Freshwater spincasting rods - what do you suggest?

qft · 5 days

How much are you willing to spend? My go to freshwater rod is the St. Croix Avid 7' 6-10lbs. However, I did recently acquire a few Rage series rods with my favorite being the 6'10" 6-10lbs. I managed to put 2oz of weight while dropping vertically in the salt for flounders and also dropshot for smallies using down to a 1/8th oz weight. Very sensitive and very powerful.

For less, the Fenwicks are nice as are the Veritas rods. I have used the Veritas a bit more and like them.

For ultra cheap but surprisingly good, the Okuma Reflexions are very nice. I have a bunch I use for some fishing situations where I know rods are put to their max. Fairly sensitive, but a bit heavier and a bit more tip heavy than the others.

Ungodly247 · 7 days

Very true. Different scents and flavors can lead to more steelhead. However, it has been my experience that visual is more important for steelhead while scents are more important for salmon. Of course, fish being fish, this is not true all the time.

Good example for scent being important was when me and a buddy were fishing on our favorite river. Side drifting eggs, a steelhead came out, looked at the cluster, sniffed it and went back to the undercut. I anchored and we started fishing the spot. My buddy put on a sandshrimp and got a good drift. I was below and saw the fish come out, look, sniff and immediately eat.

More often than not, we have seen marked differences in catch rates on one color, one shape, one wiggle than another. I have seen many times where a steelhead will ignore one bait/lure and swim further outside of its "comfort" zone and grab another.

For salmon, I usually back bounce, allowing me to feel everything that happens. Many times, especially with chinooks, I will feel them chew, let go, come back, chew some more, let go, come back, chew, and finally take or not take. However, when we have eggs with the preferred taste and scent (I usually carry 3-4 differently flavored and scented eggs when salmon fishing), they will chew and immediately take.

So, while scent is part of the picture for steelhead, it definitely takes a back seat to visual stimulus.

The preceding is in no way scientific, just observations through the years fishing close to and/or more than 100 days a year.

jaatus · 11 days

Check out ifish. Oregon based fishing forum.

madcapmag · 16 days

I have seen people put a shim in and wrap using thread then epoxy (like how guides are wound on) but I am afraid on yours, the action will be affected a lot. I would honestly take a hacksaw or a dremel with the finest cutting disc and cut right above the second guide. Unwrap the thread and toss the guide, then put on a tip with hot melt glue.

ProFishermanJones · 16 days

Almost all my rods are two piece. Have not had a ferrule break. However, most of my rods are fairly higher end and have good ferrule technology that allows for a.smooth curve across the joint.

One common reason for breakage is not putting the pieces together tightly. I offset by at least 90 degrees and press/twist together. The pieces should be tight enoigh that they can not be simply pulled apart. Taking it apart should entail twisting and pulling.

Also, use ferrule wax or parrafin wax. Just a very light coating will ensure a proper seat and also provide a bit of cushioning. Plus, it makes both of the processes mentiomed above easier.

Like I mentioned at the start, though, higher end rods will be ultimately better at the ferrule. One piece rods are still generally stronger and are definitely chaper than the equivalent two piece or multi-piece rods.

ProFishermanJones · 16 days

Hahaha! Love your last line! I hear it all the time. No info, just pieces, but after looking at literally hundreds of rods (we also act as a courier and ship rods to the manufacturer's warranty departments for our customers, saving them money because we can bundle ship), my crew and I can tell exactly what happened. = )

Anyways, I was a bit confused. Did you ship your rod to St Croix yourself or did the store you bought it from? Who did you contact? I may be able to get you some emails at St Croix for you to try. Hopefully you get this resolved soon. I have had nothing but prompt service from them. Perhaps it is because they know I manage the fishing dept, but our customers who have sent stuff back have also been pleased.

ProFishermanJones · 16 days

High sticking.

I see a lot of rods returned with the same break area as yours due to high sticking and putting pressure on a portion of the rod that was not designed to take such stress. The top portion of rods, especially graphite rods, are very thin walled and do not do well when bent at extreme angles. The butt section is designed to handle the bending stress put forth by a fighting fish.

Check out these two articles by Tom Kirkman. Both are pdf files and contain a lot of pictures. I keep them on hand at our shop to educate our customers in the proper way to fight and land a fish as well as how to pull out from a snag.

