New to Oregon and salmon/steelhead

[Jaebird]

Hello, Im used to trout fishing in the NJ/PA area and have done my share of deep sea charters. However, I've never fished Salmon or Steelhead and am very interested in giving it a shot!

I have a few questions on setups. I recently bought a Shimano Sedona 4000.

Now Im looking into a rod. I understand for Salmon/Steelhead I should be looking for a Heavy rod and am considering the Ugly Stik Salmon/Steelhead 8' 6" 12-30 lbs. (I forget the exact model). That is looking to run me about $60. Does this sound good for a first-timer, or is there a better choice/option for around the same price?

Now, what about line? I haven't the slightest clue what to buy.

Is there anything else I should know/be aware of? Other items Ill need to successfully fish for and handle these fish?

 

[eugene1]

Where are you planning to fish in Oregon? If you delete that link I'm sure more of us would be inclined to think you don't deserve Barb's ban hammer.

Best,

 

[Tacomasteelheader]

Pline cxx for leaders and mainline for drift fishing etc (unless your bobber and jigin it then u need float line). I would go with a different brand rod in the same length. Just that ugly stick it supposed to be strong not sensitive. It would be good for the bobber fishing . But not my personal deal for the drifting. (Feel the fish)

 

[Jaebird]

Fixed.

I plan to fish the Umpqua: North, South and Forks.

EDIT:

I went ahead with the Ugly Stik Lite Salmon/Steelhead Heavy Action 8'6" Spinning rod, rated at 12-30 lbs. to be paired with my Shimano Sedona reel.
I decided on Powerpro 30 lb. braided line and Berkley Vanish lead line: 10 lb. for steelhead and 25 lb. for salmon.


Does anyone see any issues with this, or did I do ok?

 

[jd15]

woah there 30lb main line? thats crazy for steelhead!! i run 12lb main and 10lb leader myself and that rode is great i use it for drifting and bobber fishing.

 

[RunWithSasquatch]

woah there 30lb main line? thats crazy for steelhead!! i run 12lb main and 10lb leader myself and that rode is great i use it for drifting and bobber fishing

I disagree.

Depending on what terminal gear you use, heavy mainline can be a plus, with no adverse effects on your fishing quality. Especially talking braid.

30# braid is going to run parallel with the size of 8lb Mono.

So where is the harm?


The ability to snag repeatedly; not that you will, or would want to, and be able to retrieve your bobber - or other terminal set up like a swivel and weight for a drift rig, saves time (and money), and time equals more casts, and more cast equals more fish. Its pretty linear.

Especially since you will be using this same rod for BOTH salmon and steelhead.

Though you could get away with a lighter mainline, I personally fish 30-40lb on 8-10 of my rods, half of which are for steelhead.


So as far as what you have bought, as your first ever set up for something you may or may not stay true too as a hobby, I think you have done fine.

 

[OnTheDrop]

woah there 30lb main line? thats crazy for steelhead!! i run 12lb main and 10lb leader myself and that rode is great i use it for drifting and bobber fishing

30lb PowerPro is Braided line...

You are definently on the right track for starting out. The Ugly Stik was a great purchase for a combo Salmon/Steelhead rod...It should be light enough to have steelhead fight well on it and with those ugly stiks it should be alright with Salmon, going to be a fight though. ( I used a 8ft6' 8-15lb Rod when I first started out for both species, Worked great except some of those 15-20lb springers take a while to get in. ) When going for steelhead I wouldn't use above a 10lb leader and for Salmon atleast a 20lb leader shall do. Down or upsize according to clarity and other obstacles and what not. I too like Pline CXX for my leader and main line if I'm using monofilament.

Google will answer every question you have.... If you want, You can also check out steelheadstalkers.com for some video tutorials on how to set up certain rigups...

Good luck out there & Tight Lines....

