Steelhead Rod Recommendation Needed

[Zib]

I’m looking to get into steelhead fishing & I need a recommendation on what length/action spinning rod that I should get. I’ll mostly be casting spinners. I’m not looking for a rod that’s going to break the bank but at the same time I don’t what a cheap one either.

 

Any other suggestions for a newbie steel header would be appreciated.

 

 

Thanks

[Canuck2fan]

Unfortunately the best bang for your buck rod is no longer available..... The best all around rod for casting spinners, bottom fishing and float fishing was an 11.5 ft Shakespeare Catera. It was the one rod that could do it all not perfectly perhaps but certainly well enough for a first rod. It was strong enough to cast up 3/4 oz spinners, whippy enough to hurl floats out and just barely long enough to drift the float with. It has tons of back bone due to having double footed eyes except for the last four on the tip and therefore is excellent for lake fishing or pier fishing on the bottom. It was also darn reasonable at 49.99 at LeBaron I only wish I had of bought a couple to have around before they discontinued it... The replacement is the Agility line and it is OK but doesn't come in the 11.5ft length

 

You will probably hear a lot of recommendations for a Shimano Convergence 10ft or 10.5 ft rod which will work fine for casting spoons as that is what they were designed for it can also be used to bottom fish, but totally sucks as a float rod. Not only will it not cast a float very well in high winds, the drifts will be way shorter with it especially with a spinning reel. It is cheap enough to only 70 bucks at Bass Pro. So if you are sure you are going to tossing spoons mainly it would be good start.... (which by the way is over for this year as the salmon are all mostly dead now) It will start you off and get you out enough to know if you want to jump to the next step...

 

Another rod in that price range is the Browning steelheader? It is also available at Bass Pro.

 

I started out with one rod the Catera and now I have 4 other steelhead/salmon rod combos for specific things.... Steelheading is like that if you get into it so listen to the opinions see what your friends use and go with what you can afford at the time.

[Zib]

Thanks Canuckfan.

 

I guess I should have mentioned that I'm in Michigan & rods here cost a little less than in Ontario. I've been told reports of decent steelhead fishing during December & January in rivers that I drive by so I thought once my deer hunting is over I'd try my hand at some steelhead.

[Canuck2fan]

Winter is the best time to steelhead in the rivers. Since you are in Michigan you might want to look for a Swan Noodle Rod Company rod. They were being discounted heavily in many stores over there last year as the company is closed but they make an exceptional product I have two of them and wouldn't trade them for any rod costing 10X as much.

[Spiel]

....While I have a number of steelhead rods in various lengths if I'm choosing one for tossing hardware it's my

9 1/2 footer I go to every time. Something rated for 6 to 10lb test is ideal.

[tonyb]

I absolutely LOVE my Avid 9' Steelhead rod for tossing hardware!

 

The model is ASLG90LM2 and more information can be found on the St. Croix Rods website - http://stcroixrods.com/rods/default2.asp?r...mp;section=spin

 

Here is a picture of the handle in the foreground...

 

The reel I have is the St Croix Avid 200 I think, but they are actually made by Daiwa. The parent reel being the Team Daiwa Advantage 2000 I believe...

 

Don't cheap out on the rod, there is nothing more exhilirating than a Steelhead smashing your lure, and you want to feel that angry fish through a nice rod.

 

 

Tony

Edited November 6, 2007 by tonyb

[FinS]

quantum Pt

[solopaddler]

For an off the rack rod for tossing hardware I'll have to agree with the 9' Avid, it's a great rod.

[Darek]

Cant go wrong with the new loomis glx

[Milty]

If u want to catch the most stealhead on the river, leave the hardware at home,...get an ultralight (4-8lb) rod in a length of 12'6-13'6 or even 15'. More important than the rod (IMHO) is the reel. You might want to start with a good spinning reel with a very good drag (atleast 8 bearings), ideally you want to move to a centre pin.

 

Use 8lb mono main line with 3-5 g raven or drennan floats (or smthn similar) shotted appropriately below the float to match the float size,..then to a micro swivel and 2-3' of good flourocarbon leader in the 3-5lb class depending on brand, again i reccomend raven or drennan.

 

Use a #12-14 hook and wetflies, steelhead jigs, pink worms and steelhead eggs for bait. Spinners will work only when the fish are very aggressive, which isnt all that often.

 

In conditions when spinners work and you are floating instead your float will go down like a large mouth just hit it,..these times are rare,...most often a steelhead hit is hardly detectable to the untrained eye and it takes alot of confidence to set that hook and set it well...and risk a hook up with a stick or the tree behind you,...it takes alot of learning to become a good steelheader,...by all means bring a 9 ' lite action spinner with you,..but the long rod, ultralight CP combo is defintaely the way to go if you want to catch fish!!!

 

Edited November 6, 2007 by Milty

[solopaddler]

If u want to catch the most stealhead on the river, leave the hardware at home,...get an ultralight (4-8lb) rod in a length of 12'6-13'6 or even 15'. More important than the rod (IMHO) is the reel. You might want to start with a good spinning reel with a very good drag (atleast 8 bearings), ideally you want to move to a centre pin.

