Another new ROD... any guidance or wisdom?

[EugeneFisher]

The holiday season is rolling around, which means fishing gear for me. :smile: I currently have a 3wt for trout, a 6 wt for trout/steelhead, and a bunch of gear rods. I'm looking for something that will handle winter steelhead and also some chinook action (not too much though). This ROD, for now, will also double as a saltwater ROD when I'm in the SF Bay, mainly for stripers. My first thought is a medium-fast 9wt. What does everyone else think?

With that said, I'm hoping to stay around the $200 mark for the ROD, and maybe $125ish for the reel. The numbers are far from being set in stone.

[B-RUN STEELIE]

You use a "pole" for catfish.. I think you might be talking about a "rod"..

Sorry, had to go there.

[Chetco River]

Bad < Good > B-Run Pole, rod almost like rifle <gun> in the service.

[Gizmo Man]

Guys, either help him or do not hijack his thread. Unless you are perfect, you know what he meant. Stay on topic please.

Giz, the moderator...

[Grantspastor]

I think a 9 wt would be a good all-around choice for what you have in mind

[lilnorthfork]

I would try to squeeze an 8wt. and a 10wt. into your budget. Steelhead warrent a decent rod, but you won't want to risk breaking a nice rod on a chinook... so you may not try hard to hook and land one. When Powell changed their Advantage line last year they went for $125 including a tube and shipping. I bought my 4-piece Old Florida 10wt. last year for $99... it is a meat stick but, hey, its a 10wt.. The Old Florida isn't finished as nice as the TFO Professional series but I am pretty sure it uses the same blank. You should be able to use one reel for both rods. Good luck.
lnf

[MTL]

I would probably lean toward an 8 Wt (that will handle pleanty big fish). I would stay away from medium fast, though. Don't get me wrong, my 5 wt is a medium fast SP and I absolutely LOVE it. My casting style naturally lends itself to that kind of action. That said, for a big game rod you want the fastest action you can get (casting long casts on big water with a heavy rod is a lot of work, make the rod do as much of it as you can).

[Steve L.]

I like Ross reels and you could use one for multiple rods. The reel will set you back about $190 and the additional spools about $90. They come with a lifetime warrantee. I use the same reel for my 5wt and 7wt. It's smooth, drag is smootha and easily accessible and over the last five years has proven it can take a beating.

As the rest the only advice I would pass along is spend your money on the best rod and quality line you like / can afford . Save your money on the reel and go cheaper if need be. Scott A2 will set you back about $290 and it's a nice casting rod. I'm sure there are a lot of others out there as well in that price range.

I recently started out to get a Winston Ibis 10 wt since they're being discontinued. I figured to save some dough. Didn't like it and ended up getting the Winston BIIx and love it. Although it did do harm to my budget that will take some time to get over.

Happy hunting for your next outfit.

[LunkerFish]

I would agree with MTL. I would go with an 8wt or 9wt rod with a fast action for shooting long casts and turning over big flies. Brand wise it then becomes a wrestling match between budget and personal desire.

[EugeneFisher]

Thank you for all the great info guys. You never fail to come to the rescue! And my vocabulary has been fixed as well! :bowdown:

I like the idea of two rods, an 8wt and a 10wt. And in my mind, steelhead always come first, so the 8wt comes first as well. Although my last rod was an IBIS (love it to death), I might have to stick to something a little more reasonably priced right now... maybe a TFO, or on the luxury side, one of Sage's introductory rods, such as a Launch.

Now, for another question stemming from a new setup... new fly line! I'm a loyalist to Rio, but will always venture to try new things. I would like to try a multi-tip line. Any opinions on this, such as hinging at the connection, or poor casting, or absolutely wonderful?

[AndyK]

If you want to keep the cost of a rod low, get a Lamiglas. I have a G12989 rod (9 foot, 9 wt) that retails for about $157.

I have caught hundreds (I do mean hundreds )of steelhead and salmon with this rod (rod is featured in these photos):

2005 Coho (http://www.ifish.net/gallery/data/500/coho4.jpg)

2004 Springer (http://karamanos.net/sports/flies/springer1c.jpg)

The best part about a Lamiglas rod is their exchange policy (especially if you live within driving distance of Woodland, WA). I have never had any problem exchanging a broken rod at Lamiglas - ever. No questions asked. They don't even ask your name.

About a reel, I will let someone else give you some advise. However, you can get a lot of reel for less money than a Ross (and I do own a Ross reel). When fighting a big, powerful fish that wants to run, you will need a good drag. But I have landed many Coho and Steelhead by stripping in the line and not using a drag. When I was just starting to fly fish (many, many years ago), single action fly reels did not have drags.

[Steve L.]

For standard lines I use Scientific Anglers. I'm new to the multi-tip game as well. I used my 10wt with a Rio Versi-tip for the first time Weds and caught my first river Coho. It cast fine, but I haven't used it enough to give an endorsement. So far, so good.

Back to reels for a moment. AndyK is right ( ouch ! :shrug:) you can get into a Cortland or Reddington reel with a spare spool for about $70. An Orvis Battenkill with spare spool for about $140.

As for rods, I'd defer to AndyK again. The guy catches fish ! BUT I still Love my Winston.

bottom line is we all have budgets and there is equipment out there that will meet your needs.

[AndyK]

I have several brands of multi-tip lines and have used them all. I prefer both the Air Flo and the RIO.

Air Flo has the best loops and a good finish on their lines.

The RIO lines come with five tips (vs four for everyone else) and you can buy extra tips easily. I have had problems with the finish on the RIO lines with extensive use.