 

[eugene1]

nice. I didn't mean to jump on you, but we get people who spam/promote stuff here with no intention of being a real member.


the braid is in general fine for certain types of fishing techniques. Bobber fishing, or backtrolling in a boat. If you're going to drift fish from the shore more people would use mono.


Best,

Fixed.

I plan to fish the Umpqua: North, South and Forks.

[/B]I went ahead with the Ugly Stik Lite Salmon/Steelhead Heavy Action 8'6" Spinning rod, rated at 12-30 lbs. to be paired with my Shimano Sedona reel.
I decided on Powerpro 30 lb. braided line and Berkley Vanish lead line: 10 lb. for steelhead and 25 lb. for salmon.


Does anyone see any issues with this, or did I do ok?[/QUOTE]

 

[Tinker]

Stay away from Vanish! It has serious problems with knot strength. Scores and scores of objective testing out there suggests the Berkley fluorocarbons - both Vanish and Trilene 100% - break well below the line weight rating. I have three 110-yards spools of 14 lb that are now set aside to snell hooks for surf perch.

Seaguar and P-Line are stronger at the knot and not a lot more expensive. I'm a Berkley fan on most things, but not their fluorocarbon lines.

I might have suggested you look online for Shimano or Daiwa all-graphite rods. There's some great rods for $20 more than an Ugly Stik, but you did quite well, grasshopper. My first steelhead/salmon rod was a MH Ugly Stik and it's still going strong - my kids have it and love using it.

 

[steelhead_stalkers]

There are many good rods in the price range of an ulgy stick. An Ugly stick is not a fishing rod, more of a fiberglass stick. It will not load up, cast or fight fish in an effective way. (You would be better off with an okuma, shimano, berkley or similar brand.) That is a good line rating for salmon but will not work for steelhead. Powerpro is decent but probably not the best braid you could buy. Most people use what everyone else uses, kind of like lemmings. :lol: I find it to limp and it has issues with tip wrap and absorbs water over time making not the best for float fishing. (Spiderwire and Nanofil are good float lines. P-line CX and CXX make good mono mainline.) Berkley Vanish is the worst fluoro ever made. If you want to lose every fish you hook then you have the right line. (Berkley 100% fluoro is a good leader along with p-line cx.)

You will need two rods, one for steelhead and one for salmon. Good luck.

 

[steelhead_stalkers]

Stay away from Vanish! It has serious problems with knot strength. Scores and scores of objective testing out there suggests the Berkley fluorocarbons - both Vanish and Trilene 100% - break well below the line weight rating.

There are no studies that I have seen that show Trilene 100% fluoro breaks less than its line rating. I have used it for 4 years and rarely break fish off and that's with their 4 lb, 6 lb and 10 lb. Its actually one of the best fluorocarbons you can buy. I have tested trilene 100% and it breaks higher than its line rating. It is a slightly thicker diameter than similar size seguar though. Vanish on the other hand is the worst ever made. Seguar is a great fluoro too!

 

[Tinker]

An Ugly stick is not a fishing rod, more of a fiberglass stick. It will not load up, cast or fight fish in an effective way. (You would be better off with an okuma, shimano, berkley or similar brand.).

I disagree about the Ugly Stik's, although I agree that the alternatives you suggested are much better rods if they fit your budget. I've fished a bunch of Ugly Stiks, and while they are not the most hyer-sensitive rods made, they feel more sensitive to a bite than any fiberglass rod I've used, and I doubt I've missed many taps. They will load up and cast quite effectively, in my experience - but unlike many rods that perform best in the low range of their lure ratings, the Ugly Stiks do better at the top end.

I don't use them anymore, but I still keep them for younger relatives to use - they're nearly indestrucible. The first Ugly Stik was released what? 40 years ago? They were revolutionary back then, and while they ain't so special anymore, I believe that for each of those forty years, they've been the #1 selling rod.

If it's your first rod(s), and you aren't sure how deep you'll dive into fishing, and unsure if you'll keep at it at all, I think it was a good choce.