Lost on the salmon/steelhead rod isle

[Bisco424]

I am so in need of help in this area, My grandfather suprised me with a chance to get my feet wet and go salmon fishing this year on the puyallup with him. So, this is the first time I have been salmon/steelheading. My question too yall is WHAT THE HECK kind of rod combo do i get? I fish with a shakespeare 6'6" and like the action on it but i have no Idea of what to buy, i dont wanna look like a dork walkin down to the river with a pole too short or too long. any ideas would be greatly apreciated!!#-o

[tnj8222]

I usually run a 7-8 ft med action 8 to 12 pound test. With a 2500 size reel. All you need is pencil weight slightly lighter leader line and corkies and yarn. I use a small corkie in pink and either red or pink yarn. 3 ft leader and your ready to spank the pink salmon. If you cant get a pink you should just give up haha

[spokey9]

Check out some of the okuma cecilo rods (they won't break the bank & are pretty good rods). I'd suggest something around 8'6" that's rated 8-17lb line. that'd be a good rod that'll cover most salmon in the rivers and still light enough to have a lil' bit of fun with the pinks.

Also you can go to sportco in fife and talk to the guys at the fishing counter and let them know a rod and they'll help you find something in whatever price range you're looking. They're really knowledgeable and can get squared away, & ready to fish pretty quick.

[natetreat]

Check out some of the okuma cecilo rods (they won't break the bank & are pretty good rods). I'd suggest something around 8'6" that's rated 8-17lb line. that'd be a good rod that'll cover most salmon in the rivers and still light enough to have a lil' bit of fun with the pinks.

Also you can go to sportco in fife and talk to the guys at the fishing counter and let them know a rod and they'll help you find something in whatever price range you're looking. They're really knowledgeable and can get squared away, & ready to fish pretty quick.

For a beginning salmon rod, you can't go wrong with the Okuma cecilo rods. I have both versions, the 6-12 and the 8-17 8'6" rods and they are a great rods and inexpensive.

The 6-12 has caught me 30# kings without breaking a sweat. As for reels, get something that can hold at least a hundred yards of 10 or 12 pound line. The Okuma ignite series is cheap and can hold up for a season or two. They aren't the best, but when you're just getting your feet wet, it's not a big investment.

For sure the guys at sportco will set you up right. You're gonna catch the bug real fast, welcome to the club!Once you hook your first, you'll never go back :bounce:

[mav186]

Welcome to WL.com...drop down the hill from you to Sportco and explain the same information. They're pretty good about working with folks trying to figure it out.

[jens]

8'6 would be about right. I have a sneaky suspicion though, you are going to become obsessed like most of us did when the Pinks ran last. GUILTY!! If you can fish a baitcaster, then you are ahead of the game. With that in mind, might as well shop for a 10ft rod. You will get used to it.

[BentRod]

First, don't worry about looking like a dork! During humpy season you'll see all types. Although I agree that a 8-10' pole is going to be a good option for the rivers, if you're targeting pinks, your 6'6" will work. My first time out on the Puyallup for the pinks I took my 6' bass/trout rod. 8lb test. Worked just fine. I found I couldn't cast as far as everyone else, but I still caught fish. However, if you're targeting the silvers and kings, you'll probably want to go up in line test and rod strength. Hope you have a fun!

[G-Man]

My first question would be, "can you cast with a level wind reel?" If you are not familiar with level wind/bait casting reels then that will reduce you selection by a third. My guess is that you'll end up targeting the pinks with an occasional silver thrown in for kicks. If this sounds about right, the standard steelhead setup will work just fine. 8.5' or longer rod rated for 8 to 14lb line and a spinning reel that will hold about 150 yards of the mainline you select. I'd start out with mono with a 12lb rating, it's cheap and still works great, I like Maxima Ultragreen for spinning reels. You don't need to spend a ton of money to get a nice setup and as mentioned, Sportco can hook you up.

Jens - As much fun as a 10.5' 6-12 rod would be, keep in mind that he'll be combat fishing on the Puke. Additionally, unless you are going to drop a few Benjamins on a rod of that size, the rig ends up weighing significantly more and wears on you quite quickly.

[jens]

My first question would be, "can you cast with a level wind reel?" If you are not familiar with level wind/bait casting reels then that will reduce you selection by a third. My guess is that you'll end up targeting the pinks with an occasional silver thrown in for kicks. If this sounds about right, the standard steelhead setup will work just fine. 8.5' or longer rod rated for 8 to 14lb line and a spinning reel that will hold about 150 yards of the mainline you select. I'd start out with mono with a 12lb rating, it's cheap and still works great, I like Maxima Ultragreen for spinning reels. You don't need to spend a ton of money to get a nice setup and as mentioned, Sportco can hook you up.

Jens - As much fun as a 10.5' 6-12 rod would be, keep in mind that he'll be combat fishing on the Puke. Additionally, unless you are going to drop a few Benjamins on a rod of that size, the rig ends up weighing significantly more and wears on you quite quickly.

