DrTheopolis said:
You can't catch chinook on a medium rod with 10#.
Or so people on OFF told me.
I sort of heard it differently, you can catch chinooks and cohos on lighter gear when casting/plunking for them...CoeRoe just provided an excellent example, rotating through several lures on medium gear and having it pay-off big time.
I have heard on OFF, and agree, that on the Columbia and in coastal river tidewaters, when trolling herring (or lures) with flashers/spreaders/drop weights, that many people go with 20# or 30# leader for their mooching rigs and 50# braid main line on a M or MH rod. Hooking up in this situation, with lots of boats around and often very close, it can include dealing with hungry seals/sea lions, wind waves/white caps, and guide sleds racing by tossing big wakes at you and often there are nearby wood pilings or docks in the water..
so I think we are in agreement that it just comes down to using gear and line that you are comfortable with and adjust it for conditions as needed, next week at Siltcoos I will be using 8# leader on my spinners and also have my fly rod/reel along to try and get a coho on it...cheers, roger