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Steelheadreams
why not stick with the centerpin sure its not as popular out here yet but its growing at a fast rate personally bait casters are best for drift fishing not so much float fishing that mike said spinning reel you can extend drifts easyier plus with a bigger reel you can retreive line a lot faster when needed.
ps we all usaually catch fish with what were confident with so it thats a centerpin for you use and go bonk some hatchery chrome
I find that the delay caused by setting the hook with an open bail on a spinning setup (float fishing) causes me to miss some strikes.Welcome to the forum!!
I'm from Minnesota and brought all my under 8 foot gear when I moved here a few months ago. But everyone here uses 9'+ rods here with either spinning or baitcasting setups. I found it easier to fish under a bobber with a spinning setup on a 9.5' rod as the line is easier to pay out from the spinning reel without slowing the presentation in the current, and it's much easier to mend your line with a longer rod. My drift setup is a 10' med action with a Shimano Cardiff 401 baitcaster I used to use as my musky reel. I'm kinda new to this but that's what I've gone to and it's working pretty good for me, as I fish from the bank. I'm sure you will hear a lot of different ideas here, all good I might add, I've learned a bunch since I've been a member of this forum. Good luck out there!!
Thank you GungasUncle.You can find rods easily from 8'6" to 10' for casting rods - with a lot of 9 and 9'6" available even in the inexpensive $50-100 class of rods. As you get above 11' or so, your options dwindle and custom becomes more common. Drift fishing rods for bait casters are usually on 6-12lb rated blanks, side drifting rods go as low as 4-10lb blanks. Loooots of fish caught on the 6-12 and 8-17lb rated rods. Heavier gear really isn't needed. A lot of guys out here run braid for mainline - anywhere from 20 to 50lb. Flourocarbon seems to be the direction a lot are heading for leaders - 8-15lb test is typical for leaders.
Your 13'6" 4-8lb blank should be just fine for landing ocean run fish.
I find that the delay caused by setting the hook with an open bail on a spinning setup (float fishing) causes me to miss some strikes.
I promise this is not a dig on any of the retail stores out there. When it comes to the more expensive / better quality rods I would actually just order from the actual manufacturer. I had a particular experience ( I wont be mentioning the store and it wasn't really their fault) when I bought my St. Croix rod. The first trip out the tip exploded when I had warranty work done on it I found out the rod was over a year old.Thanks for the replies everyone. I'd like to purchase one of the steelhead/salmon baitcasting rods from out west, can you hook me up with the link to the tackle stores out there that sell them. Much Love
CoolYou can find rods easily from 8'6" to 10' for casting rods - with a lot of 9 and 9'6" available even in the inexpensive $50-100 class of rods. As you get above 11' or so, your options dwindle and custom becomes more common. Drift fishing rods for bait casters are usually on 6-12lb rated blanks, side drifting rods go as low as 4-10lb blanks. Loooots of fish caught on the 6-12 and 8-17lb rated rods. Heavier gear really isn't needed. A lot of guys out here run braid for mainline - anywhere from 20 to 50lb. Flourocarbon seems to be the direction a lot are heading for leaders - 8-15lb test is typical for leaders.
Your 13'6" 4-8lb blank should be just fine for landing ocean run fish.
I keep the bail open to my right (left hand retrieve), and keep my pinky on the bail to snap it shut, and let out line between my thumb and forefinger for control. Not a perfect system, and there is a slight delay, but it can extend a drift into water you can't reach otherwise.
And for float rods, the longer, the better, assuming it's not in tight quarters on the bank (and sometimes hiking in with a long rod can suck). But anything over 8' usually does the trick. I've bobber fished with a 7 footer, but the arm gets tired from holding the rod so high for too long.