Steelhead rods

[SwimbaitOR]

I recently moved back to Oregon and am looking for a couple steelhead rods. i am mostly going to fish smaller costal waters no bigger than the wilson, but very occasionally bigger rivers. looking for one drift and one float rod. i prefer a longer 15-17" handle measured from the back of the reel seat to the butt. was looking at the 9'8"imx drift rods, but am also interested in other options. I have a bantam 150, scorpion xt 1500, and daiwa z2020 i could use as a reel. Not sure if any of those are suitable for drift fishing, its not a technique i used a lot. lol. for the float rod I was thinking the imx float with a 2500 size vanford. Any other rod/reels out there for a similar price with similar specs.

Thanks, Matt

 

[Grant22]

I recently got an Okuma guide select pro and defiantly will be getting more to add to the arsenal they have a 9'2" 8-17 which is about perfect for drift fishing and they have a 9'9" 6-12 for floats and bobber doggin and that sort of stuff. They have woven carbon fiber handles and run about 150-175 although its not uncommon to be able to get them on sale for 130-140. If you really want something in that imx price range a few other options that i have heard great things about would be the Okuma x series rods (a little cheaper) and the lamiglass infinity (also a little cheaper). The imx is outstanding however and performs very well from the very limited experience I have with them. I would go to your local tackle store and toy around with some of the different options and see what feels best in your hand and what is comfortable.

 

[SwimbaitOR]

ill check those out when i get a chance. rods look pretty good for the price

 

[Chrisd1990]

I catch roughly 100 adult salmonids a year bank fishing and for spinning rods I use shimano Scimitar 10'6". I catch steelhead and salmon all year round on them with no complaints. They are $50 rods and sometimes on sale for as little as $20. I own more expensive rods and prefer the shimano. I recommend a 4000 series reel though, I use a 50lb braid and the bigger spool is helpful. Penn pursuit reels are my recommendation. They also run about $50-60.

 

[Grant22]

I catch roughly 100 adult salmonids a year bank fishing and for spinning rods I use shimano Scimitar 10'6". I catch steelhead and salmon all year round on them with no complaints. They are $50 rods and sometimes on sale for as little as $20. I own more expensive rods and prefer the shimano. I recommend a 4000 series reel though, I use a 50lb braid and the bigger spool is helpful. Penn pursuit reels are my recommendation. They also run about $50-60.

Those schimitar rods are actually surprisingly good. I bought one at the sportsman’s show for around 20 or 30 dollars cause I was curious and really don’t have any complaints. It handles fish well just not a huge fan of the plastic butt cap but that’s just an aesthetic and doesn’t affect the rod itself.

 

[Chrisd1990]

This is a really god example of the scimitar rods.