Lower rogue rod setup

[yomper]

I am going to try fly fishing on the lower Rogue by try I mean learn for Springers and can anyone give me a clue how to set up a rod ie what size line ,leader hook etc. for that location
Many thanks I 'll have to print out the answers because by the time I reach the river I'll have forgotten the subject even now my wife sits me in front of the TV and plays the same video over and over and its all new each time

[surfnfish]

Originally Posted by yomper

I am going to try fly fishing on the lower Rogue by try I mean learn for Springers and can anyone give me a clue how to set up a rod ie what size line ,leader hook etc. for that location
Many thanks I 'll have to print out the answers because by the time I reach the river I'll have forgotten the subject even now my wife sits me in front of the TV and plays the same video over and over and its all new each time

As far as specific flies, think it would be best to hear from those who have a lot of experience on that river, or check with fly shops in the area. In mid coast and upper Oregon, hard to go wrong with #2 Comet patterns in orange/black, red/black, and green/black.

Single handed-rods salmon tend around 9' 10Wt., backed up with a quality disc drag reel that can handle 200 yards of 30# test backing, a running line, and 10 wt. shooting heads in type 1 and 3 will cover most water conditions. Can't go wrong with Maxima Ultra Green for tippet, 15# is all you'll need as the actual breaking stength of UG is much greater then the rating. pros are a 9' rod is great in a boat, and easy to transport. Cons are limited range, and the need for considerable backcast room.

Spey rods really open up the amount of water you can effectively fish, and are less tiring to cast once you have learned how, best done with a lesson or two from a local instructor. A solid all around spey rig would be a 14' 9/10 wt. with a large arbor reel, same backing and shooting line as a single handed. When it gets to the actual fishing line, however, there are many paths. Some go with an appropriate weighted skagit head, and a couple T8 and T14 tips. Others prefer a one piece line, where the running line is part of the larger front mass of the fishing line, and comes with factory interchangeable tips. Plus's are booming casts, superb mending, you don't need any backcast room behind you, and they provide a lot of spring leverage when fighting a big fish. Minus is dealing with transporting and setting up a longer rod, and they can be a pain in the boat.

Switch rods, essentially a merge between the single and spey rods, are really catching on. A great salmon rig is an 11' 9 wt., with a large arbor reel, same backing. This can be loaded with either a one piece line setup or skagit head system just like a spey rod (I use a one piece down in tidewater from my boat, a Skagit system upstream when hiking in). Pros to this set-up is versatility, can be used with different setups, and is great for bank and boat. Cons are it's a bit heavier to cast overhead then a single hand, and doesn't boom out casts as far as a spey rod.

Suggest you go to a quality fly shop where the folks behind the counter will take the time to walk you thru some of the set-ups I've discussed, discuss pro and cons, costs, and give you some good info to make your decision with.

Hope this helps, and good luck, sticking a big fish on a fly rod, regardless of type, is just way too much fun!!

[yomper]

Thank you for your time it is really appreciated I have a 14' spey and a reel that I sleep with under my pillow it is not a conventional reel but a large arbor 9-11 weight that is offset to the rear of the rod for a righthander or to the front if a lefty [ an old timer once told me everybody ends up being a lefty ] I dont know if that is true or not

[fishhead69]

Originally Posted by yomper

Thank you for your time it is really appreciated I have a 14' spey and a reel that I sleep with under my pillow it is not a conventional reel but a large arbor 9-11 weight that is offset to the rear of the rod for a righthander or to the front if a lefty [ an old timer once told me everybody ends up being a lefty ] I dont know if that is true or not

#1 Springers on the rogue do not run in the heavy water, #2 they run the least resistance path from inside bent to inside bend. #3 Most of they time they are in close to the banks.
#4 I would suggest running up and down the river from Elephant rock up to about Lobster creek. Look where and how other guys are anchor fishing. They run 100 or so ft of anchor rope and "hogline" the holes. DO NOT LOW HOLE people or youll likley get a serious tongue lashing! Give at least 3-500' below someone before you even think about fishin.
Fish RUN up that river, and within the first 5 miles above tidewater, they will come thru 1-3 hrs after high tides most of the time.
Water clarity is the key, IN a boat, you can look at the bottom and try and fish in areas and depths ther you can just barely see the bottom. Thats there the fish run IN the lower river, they run in a zone just under the visibility range most of the time. ALOT of guys plunk the gravel bars on the inside bends.
For more info, drive up to Lucky Lodge RV Park on the north bank of the river and ask for the MGR. The mgr is also a guide for 15 or so years, and he's my dad. Lucky Lodge is also a neat place to park an RV. :-)