Reducing Breakage

Rod Failures

There is not enough education on what certain rods can and can not do. I can take a rod rated for 80-200lbs and easily snap the tip while also being able to lift as much as my arms can handle properly without breaking it. While fighting a fish or breaking off a snag, the angle between the line and the rod butt section should be no less than 90 degrees. When you notice the apex of the bend on the top half of the rod, then you will need to lower the rod tip and move the apex more towards the rear. And snags? Point the rod straight at the snag, hold onto the spool and pull straight back.

I have had nothing but stellar service with St. Croix rods. Even though I am in the Pac NW, I fell in love with their rods and currently have an inventory of almost 3 dozen in different actions, lengths, and powers. Most have been abused to no end, being trailered in the drift boat, unstrapped, through logging roads, miles and miles of highway, over 70 full (8-14 hours, depending on the length of daylight) days on the water per year. I have yet to have a blank fail, although I have had the ceramic rings pop out and some of the guides simply pop out of their wrapping.

stonedotjimmy · 1 month

Kype is pointed so most likely a buck.

nthensome · 1 month

Went with an Android, so no Fish Head for me. I will check with my fishing buddies who have it, though.

nthensome · 1 month

Fish head. Almost went with an iPhone for just this app.

mr_jim_lahey · 1 month

2 should go for any vehicle towing a trailer.

I tow boats, small and large, a lot. Takes me extra time to stop so if a person jumps in front of me, I have to react quickly. There have been instances where people have cut me off from the right lane (where a right lane turns into a right turn lane) and stopped just to beat me to an intersection. Dangerous for both cars especially if the trailer keeps pushing me.

Also, not pacing trailers is a good idea on some of the shitty portions of our highways (I-90 just east of Eastgate or most of I-5 between Tacoma and Everett). The ruts will make the trailer shift left and right, making the driver have to compensate. A bit of misjudgement can send the vehicle and trailer part way into an adjacent lane.

dullyouth · 1 month

We do have kayak fishermen who go for halibut here in Puget Sound and the Straits of Juan de Fuca. They are using heavy gear, though. Deep water halibut will constantly try to swim down, so not a huge deal, but shallow water.halibut will run meaning you could be towed out to sea!

dullyouth · 1 month

For most of your shore banging adventures, an intermediate or floating line will be fine. Dollies and silvers will be near the surface when you are fishing from the shore. I personally like the Rio Lake lines for sinking lines as they are density compensated. This means that the running line wont sink faster than the weight forward head (thicker heads being more buoyant in some lines resulting in a belly and uneven sink). Most of your flies will sink.

However, a really fun way to fish for silvers, dollies and cutties is to use a popper. The most popular is a Miyawaki popper tied by Leland Miyawaki at the Seattle Orvis store. Instead of having a cupped foam head, it has a foam cone head the creates a wake. Poppers work really well when the fish are schooled and the water is relatively calm. Obviously, you will want a floating line.

Have fun in Alaska!

goldandguns · 1 month

Perko switch

Allows you to disconnect both, switch tk one or the other, or both at the same time. If your main has an alternator, you can switch to the trolling battery after firing up the gas to top off the charge.

mp3salad · 2 months

I use all three for different techniques.

Braid floats, so for float.fishing, it is great. I can mend easily and with no stretch, I can set the hook from farther away. It also has a smaller diameter for per pound than mono, so it is great for plugs. It allows me to use heavier lines without having such a thick line that the plug can not dive deep. If the plug gets stuck, 50 lbs braid will usually pull it free. For verticql jigging, it is awesome because it lets you feel everything. However, because it has no stretch, a softer rod is nice. It allows the plug to work, but more generally, it lets you play the fish without pulling the hooks out.

Mono is nice for its cheapness and stretch factor. When I am drift fishing, I like some sink in the line. For vicious hitters, it is nice to have some stretch. I also go through tons of line (800 yds or so) every few weeks, so not having to pay a lot is a bonus.

I personally do not like most of the properties of fluoro. Expensive, a lot denser than water, and knots are hard to tie without burning them. But, during low, clear water conditions, or when fish can check your offerings pretty closely, fluoro is necessary. Use an oil based scent to wet the knot before tightening.

Ungodly247 · 2 months

Not sure if this is relevant to the Great Lakes as the followings are things I noticed about steelhead in the Pac NW.

Steelhead are very curious beasts. This makes them "aggressive". Their only way of touching something they are interested in is to bite them. Why they bite eggs or egg imitators is still a mystery.

They are very visual, unlike salmon which are smell oriented. As such, you will need to match the conditions. Clearer waters will need a subtle combination of colors. Blacks, red, whites, peaches and the like. Dirtier water will call for more ostentatious offerings like cerise, chartreuse, hot pink. Do not be afraid to use large flies, especially in dirty water.

