Steelhead rod length

G
Grant23
0
I have been considering purchasing anther steelhead rod. I currently drift fish with a 8'6 rod, and have been curious about longer rods.
I have seen many rods with lengths from 9ft to 10'6 ft .
what are the pros/cons of longer rods?
For drift fishing, what is an optimal rod length?
 
I know a lot of guys who like 9'6" rods for drift fishing and the 4-8 lb rods are nice, sensitive and light. They also have a soft tip so you can detect bites easier. If you are fishing a river with a lot of big fish you might want to use an 8-12 lb rod. Float fishing you can go even longer because it helps get better, drag free drifts.
 
The only thing I can say i actually like about my 8'6 are it's good for smaller rivers and I like it for tossing hardware.
For drift fishing I use my 8'6 for smaller water and a 9'6 for larger.

For float fishing I wouldn't go under a 9'6 unless your fishing around brush.
The next rod Ima buy is gonna have to be 10'6 or maybe 11 for a float rod.
 
Thanks for the reply's.
Would a 10ft be a bit too much for drift fishing?
(usually clack, sandy, wilson, and similar rivers)
 
Grant23 said:
Thanks for the reply's.
Would a 10ft be a bit too much for drift fishing?
(usually clack, sandy, wilson, and similar rivers)
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I don't think so... What action? I personally wouldn't go more than a 10ft for drift fishing. IMO.
 
9'6" seems to be about perfect!
 
I like 8'6 rods for steelhead drift fishing. the 9'6 and longer rods do make float fishing easier though.
 
What line rating osmosis?
 
for drifting? 4-8 in low flows, 6-10 or 12 in meduim flows, and an 8-12 at average clackamas height.

an 8'6" 8-12 is the regular rod I grab to drift with when I head out the door to fish by myself. Lamiglas Certified Pro model X 86 MC.

I'm liking the new rod I got for float fishing, the X 96 JC Certified Pro. It's a 9'6" in 6-15. Looking forward to float and jig fishing winters and summers with it!
 
I picked up a 9'2" Lami xmg50 6-15 lb and it fishes very nicely. Seems about the perfect length and am looking forward to using it on winter steelhead if I can put down my float/jig rod.
 
osmosis said:
for drifting? 4-8 in low flows, 6-10 or 12 in meduim flows, and an 8-12 at average clackamas height.

an 8'6" 8-12 is the regular rod I grab to drift with when I head out the door to fish by myself. Lamiglas Certified Pro model X 86 MC.

I'm liking the new rod I got for float fishing, the X 96 JC Certified Pro. It's a 9'6" in 6-15. Looking forward to float and jig fishing winters and summers with it!
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the x96JC is my drift rod of choice i have bean useing that rod for years it is about perficet it has a grate hook set a lot of back bone i use it for drift fishig for nooks to most people say it is to light for nooks but ihave puta 50 pound class fish to the bank with it this year i did take a lot of work thoght . a 1 foot rod is not to long but you will get a little mor of a slugish hook set out of it and it will take alittle longer for the vbrashoins to travle down the longer blank but were talking micro sec should ot be a problem for a seaoned angler good luck oh and the x 96 jc GH has a grafite handle that is awsome feels good and has grate sencitivty and cleans up good after say a day of side drifting eggs hope this helps
dan cox
 
I use a Berkley 8'6''. Even on spring chinook. I also use braided line on all my reels.
 
I also plan on using an 8'6'' berkly 8-12lb im8 I just picked it up and haven't taken it out yet also put a shimano 4000 spin reel on it. steelheadin is new to me. but I am hoping this will make a good rod for spining and some bobber action as well.
 
frodog said:
I also plan on using an 8'6'' berkly 8-12lb im8 I just picked it up and haven't taken it out yet also put a shimano 4000 spin reel on it. steelheadin is new to me. but I am hoping this will make a good rod for spining and some bobber action as well.
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that rod will work very well but you might want to cnsider a shimano in the size 2500 or3000. They are a lot liter and you will notice a difrance. it is a lot more confertible you will fishlonger and it does not rodthe sencitivety out of the rod . less weight means more time on the water and more time on the water means more fish. I use the shimano symetre 2500 it is light hold 160 yards of 14 LB fireline and has plenty of drag to handle any steelhead and most any salmon i used it on chums yesterday at the coast and they are pound for pownd a hard fighting fish i landed on on a jig with that reel that was 18 pounds i will land a big nook to good luck
 
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I use 8.5 / 9 ft for drifting . I got a 10 footer for bobber fishing . Braid on both .
 