 

Use 8lb mono main line with 3-5 g raven or drennan floats (or smthn similar) shotted appropriately below the float to match the float size,..then to a micro swivel and 2-3' of good flourocarbon leader in the 3-5lb class depending on brand, again i reccomend raven or drennan.

 

Use a #12-14 hook and wetflies, steelhead jigs, pink worms and steelhead eggs for bait. Spinners will work only when the fish are very aggressive, which isnt all that often.

 

In conditions when spinners work and you are floating instead your float will go down like a large mouth just hit it,..these times are rare,...most often a steelhead hit is hardly detectable to the untrained eye and it takes alot of confidence to set that hook and set it well...and risk a hook up with a stick or the tree behind you,...it takes alot of learning to become a good steelheader,...by all means bring a 9 ' lite action spinner with you,..but the long rod, ultralight CP combo is defintaely the way to go if you want to catch fish!!!

 

 

Sorry Milty, gonna have to disagree. (The following is not directed at you BTW)

Too many steelheaders these days are one shot wonders. They pick up a float rod, hit a few fish and suddenly they're God's gift .

Floatfishing is deadly no doubt, but certainly not the be all and end all.

There are many, many instances where tossing or drifting (yes drifting) spinners, spoons or other hardware will totally outproduce a float presentation. Especially on the big waters of Michigan where Zib is from.

In fact bottom bouncing (a lost art it seems) will easily outproduce floatfishing on a regular basis if done PROPERLY.

Back when I started steelheading most guys either bottom bounced or threw hardware. Learning how to fish this way would make anyone an infinitely better steelheader.

Why?

Simply because in order to achieve success you MUST be able to read the water much more efficiently than a float fisherman. The drifts are short arc's and the length of time your bait is in the strikezone is miniscule compared to a float presentation where you more or less hit a seam with your float and let 'er drift waay downstream watching intently.

No sense of "feel" involved, no "touch" required.

By FAR the best steelheaders I know cut their teeth on other techniques before they turned to floatfishing.

Utilize more than just one technique. Don't use other methods halfheartedly, MASTER them.

For God's sake think outside the box!

Edited November 6, 2007 by solopaddler

[troutologist]

Solopaddler, I could not agree more, many many times I have gone behind people float fishing and caught fish bottom bouncing. Its what my dad taught me when I was young. From what I understand, cleos and koplexs caught a pile of steelhead before spawn got popular (up here any ways). When fishing its not unusual to see someone casting spoons off shore and doing as well as the float guys. Deep fast rivers around here are perfect for spoons.

 

For rods I have a 9'6 St Croix wild river that I use for spoons, spinners and bottom bouncing, its worked well for me.

 

Luck with winter steel Zib

[chickenhawk]

St-Croix is the way to go! lol

[snag]

Sorry Milty, gonna have to disagree. (The following is not directed at you BTW)

Too many steelheaders these days are one shot wonders. They pick up a float rod, hit a few fish and suddenly they're God's gift .

Floatfishing is deadly no doubt, but certainly not the be all and end all.

There are many, many instances where tossing or drifting (yes drifting) spinners, spoons or other hardware will totally outproduce a float presentation. Especially on the big waters of Michigan where Zib is from.

In fact bottom bouncing (a lost art it seems) will easily outproduce floatfishing on a regular basis if done PROPERLY.

Back when I started steelheading most guys either bottom bounced or threw hardware. Learning how to fish this way would make anyone an infinitely better steelheader.

Why?

Simply because in order to achieve success you MUST be able to read the water much more efficiently than a float fisherman. The drifts are short arc's and the length of time your bait is in the strikezone is miniscule compared to a float presentation where you more or less hit a seam with your float and let 'er drift waay downstream watching intently.

No sense of "feel" involved, no "touch" required.

By FAR the best steelheaders I know cut their teeth on other techniques before they turned to floatfishing.

Utilize more than just one technique. Don't use other methods halfheartedly, MASTER them.

For God's sake think outside the box!

 

That was educational.

 

 

Thanks.

 

S.

[bowshep]

My Trout fishing started with the Pocket Fisherman and 1" long flat fish for Brookie's. Just hand feeding it down the creeks... l like the silence of float fishing... the majestic dance of Fly fishing...but thats my opinion opinion opinion opinion...

Zib take away the sand box and you have a lot of options... do them all if you want ... the Trout don't care... just get out and walk the rivers. Appreciate the the sights... have fun... Peace Ken

Ps... that's a nice pic... nice fish...it is a Quality shot... the sparkles of the fins and the true Chrome... look it matched well with the lslander CP... l took that shot and lm proud of it

Edited November 7, 2007 by Bowshep

[barracuda]

Original Question at hand: Definitely agree with the avid suggestion if you're going hardware only route. If you want to float fish AND hardware, it's going to be a compromise on both sides. Depending on your price range, perhaps something 10'-11'6"okuma, raven, or frontier?

