Looking for drift fishing rod recommendations

[fishinshawn]

The W&M are a fiberglass rod and don't really compare to any of the lower end rods from Lami or Loomis. I would compare them to the Berkley IM rods but I think those are even better. Some of the guide placement and size of guides on the W&M makes you think a 10 year old built them. :lol: They do have a cool reel seat though. I have fished both and would pick either a Berkley or the new Okumas.

Actually that is not quite accurate, it is a mixture of glass and graphite. I also disagree with you on the fit and finish, I have had 2 of them the 10'6" 4-8lb and the 9'6" 8-12lb, and the fit and finish was superb. The 4-8 was, however, to light for bank fishing winter steelhead. It is a great mid range rod.

I would compare the Okuma SST, Shimano Clarus, and the TFO rods to the GL2's, g1000's etc. I can't imagine trying to fish spinners or drift fish with a slow action rod....

 

[steelhead_stalkers]

The % of graphite is very low in those rods so they are basically a glass rod. I will take a picture of the one in a local shop to show how bad the guides are. They used a size 6 spinning guide all the way to the tip! So you basically have a horrible transition to your tip. I thought maybe it was just a mistake but then saw the same problem at the ones Dick's has in stock. The weird thing is that its only on certain rods so I am not sure what the thinking was behind that.

 

[rippin fish lips]

I would look for a 9"6', 6-10 lb for drift fishing. The good think about that size is you can also use it for float fishing. Most of this winter I used my two 9'6" HM NFC rods for float fishing even though they are made for drift fishing. Heck, they are even pretty good spinner rods. NFC designs the actions for specific techniques that the rods will be used for.



If you want a heavier drift fishing rod I would look at the 9'6", 8-12 lb NFC makes, it has the softest tip of any 8-12 lb rod I have ever fished. It is really a nice blank. Just some info if down the road you want to save up for a top of the line rod. I think the Berkleys are hard to beat for price and performance. Featha styx are making some decent rods that are made overseas too.

I want a lighter rod, as i like my set ups to be fairly light to the (pick up). A heavy rod makes for a hurting wrist and less fun of fishing (to me). I first said i wanted it in the 8-9 foot range, but i have changed my mind... I want it to be a solid 9'6" rod. I want it to be rated for 6-12lb mainline as i spend 95% of my summer steelheading, in low clear water.... the (mckenzie river). I want to be able to mend line well, and keep my presentaion (with the current) and looking as naturaul as possible. I mainly want this rod, to drift fish corkies and yarn until i get me some eggs. I could use it for float fishing, but i will always 90% of the time, have a drift fishing rig tied up to it. ( i don't like float fishing) that much............ YET.

I sure do like your rod!!! or (rods) or (set-ups) they are all amazing to me. I just can't get enough of your 962x!! That bend...gets me drolling, i have a puddle at me feet as we Type!! I don't want it to be too fast action, where it will make me miss hooksets, i want solid hooksets in all my steelhead so none get away this year. But then again... when a fish gets loose it is always (most of the time) "fishermans" error. However.... i want the rod to be super sensitive so i can feel every little rock, boulder, and every little chomp!! I do not want the rod to be so heavy that i cannot feel the bite or see the bite, I want to see the tip bouncin off the rocks, and then when the fish bites... ya know how the tip comes into play... It needs to be the perfect sinsitvity. I will keep the "kneck" idea in mind to.

Thanks steelhead Stalkers and everyone that Chimed in any advice. Tanner.

 

[veilside180sx]

No offense, but unless you were at Lamiglas on Saturday for the rod building event...I doubt you've held an SI blank. (factory rod yes...blank no) Secondly...there are no posted blank weight specs anywhere...so you are going on assumption of what they weigh. The HM blanks are definitely light, but are rated one power lower than what Lamiglas rates their blanks which makes them lighter as well. 9'6" 6-10 blank from both companies (SI and NFC HM) are both under 2 oz, and are both going to terrifically lightweight built rods.