With what I know now, I have a couple Okumas sitting in my garage that I never use because they are 8'6. Just thinking ahead for our new friend. If he catches the bug like most of us did, might as well jump to a 10ft rod at least 9'6, if I could do it all over again, that's what I would do, especially learn how to use a baitcaster A LOT sooner..

[Matt]

Another good Okuma rod is anything in the SST series. I own a few of them and they are very good rods for the money! Tons of guides run only SST's now a days I have noticed, which must be saying something about the product. I would get an 8'6" to 9'6" spinning rod rated 6-12lb line, spool it with 12 lb if fishing off the shore for pinks and silvers, spool it with 10 lb if fishing from a boat.

[tnj8222]

I agree with the 10"6 and baitbaster. But recommended 8 ft because its the puke and you guys know how it gets there during a pink run. I have a few sst rods, good starter rod.

[kzoo]

Check out some of the okuma cecilo rods (they won't break the bank & are pretty good rods). I'd suggest something around 8'6" that's rated 8-17lb line. that'd be a good rod that'll cover most salmon in the rivers and still light enough to have a lil' bit of fun with the pinks.

Also you can go to sportco in fife and talk to the guys at the fishing counter and let them know a rod and they'll help you find something in whatever price range you're looking. They're really knowledgeable and can get squared away, & ready to fish pretty quick.

+2 on the celios, I actually prefer them over the SST, they've got faster action than the SSTs and are lighter. They're cheaper as well, they go for 40 bucks. SSTs have a lot more eyes, better finish, and longer warranty.

I'd suggest a 9'6" with 6-12lb for pinks and steelhead.

[Bisco424]

ok, first I would like to thank everyone for ALL the info that yall gave me. I when window shoppin today and with all the info i got i think i found my rod combo that I want for my first salmon pole, lol, it's a field and stream IM7 specialty rod and reel combo, it's 8'-6" and holds 8-10lb. line. the action is MH but I think it might work for me as a virgin river fisherman.

[fear_no_fish]

that should be fine, with todays rods its hard to go wrong with a rod that cant be apllied to most river fishind sisuations, I can use almost all of my rods for anytype of river fishing i plan on doing.

What kind of reel are you thinking of using? The ignite series that nate mentioned are pretty decent reels, Ive had one for about 5 or 6 years now and still works like new, great drag too
Abu garcial cardnials are also pretty good reels for the price

[Matt]

Honestly, if you are mainly going to be targeting Pinks and Coho I would look for something in the Light to Medium action. I generally prefer "medium light" (ML) rods, usually rated from 6-10 or 6-12 lb mainline. MH is fine, but the fight would be a lot more fun on something a little softer.

Abu Garcia makes some good reels for the lower budget angler as well. I believe the Cardinal series is around 40$. Another option would be a Shimano Spirex or Sedona reel, both around 40-50$, both decent reels.

I would shy away from buying a Combo already built. The rods and reels are rarely matched up perfectly, and one of the two components (usually the reel) is often a POS. I would look to spend around 100-150$ and buy the rod and reel separately. With all the sand, gravel, silt, and tough abuse that river reels go through, you would be doing yourself a favor to buy a quality reel and keep it clean.

[Bisco424]

ok, so i went to sportco today with everyones advise and got a rod, it's a okuma cecilo 9'6" ML action. next week I'll get the matching reel, an okuma Avenger 40 with 12 lb. tess. then when I have time the salesman wants me to come back down and they will take me on a tour of the salmon/steelhead section and teach me the ropes of lures and the rest I need to know when I come down with the sickness, LOL. Again, thank you all for the advise and info, and i post picks of my first catches when the time comes.

[Matt]

Very good choice my friend. Both of those are great products. My friend uses those reels religiously and swears by them, and I have SEEN him catch oversized sturgeon on one of those rods in MH action, they are tough as nails.

You will be happy with that setup! Glad we could be helpful, welcome to the WAlakes community, always trying to help eachother out! Use the search function on the forum for some of your questions too, there is a ton of info on here regarding rigging, etc.

[Knox]

ok, so i went to sportco today with everyones advise and got a rod, it's a okuma cecilo 9'6" ML action. next week I'll get the matching reel, an okuma Avenger 40 with 12 lb. tess. then when I have time the salesman wants me to come back down and they will take me on a tour of the salmon/steelhead section and teach me the ropes of lures and the rest I need to know when I come down with the sickness, LOL. Again, thank you all for the advise and info, and i post picks of my first catches when the time comes.

Pretty sure I walked right past you at Sportco, haha. Were ya talkin with the younger dude at the fishing counter?

I was picking up corkies/scent/hooks.

Welcome to the forum!, and glad you found a nice setup! :bigsmurf:

[tnj8222]

I love sportco. Mostly for the blonde that works there haha but they got some good gear aswell.

[Bisco424]

Pretty sure I walked right past you at Sportco, haha. Were ya talkin with the younger dude at the fishing counter?

I was picking up corkies/scent/hooks.

Welcome to the forum!, and glad you found a nice setup! :bigsmurf:

[/quote]
yeah that was probably me, lol.