Eazy

Simms seems to get the nod of approval 

Simms G3's?

Reading the reviews on many different brands, it seems really hit or miss regarding quality

Just curious as to what waders fellow anglers are using?

Personally I've found that anything under $500 is a waste of money and won't give you a full "dry" year.

I'm also assuming that its a regular occurrence to have a wet crotch area due to condensation after a few hours in them?

1 hour ago, steellee said:

Ya I own a Cabelas Arachnid baitcast of same vintage as the Verano spinning. Its basically a Tatula type R with different color scheme and a few extra bearings in handle. I think the Verano was the older 2016 Ballistic which is a tank of a reel

I have a Cabelas Verano, built by Daiwa I believe.

It's a solid reel, no issues and has land many a steelhead 

Yes, I've heard it mentioned before that they suffer from a bad rep from years before

Yah, thats definitely an oldie!

Funny thing they dropped the tour line in the spinners. 

Highest they go now is the Smoke S3 and also the Cabo (but thats a saltwater reel)

I guess being a smaller independent company they streamline their line according to profitability....🤔

36 minutes ago, steellee said:

Most quantum are junk but the Smoke s3 are a different animal..I got the S3 spinning only because I had gift cards and got a great deal on a sale. The drag and line managment are hands down better than my more expensive daiwa kage or shimano stadics and saros I own. It was supposed to be a back to my back up kind of reel but really holds its own and I reach for it often. It doesnt have that airy feeling like the daiwas or shimanos but it feels tight and in my opinion will last. I still have a quantum energy titanium from the early 90s thats now my girlfriends reel. Thing wont die. They do seem to produce some gems now and again in between alot of junk they get a bad rap for. Baitcast I stick with shimano and daiwa although again I still have a perfectly functional Quantum US 600 from again early 90s

Love my Smoke S3. Drag is better than my Stradic but the reel itself is not quite as smooth. 

I also love how easy the maintenance is on the "reel engine design" as well on the Quantum reels.

Yes there is.

Its predominantly Laker territory with Brook trout in the shallower water

Hi there, just curious if any other fellow anglers on OFC use Quantum reels?

I know they definitely seem to be the underdogs in the reel industry as far as publicity and popularity goes.

I have purchased a Quantum Smoke S3 casting reel and a Smoke S3 Spinning reel as well as a Vapour and Accurist spinning reel.

The Smoke casting reel seems to be built like a tank and has awesome castability as well, nice low profile as well as a big spool for increased line capacity. 

The Smoke spinning reel has endured 2 seasons of Sub-zero steelhead fishing battling several 10lb fish. The drag is flawless, second to none.

The Vapour spinning reel has the same drag as the Smoke, but for some reason the retrieve is quite as smooth as the smoke. This is likely to different gearing material, not sure?

Anyways, just my two cents, if anyone else can think of anything to comment on...

Hi to all, I have been seriously considering acquiring a baitcaster rod/reel for casting hardware for Salmon or Steelhead. However, since this would be something new to me I was looking for some advice from fellow anglers.

I will be casting spoons from 1/2oz to 3/4oz. I would also be looking to not "break the bank" since this would be something of trial and error for me.

Thanks in advance!

Hi to all, I have been seriously considering acquiring a baitcaster rod/reel for casting hardware for Salmon or Steelhead. However, since this would be something new to me I was looking for some advice from fellow anglers.

I will be casting spoons from 1/2oz to 3/4oz. I would also be looking to not "break the bank" since this would be something of trial and error for me.

Thanks in advance!

Thanks!

Predominately hardware 

Just looking at the Raven Helix 9'6" Salmon/Steelhead rods, curious if anyone has any input from their experience with these rods.

Previously was looking at the St Croix Avid rods, but they would land me close to $400 poorer.....lol. The Ravens are about half that, but wondering if the price difference is closely related to the quality difference???

Sometimes I do

Early freeze up this year shutdown a lot of smaller tribs for me me, but opened up other oppourtunities on larger systems. Here's a few pics of some late fall spoon-fed steelies!

Mepps spinners have proven themselves to be a top notch spinner in my experience regarding steelhead fishing, but over the past couple years I've been having the hooks break when unhooking fish. This is the only spinner that I've had the hooks break, which is very disappointing especially when they're the hooks with the nice piece of brightly colored tubing on the treble!

Do any other fellow anglers have this same problem?

10 minutes ago, Snidley said:

In addition to all of the above I love going to a "back bounce" approach to steelheading (salmon as well). Backbouncing involves working from a spot on shore or in a boat positioned upstream from the target area. Weight such as split shot or pencil lead is applied to the line well up from the chosen bait on a 3 way swivel and this rig is then cast out downstream toward the far shore. The weight gets the bait to sink and then the current will provide the energy to work the lure as though it is being retrieved but the bait is in fact swinging in an ark across the river.

I started using kwikfish, flatfish and hotshots for this technique but now I use these baits first and then move to diving crankbaits like CC Shads, Wiggle Warts, Flat Warts and deep diving Bomber Flat A's as the fish dive deeper. Nothing gets salmonoids to hit harder than this technique because it is essentially a method of enraging fish by invading their space by sticking a bright, loud reaction bait right in their face.  The Saugeen, Niagara and Grand River are my favorite locations for this technique but i remember that the Catt in NY State was another good spot to back bounce.

Thanks for the info!

You're all set then!

Hi all, I know the most popular way it seems for people to fish for steelhead is to run the float on either a centre-pin or spinning setup, but for me I would much rather swinging a spoon or spinner thru a boulder strewn tail-out and practically getting a rod ripped out of my hands.....something addicting about that!

My spoons of choice are the Canadian made Len Thompsons (have not found a color that doesn't work), and as far as spinners go, I'd have to say it's the Bluefox Vibrax #3 or #4 depending on depth.

Just curious if there are any fellow anglers who prefer this method of angling for steelhead compared to the traditional float method?

Ok, thanks for the feedback guys!

Distance is paramount on the rivers I fish North of Sault Ste Marie, so likely stick with the Daiwa Whisker Tournament SS 1300.

Besides, a "good baitcaster" could set me back a good couple hundred dollars!

Hi all, I was just curious if there were any  anglers out there that use baitcasters instead of spinning reels to toss hardware for Steelhead or Salmon and obtain equal casting distance with both. Im not talking castingheavier baits, but rather in-line spinners down to 1/4oz (#3)

I just figured that a baitcaster would solve the line-twist issues associated with spinning reels. 

Okay,thanks guys..yah, it wouldn't be my first choice either, but just figured sometimes something "off the wall" can work wonders!