The NFC is less sensitive in my opinion than an XMG...I own both, and have both sitting in the garage. Built and blank form. Sensitivity is 100% someone's perception/speculation though w/o owning an oscilloscope...and knowing how to use it. I'll take science over speculation any day.=)

The whole ferrule thing...is silly, definitely has nothing to do with the action of the rod. A extra fast, fast, mod fast, mod taper has nothing to do with the ferrule location. Almost any quality built rod has an almost unrecognizable ferrule connection as far as taper is concerned. (Lamiglas, G. Loomis, NFC, Sage, Winston, Thomas & Thomas, etc)

I would say the 962HM is the best blank for drift fishing. Of course it depends on how its built up but the HM material from NFC is lighter than any other blanks on the market. Lamiglas SI rods are heavier than many other high end rods on the market. They do feel OK in hand but did not pass the sensitivity test. If you want to see how much vibration is being passed down the blank and into your hand have someone put the tip of the rod in the middle of their neck and give the rod a little bend. Have your friend talk while you hold the rod. You can feel how much vibration is coming into your hands and test out different rods to see which one is more sensitive. I know its kind of funny but it works really well.

 

[fishinshawn]

No offense, but unless you were at Lamiglas on Saturday for the rod building event...I doubt you've held an SI blank. (factory rod yes...blank no) Secondly...there are no posted blank weight specs anywhere...so you are going on assumption of what they weigh. The HM blanks are definitely light, but are rated one power lower than what Lamiglas rates their blanks which makes them lighter as well. 9'6" 6-10 blank from both companies (SI and NFC HM) are both under 2 oz, and are both going to terrifically lightweight built rods.

The NFC is less sensitive in my opinion than an XMG...I own both, and have both sitting in the garage. Built and blank form. Sensitivity is 100% someone's perception/speculation though w/o owning an oscilloscope...and knowing how to use it. I'll take science over speculation any day.=)

The whole ferrule thing...is silly, definitely has nothing to do with the action of the rod. A extra fast, fast, mod fast, mod taper has nothing to do with the ferrule location. Almost any quality built rod has an almost unrecognizable ferrule connection as far as taper is concerned. (Lamiglas, G. Loomis, NFC, Sage, Winston, Thomas & Thomas, etc)

Wow thanks for the insight, it is nice to get that from people who build their own rods. I have thought about trying it myself, but it seems pretty intimidating.

 

[fishinshawn]

I want a lighter rod, as i like my set ups to be fairly light to the (pick up). A heavy rod makes for a hurting wrist and less fun of fishing (to me). I first said i wanted it in the 8-9 foot range, but i have changed my mind... I want it to be a solid 9'6" rod. I want it to be rated for 6-12lb mainline as i spend 95% of my summer steelheading, in low clear water.... the (mckenzie river). I want to be able to mend line well, and keep my presentaion (with the current) and looking as naturaul as possible. I mainly want this rod, to drift fish corkies and yarn until i get me some eggs. I could use it for float fishing, but i will always 90% of the time, have a drift fishing rig tied up to it. ( i don't like float fishing) that much............ YET.

I sure do like your rod!!! or (rods) or (set-ups) they are all amazing to me. I just can't get enough of your 962x!! That bend...gets me drolling, i have a puddle at me feet as we Type!! I don't want it to be too fast action, where it will make me miss hooksets, i want solid hooksets in all my steelhead so none get away this year. But then again... when a fish gets loose it is always (most of the time) "fishermans" error. However.... i want the rod to be super sensitive so i can feel every little rock, boulder, and every little chomp!! I do not want the rod to be so heavy that i cannot feel the bite or see the bite, I want to see the tip bouncin off the rocks, and then when the fish bites... ya know how the tip comes into play... It needs to be the perfect sinsitvity. I will keep the "kneck" idea in mind to.

Thanks steelhead Stalkers and everyone that Chimed in any advice. Tanner.

It sounds like the Okuma SST or the shimano clarus would be perfect for you. Actually I dont remember if the shimano is an 8-12 or 6-12, sorry. I know the SST is a 6-12...I would go check them out and see which one you like the feeling of the best. The reel seat areas are different on them so you may like the fit or feel better on one or the other.

 

[Cowboykid8]

I bought an Okuma rod at the beginning of this year. Unfortunately it is the nicest rod I have ever owned, but I am rather pleased with it, not only for drifting but also float fishing. My reel sucks though and i need a new one. What do you guys look for in a reel? Gear ratio, ball bearings, size? Throw that same knowledge at me you threw at fish lips

 

[fishinshawn]

I bought an Okuma rod at the beginning of this year. Unfortunately it is the nicest rod I have ever owned, but I am rather pleased with it, not only for drifting but also float fishing. My reel sucks though and i need a new one. What do you guys look for in a reel? Gear ratio, ball bearings, size? Throw that same knowledge at me you threw at fish lips

For a steelhead spinning reel I like the 2500-3000 series size, for a combo salmon steelhead spinning reel I like a 4000 series, and for strictly salmon I would go with a 5500 series size.As far as brands, I am really in love with my Okuma Trio 30s and my Pflueger president XL. I went through a bunch of reels the last 2 years, I used to be a die hard shimano fan, but their quality has gone downhill recently. I used to be bale to buy a shimano sedona and have it last for 3-4 seasons before even needing to service them. This year I tried a sedona, spider, seinna, and one other and ended up having issues with all of them right out of the box. I'd also stay away from the okuma Avenger series. They are now throw away reels, that are unserviceable. I got so much frame flex on them the gears ate through the front plate.