 

As for bearings being an indication of drag smoothness...it really isn't. Drag smoothness will be determined mostly by the material/quality of the drag washers in the reel. Having tried a bunch, Daiwa definitely gets the nod for this from me. Bearing count tends to be one of two things: 1. gimmick for crappy companies to sell reels that are inferior to quality reels posessing less bearings or 2. increase in price/retrieve smoothness from reputable companies.

 

And as far as the debate of float vs bottom bounce vs hardware vs fly vs whatever else: I've done em all, they all catch fish, they each have their own strengthes/weaknesses, and if you want to be a good steelheader, you should learn em all. If I could only fish one way for steelhead though, it'd definitely be floatfishing.

Edited November 7, 2007 by barracuda

[Photoz]

I like my 11.5' & 13' Loomis GL2's . . . . I use the 4000 Sustains on both . . . . 4 pound P-Line on the 13', & 6 pound Andeline on the 11.5'. My best trout came on the 13' . . . . 15.8 pounds. When it's kinda crowded, I use a 10.5' (8 - 14 pound) St. Croix Wild River with a 4000 Stradic & 8 pound line, so as not to tie up shoreline for a half hour trying to land a bigger fish. But . . . . there are literally dozens of different combinations, a lot of them likely better suited than mine, and less expensive. Pick a few up, see how they feel to your hand . . . . THEN look at the price tag . . . . if the rod felt REALLY good . . . . DON'T look at the price tag . . . . just head for the cash register!

 

[aniceguy]

here we go again

[Darek]

Milty, the guy asked for opinions on a spinning rod for trout. Here you go again posting the same pic you posted in every floatfishing.net thread. WE GET IT, you caught a trout good for you. I love the expert advice even though you've been using a pin for what, a year maybe?

[luv2drift]

Personally if you want to get into steelhead fishing...

 

 

the only way to go is by flyfishing or centrepin floatfishing. Spin casting is looked down upon

by the rest of the river fisherman it almost seems like there is a hiearchy.

And that's just my opinion so no need for a whole bunch of

negative comments back.

[solopaddler]

Hey c'mon guys give Milty a break, he was attempting to impart some knowledge and I'm sure his intentions were good.

My response certainly wasn't a shot at him...

Rule of thumb: don't say something on the net that you would never say to the person face to face.

By putting someone down you just end up making yourself look small.

[solopaddler]

Personally if you want to get into steelhead fishing...

the only way to go is by flyfishing or centrepin floatfishing. Spin casting is looked down upon

by the rest of the river fisherman it almost seems like there is a hiearchy.

And that's just my opinion so no need for a whole bunch of

negative comments back.

 

Well, can't say that I agree here either. As mentioned before the mark of a truly great steelheader is one who's able to adapt to any conditions and succeed using multiple techniques. Not pidgeon holing themselves by "just" floatfishing.

I suspect that most of the younger guys who're relatively new to the sport here in Ontario would have their eyes opened wide if they broadened their horizons.

There's tons of incredible rivers all around the great lakes and out on the left coast each with their own unique challenges.

Experience is the best and only teacher...

There's no denying that there's an element of elitism amongst steelheaders. However it's usually the guys who can't back up the bravado with results with that attitude.

 

Why is it that it's always steelhead threads that go south?

[tonyb]

Eveyone's a self-professed expert Steelheader Solo, didn't you know?

 

They're not really that hard to catch, especially drifting Roe...

[solopaddler]

Eveyone's a self-professed expert Steelheader Solo, didn't you know?

 

They're not really that hard to catch, especially drifting Roe...

 

True, but 10% of the steelheaders still catch 90% of the fish.

And yeah no doubt they're possibly the easiest of all fish to catch, but you still have to

time your trips properly, know how to read a river well, and present

your bait correctly....

 

(I normally don't get on the soap box as much as this, guess I'm guilty of being a self-proclaimed expert too ).

[Milty]

Well, can't say that I agree here either. As mentioned before the mark of a truly great steelheader is one who's able to adapt to any conditions and succeed using multiple techniques. Not pidgeon holing themselves by "just" floatfishing.

I suspect that most of the younger guys who're relatively new to the sport here in Ontario would have their eyes opened wide if they broadened their horizons.

There's tons of incredible rivers all around the great lakes and out on the left coast each with their own unique challenges.

Experience is the best and only teacher...

There's no denying that there's an element of elitism amongst steelheaders. However it's usually the guys who can't back up the bravado with results with that attitude.

 

Why is it that it's always steelhead threads that go south?

 

 

I agree with what you said here wholeheartedly,...In fact about 50% of the time I head out I also bring an ultralite 9'6" spinning rod,..just have much better results with the floating set-up, however when the bite is strong and aggressive, I occasionally break it out to switch up the fun,..a different kind of fun,...but fun nonetheless!!!

 

BTW,..none of what you said in response to my post was taken the wrong way in the least,..this is a discussion board and input is what it is all about,..as for the gimps (same ones everytime) that feel the need to throw a jab,...just like u said,..i wonder what they would say on the river,...or not say for that matter....