Doesn't the braid get beat up on the rocks and fray? It happened to me when I was fishing bonneville earlier this year. What brand of braid do you use or recomend?
 
I like fireline crystal but have some spyderwire invisibriad I am going to try out.
 
frodog said:
Doesn't the braid get beat up on the rocks and fray? It happened to me when I was fishing bonneville earlier this year. What brand of braid do you use or recomend?
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For me, I havent noticed any more line damage than when Im fishing mono. I use Tuff Line when Im using braided line.

Bonneville area is just hard on line period.

I use a 4000 model too, and it works just fine for 'nooks, 'hos, and steelhead. Would be nice if I had multiple spools so I dont have to change line so much though.
 
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Another vote for Tuff Line... I like it better than Power Pro.. a lot more limber and less memory. Fire Line is just crap IMO... wayyy to much memory and the line isn't round. I usually use my tuff line for two seasons of bobber fishing chinook, springers and fallies... Then I change it. Never had it break.
If your worried about frays use at least 65lb braid for chinook.
Use 30lb for steelhead. Bigger stuff floats better anyways.
 
well i will say i think tuff line is crap my self but i guess that is all a matter of opnoin but it does depend on what you are useing it for bobber fishing for falleies and springers 65 power pro it is a little more stiff not so limp like tuff line. with tuff lin or any other line that is realy limp you can get tip rap if your not carfull the line is more likley to not or bind in to the spool and brake not to menshoin if you are not a very seaoned angler the increaded rate of un fixible back lashes because the limp line tens to clump and than knot and im not just saying if you dont know how to cast but if you hit a bush or rock behind you or dont trak your spoll just rite on a long cast with a 2 oz bobber and a big bait you let itlash to much and the linper line tends to knot easy. but i do love it for trolling and flat lineing plugs it does cute the water nice .
for float fishing lite stuff jigs small baits i like 14 fire line it is oval not flat after about a seaoin of fishing it it will start to flaten out than i turn my line around on the spool and get another seaon out of it and i float fish a lot so most might get more lik to seaons out of each side . the flater line floats better because it has a biger foot print on the skin or top film of the water the smaller rounder braid brakes the top skin of the water and sinks faster if you dont keep a real good line mend wick can be hard for some anglers fishng a wide drift say 50 yards 35 yards of main curent than a back eddy if your line cuts that main curent your drift up that back curent is dun long rods good lines but useing the rite braid for its aplickashoin is very inportant.
for intance tuff line XP was dezinded for pulling plugs back bounceing and plunking and has bean used bye many for float fishing but eanuff paopl saw a need for it to change it was not the best for float fishing so tuff line introdced there duracast it is a much better line for flaot fishing it was made to work very well on a spinning reel ad small gear but it does work grate on a casting reel to
fire line it was dezined for top water fishing for bass it was made with an oval or flater dezine to stay on top of the water so you could work a poper better it is stiffer so you could cast a very lite lure farbecase the stiffer line fills off the spool better and runs threw the guids on your rod better the limper braids does not seam to cast very lite stuff as far because it seam to not flow off a spinning reel as well if you dont kee it tiet on the spool it will clump up in a loss mess at the top of the spool than fly off in one big knot
that does not seem to happen as much with fire line when you are fishing lit stuff like lite jig or a small cluster of eggs and a 1/2 oz float set up
power pro
was dezined to be a more al around linegrate for float fishing it has that nice stiffness so it can cast grate and floates grate but will cut the water grate fore drift fishing or plunking it is the most used braid in canita for float fishing and useing center pin rods and reels
hope this helps this info comes from the last 10 years of resrech to find the best lines for there purpose
thanks Dan Cox
 
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