I prefer a fast gear retrieve as I end up bobber fishing a lot, so a I won't look at a reel below a 6.2:1 ratio.

 

[steelhead_stalkers]

No offense, but unless you were at Lamiglas on Saturday for the rod building event...I doubt you've held an SI blank. (factory rod yes...blank no) Secondly...there are no posted blank weight specs anywhere...so you are going on assumption of what they weigh. The HM blanks are definitely light, but are rated one power lower than what Lamiglas rates their blanks which makes them lighter as well. 9'6" 6-10 blank from both companies (SI and NFC HM) are both under 2 oz, and are both going to terrifically lightweight built rods.

The NFC is less sensitive in my opinion than an XMG...I own both, and have both sitting in the garage. Built and blank form. Sensitivity is 100% someone's perception/speculation though w/o owning an oscilloscope...and knowing how to use it. I'll take science over speculation any day.=)

The whole ferrule thing...is silly, definitely has nothing to do with the action of the rod. A extra fast, fast, mod fast, mod taper has nothing to do with the ferrule location. Almost any quality built rod has an almost unrecognizable ferrule connection as far as taper is concerned. (Lamiglas, G. Loomis, NFC, Sage, Winston, Thomas & Thomas, etc)

I don't believe the SI blanks are available yet and there are no posted weights so as I right now NFC are the lightest. If the SI blanks are available they might be in the same ball park, won't know until they release weights. What I was saying about the ferrule is that some companies do not built the actions to match techniques because the poor ferrule designs cause uneven bend. The 1141 batson XST is a good example. Its a 4-8 lb blank with a fast action. Fast action means less give and is not very good for lighter line that the blank is made to fish. I fished a 6-10 lb XMG earlier this winter and it did not feel any heavier power than my 962x.

 

[veilside180sx]

I don't believe the SI blanks are available yet and there are no posted weights so as I right now NFC are the lightest. If the SI blanks are available they might be in the same ball park, won't know until they release weights. What I was saying about the ferrule is that some companies do not built the actions to match techniques because the poor ferrule designs cause uneven bend. The 1141 batson XST is a good example. Its a 4-8 lb blank with a fast action. Fast action means less give and is not very good for lighter line that the blank is made to fish. I fished a 6-10 lb XMG earlier this winter and it did not feel any heavier power than my 962x.

As of last Saturday the SI blanks are available, but there are not any posted weight specs. .1=.2 oz difference in weight on a finished rod...is undetectable though. If built identically that's all the difference you would see between an XMG, SI, and NFC HM.

I have a 9'8" 8-12 SI blank waiting to be built, but it doesn't cross over to anything else for comparison.

 

[rum runner]

i have a 10' shimano cennan c4s med/light with a med fast action for my spin drift rod with a okuma epixor ef40b i use this rod for steel,coho,nooks and its never faild me its ligt enough to play light gear for summers in clear water yet tuff enough for nooks. iv evan took it of the jetties in newport, washington, and depoe bay and cought lings wit it! my all time fav. rod i will never get rid of it till it breaks....

 

[18406ej]

Take a look at the Shimano reels on Ebay or locally. The Stradic or the Symetre in any of the sizes are excellent spinning reels with a long life at a reasonable cost.

 

[veilside180sx]

Take a look at the Shimano reels on Ebay or locally. The Stradic or the Symetre in any of the sizes are excellent spinning reels with a long life at a reasonable cost.

Don't forget the Saros...it's the tweener. The main thing that is nice about the Saros...waterproof drag and a spare spool over the Symetre.

 

[hawgcaller]

Don't forget the Saros...it's the tweener. The main thing that is nice about the Saros...waterproof drag and a spare spool over the Symetre.

I second the saros, it is a really good reel. I bought it over the new stradics for the same reason, same 15lb drag and it comes with a spare spool. I have the 3000 model on a 9' 8" medium light 6-12lb rating loomis steelhead series rod. I have no complaints so far. I am still a loomis fan, they still make a pretty damn fine rod IMHO.