Steelhead (large ones especially) are very territorial. They can be easily provoked into striking. Swinging big intruders from the head of a slot to the tailout can result in very aggressive takes. What you will be trying to do is swing a fly that wiggles and dances, seemingly without fear towards the steelhead, in front of their face. They have 3 options. First is to kill it. Second is to move back. Third is to ignore. If the third happens, switching flies can help. If the second happens, each time you take a few steps downstream towards the tailout, the steelhead will be driven towards the end of their holding water. When they feel uncomfortable, they will usually lash out at the.invader. the first? Fish on! Best water to swing flies include large flats with boulders to create current breaks and riffles.

However, if the slot is particularly deep or thin or they are holding close to structure such as wood, indicator is the way to go. The flies most people use.for this will peak a fish's curiosity. So not very aggressive like intruders, but still visually intriguing.

The most important rule qbout steelhead fishing is getting your offering to them in a natural way. With swinging flies, this means mending correctly so the belly of the line does not drag the fly up out of the strike zone or worse yet, presenting the belly of the line, spooking the fish. With indicators, mending correctly is crucial to getting your fly to drift down like it were a piece of debris. If the belly is moving faster, not onpy will the fish see the line and indicator first, but your fly will be.moving abnormally fast. If the belly is lagging behind too kuch, the water will lift the fly up out of the strike zone.

As with all fishing, these are best guesses as fish will do what they want.

Don't get discouraged. Took me 3 years to catch my first. Now I can catch them on a fairly consistent basis, but it took many days to learn how to read water correctly to make optimal presentations.

soundslikepuget · 3 months

If you look at things like the Ace Line Hauler and the McKay Puller, you will see that the drum "pinches" the rope. You will need a piece like that including a couple rollers next or close to each other to make sure the rope is pinched in the pulling portion for enough friction to be made so the rope doesn't slip.

Not sure where to pick all the necessary things up to make your own.

Other piece of advice? Take 50% more rope than you think you need and weight that pt down heavily. My work (Outdoor Emporium) will be having a shrimping seminar sometime soon you shouldn't miss. May even have kiler deals on the Ace Line Hauler.

sheep_wrangler · 3 months

Best bet? Contact local outfitters and guides. Some will be friendly, some not so much. Good luck!

Decium · 3 months

Cool! Chums being lower river spawners turn a lot quicker than other species, so most you catch near their natal waters will not be great table fare. However, no reason not to try them! They are ugly, though, huh.

Blackmouth take a long time to learn, not because they are wily, but because they are not schooled up like returning kings. However, unlike returning chinook, blackmouth are always eating, so matching the forage and working the baitballs is key.

Did you get any pinks this year?

Decium · 3 months

where and when did you catch those chums? I may be a bit of a fish snob with all the fresh salmon the Pac NW has to offer, but most chum salmon runs do not yield good or even palatable meat. Yes, I did try to smoke some once and had to throw it away.

To answer your question, though, I typically use 3 lbs brown sugar, 1 lbs white sugar, 1 lbs salt as my base. I do like more of a candied salmon. I pack the fish the dry brine in tubs, making sure I layer skin to skin, meat to meat with plenty of dry brine in between. After about a day, juice will be drawn out, but I will let it sit for another day. Arter 1.5-2 days, I mix the whole mixture and leave for another 1.5-2 days.

After the brining is done, wash each piece off and pat dry. Put them on a rack for at least a few hours to air dry. I will run a fan to make the process faster. You need to get the shiny, sticky pellicle for a proper smoking.

I set my smoker to 170 and smoke for 2-3 hours with actual wood chips. I have a Bradley digital, so I put in 5 alder and 3 apple pucks. After 2-3 hours, leave the heat on to complete the drying. I like mine fairly dry, so they will.stay in for another 3-4 hours on just heat. Just check yours until they are firm. I do not have the smoke going for too long as I personally do not like the idea of lots of smoke, but enough for the smoke flavor to come through when the salmon is being served with food.

IRepostYourShit · 4 months

You really only need salt for water changes. Water evaporates, leaving the salt, new water goes in, keeping salt concentrations stable.

Salt wasn't prohibitively expensive, at least for me, as my tanks were fairly self managing in the waste department, so water changes were not a very frequent occurrence.

Kiernanstrat · 7 months

Pflueger President XT.

madcapmag

TROPHY CASE

2 should go for any vehicle towing a trailer.

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