polymerization the surfactant acts as the counterion for the polyelectrolyte chains as other counterions (salts) are not available. Despite being present in a 1:1 molar ratio, the aggregates are surprisingly stable in water (concentrations > 600 mg/mL). Structural analysis shows that the polyelectrolyte chain is trapped in a cylindrical “tube” formed by the surfactant. As such, the amount of surfactant present in the “tube” impacts the conformation adopted by the confined polyelectrolyte chain and the aggregate as a whole. The aggregate length can be adjusted by removing or adding surfactant and disrupting the 1:1 molar ratio. A simple model for the structure is presented and the ability to manipulate the aggregate structure demonstrated.