Steelhead rod

[gfisher2003]

so i just went a guided chinook trip it was awesome and i caught my first chinook ever, but the guide gave me a few ideas for a christmas list and he said that i should put on it a "9 foot steelhead rod" for christmas because that is around the time for winter steelhead and a salmon rod for my birthday (in april) for spring chinook does anyone know a brand or something that i should put on my list or does it matter? (i am also a lefty)

 

[bubs]

By rod I assume you mean rod & reel?

You fishing from a boat or the bank?

What kind of fishing do you plan on focusing on? Float, drift, hardware, plunking, trolling...

Answer these Q's you'll get a much more useful response!

 

[gfisher2003]

yes rod and reel, i would be fishing from the bank, i would most likely do bobber fishing

 

[Fishnbuck]

I love my Okuma Celilo 8'6" M action casting rod. It's rated 8-17 lbs line, and 1/4-5/8 oz lure weight. I bobber 'n' jig, toss spinners and spoons, and even use it bait fishing for trout at Hagg and Detroit. I find it to be a great all around rod at a reasonable price. Depending upon what I am chasing/throwing, I match it with either an inexpensive low profile reel (bass style), or a Shimano Cardiff 401 round reel, both spooled with braid and flouro-clear bumpers.

 

[bubs]

I love my Okuma Celilo 8'6" M action casting rod. It's rated 8-17 lbs line, and 1/4-5/8 oz lure weight. I bobber 'n' jig, toss spinners and spoons, and even use it bait fishing for trout at Hagg and Detroit. I find it to be a great all around rod at a reasonable price. Depending upon what I am chasing/throwing, I match it with either an inexpensive low profile reel (bass style), or a Shimano Cardiff 401 round reel, both spooled with braid and flouro-clear bumpers.

I like the idea of not having a rod for every single possible scenario, and I agree an 8'6" medium action rod is a fairly all-purpose choice. I can also attest to Okuma's quality for the price as I have two Okuma rods.

I use my 8'6" med heavy Bass Pro Shops rod that I found at Goodwill for $7 for so many things. Long-casting bait for trout/catfish, carp, surf perch fishing, steelhead & salmon, and even as a backup sturgeon rod on the smaller waters of the Gilbert. Love the length, not too long to throw a spinner in a tight space, not too short to where you can't fish a float and mend line.

But I guess the question is whether you actually want to use it for anything else..if just for steelhead and salmon, especially if you're focusing on float fishing, I feel like a 9' med heavy would be a more reasonable middle ground.

 

[Hooked Up]

If you're planning on bank fishing in areas like the floodplain at Oxbow, open space & wide water. I'd recommend something like an SST 10'6" 10-20 lb. I've landed Chinook and Steelhead on mine.

 

[Aton]

9'6" Berkley Buzz Ramsey Air spinning rod (medium 8-12 lb.) is my recommendation to get started. Go get it at Bi-Mart, affordable, and they replace it, no questions asked. You can start with a cheap spinning reel (Okuma Trio) or other...works fine...until it doesn't. Seems to me that you have to break the $100 mark to get into a decent reel.

 

[Aton]

Sorry I didn't read the rest of the posts....if you are planning to mainly bobber fish 10' 6" rod is better choice....but really...your going to need all of them...

 

[Gulfstream]

I just bought the rod that Aton mentioned at BI-Mart.Okuma reels are a great value as well..Excellent rod for the money.You can also use it for surf perch if you decide to try that fishery.I don't think you need to spend a ton of cash to get you started! HAVE FUN

 

[Hookset]

X2 I agree with the above. The Berkley rods are reasonably priced and have good quality for the price. You can get them in many configurations. For bank bobber fishing I also like the 9'6". Good luck on your adventure.

 

[gfisher2003]

thanks for responding everyone

 

[ChezJfrey]

I agree that if starting with a float rod, no shorter than 9' - 6". Longer is even better. Okuma and the Berkley Air have some good choices for float. Of course as you develop, and want to cast different gear, you will end up with a 2nd rod, probably around 8'-6 or 9' for hardware. Then another for drifting...soon you'll have an arsenal; we all end up there, with a garage full of rods

 

[rippin fish lips]

Go to bi-mart and grab yourself a Shimano Sienna 4000 series reel. TBH it's the best reel out there for the price and their newer version of it looks even better and cleaner. I use it for everything I fish for and I fish steelhead a lot and have had quite a few successful salmon seasons on it in the salt water. It's only $30 too. Honestly can't beet that price for a reel that can handle several years of abuse. Rod, if your float fishing, id think more of a 9-9 1/2 would suit out NW streams a bit more 10'6" being max! Chances of getting a $30 reel that will set you up for your first years of getting into it fr xmas will be higher then a 60+ reel. Def consider berkely and you can keep your set up around $100 and it will get you started just fine with salmon and steelhead

 

[rogerdodger]

Go to bi-mart and grab yourself a Shimano Sienna 4000 series reel. TBH it's the best reel out there for the price and their newer version of it looks even better and cleaner. I use it for everything I fish for and I fish steelhead a lot and have had quite a few successful salmon seasons on it in the salt water. It's only $30 too. Honestly can't beet that price for a reel that can handle several years of abuse. Rod, if your float fishing, id think more of a 9-9 1/2 would suit out NW streams a bit more 10'6" being max! Chances of getting a $30 reel that will set you up for your first years of getting into it fr xmas will be higher then a 60+ reel. Def consider berkely and you can keep your set up around $100 and it will get you started just fine with salmon and steelhead

X2 on the Shimano Sienna reels but I use the 2500 RD version, low cost and very reliable for bottom fishing, casting for coho, trolling for salmon, or banking for steelhead, I have 4 of them spooled with 30# braid or 12# mono....cheers, roger

 

[Artwo]

I just picked up a new Okuma Guide Select Pro Series 9'-9" 6-12# ML spinning rod (GSP-S-992ML) as an upgrade for my steelhead bobber rod. This rod is excellent and it's going to be great to fish with. I'll be paring it with a new Okuma Helios HXS spinning reel when the are released later this year. If you're looking for a spinning reel now, Fisherman's has an excellent buy going on right now on the (Shimano Saros 4000 spinning reels. Regularly $159.99, now 50% off at only $79.99 through a very special purchase opportunity. When they're gone, they're gone!). These are really good reels at an excellent price.................

Good luck in your search..........

 

[pinstriper]

The thing to do is go to Fisherman's and say "give me one of each", then worry about what to do with them and how to pay for them, later.

Remember all those tools in you garage ? You didn't buy them one at a time when you realized you needed them. You bought a set and added, too. A 11' salmon float rod is no different than the 14mm 12 sided deep socket you got in the set and didn't use for 3 years. A 10' heavy trolling rod is like the 3/8 to 1/2 drive adapter. And so on.

 

[ChezJfrey]

The thing to do is go to Fisherman's and say "give me one of each", then worry about what to do with them and how to pay for them, later.

Remember all those tools in you garage ? You didn't buy them one at a time when you realized you needed them. You bought a set and added, too. A 11' salmon float rod is no different than the 14mm 12 sided deep socket you got in the set and didn't use for 3 years. A 10' heavy trolling rod is like the 3/8 to 1/2 drive adapter. And so on.

LOL, still enjoying your style, pinstriper!