Steelhead Rod Question

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letemfly
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Steelhead Rod Question

Unread postby letemfly » Fri Dec 26, 2014 3:31 am

Hey guys, looking at buying a new pole. I ordered a 9' medium action rod that said medium light power, the handle didn't feel comfortable so I returned it and decided to get the other 9' rod. This rod says light power with a medium action. I haven't ordered it yet, because I cant decide if that is going to be too flimsy for fishing steelhead? Any help would be awesome
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Rome
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Re: Steelhead Rod Question

Unread postby Rome » Fri Dec 26, 2014 3:58 am

Are you using this as a drift rod with spawn, or casting spinners/cranks?

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letemfly
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Re: Steelhead Rod Question

Unread postby letemfly » Fri Dec 26, 2014 4:11 am

Sorry I forgot to mention! Mainly I'll be float fishing with it, possibly some drifting
Rome
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Re: Steelhead Rod Question

Unread postby Rome » Fri Dec 26, 2014 4:17 am

For float/drift fishing, I use a 13' light. If you are mainly float fishing, I'd highly recommend a minimum of 11'. I used to use 9', but when I switched to a longer rod made for the application, I never looked back.

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BassBoysLLP
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Re: Steelhead Rod Question

Unread postby BassBoysLLP » Fri Dec 26, 2014 4:19 am

Rome wrote:For float/drift fishing, I use a 13' light. If you are mainly float fishing, I'd highly recommend a minimum of 11'. I used to use 9', but when I switched to a longer rod made for the application, I never looked back.

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I agree with Rome. Longer is better for drift fishing. I made a similar progression.

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letemfly
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Re: Steelhead Rod Question

Unread postby letemfly » Fri Dec 26, 2014 4:23 am

Alright, I'll check them out. But if I stay with a 9ft, power-wise, using a light powered rod is it going to get yanked around by the steelhead? I just want it to have some backbone
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Re: Steelhead Rod Question

Unread postby letemfly » Fri Dec 26, 2014 4:32 am

BassBoysLLP wrote:
Rome wrote:For float/drift fishing, I use a 13' light. If you are mainly float fishing, I'd highly recommend a minimum of 11'. I used to use 9', but when I switched to a longer rod made for the application, I never looked back.

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I agree with Rome. Longer is better for drift fishing. I made a similar progression.

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Alright, I'll check them out. But if I stay with a 9ft, power-wise, using a light powered rod is it going to get yanked around by the steelhead? I just want it to have some backbone
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Singing Bridge
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Re: Steelhead Rod Question

Unread postby Singing Bridge » Fri Dec 26, 2014 5:25 am

A chance to post a pic from my guiding days, cool! 8-)

letemfly wrote:
BassBoysLLP wrote:
Rome wrote:For float/drift fishing, I use a 13' light. If you are mainly float fishing, I'd highly recommend a minimum of 11'. I used to use 9', but when I switched to a longer rod made for the application, I never looked back.

[ Post made via Android ] Image


I agree with Rome. Longer is better for drift fishing. I made a similar progression.

[ Post made via Android ] Image



Alright, I'll check them out. But if I stay with a 9ft, power-wise, using a light powered rod is it going to get yanked around by the steelhead? I just want it to have some backbone


Float fishing guys prefer longer rods for obvious reasons, but if you've been steelhead fishing your entire life a 9.5 or 10.5 will get the job done and these guys are going to make you look bad anyway! :lol: Sorry, couldn't resist.

For drift fishing I prefer a 10.5, a 9.5 is okay. The longer rods will help a beginner... If you are not experienced (landed hundreds and hundreds of them) the rod action you are looking at is pretty light, I'd go heavier. You will need some backbone if you're going to mess with 15# of steel.

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Re: Steelhead Rod Question

Unread postby rutnbuck » Sun Jan 04, 2015 12:59 pm

13 to 15 foot medium light for sure if your float fishing. I would set it up with a center pin reel and it will be bullet proof. You can send your floats down river in the zone all the way.

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Re: Steelhead Rod Question

Unread postby Singing Bridge » Wed Jan 07, 2015 6:23 am

To answer your question appropriately, to be honest, a lot more information would be needed. Are you fishing from shore / wading / boat? Is your primary river(s) a big brawler, medium sized or rather small? Will you mostly be fishing flies / jigs / bait, etc?

The answer to these questions will determine what rod / action works best for you most of the time. There's a lot of a difference between a 9 and a 15 foot rod...


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