Rod type for float n' jig?

[steelhead_stalkers]

I landed a 35 inch steelhead last week on a 4-8 lb 9'6" rod! Its plenty of rod for any steelhead you will hook in Oregon. Now knowing how to fight a fish with that rod is another thing. Graphite all the way for float fishing. Glass is very heavy and you will not be happy holding that rod high all day. Feather Styx has some rods that are great price. Oregon Rod Reel and Tackle has a lot of them for under $100. They have a nice 9'6" 6-10 lb rod thats perfect for float fishing. I use 15 lb braid, which actually breaks well over 25 lbs and 8 lb leader. The lighter braid mends a lot better than larger diameter braid. I really like the new nanofil (12lb) line for float fishing steelhed. Stuff is the best I have used! I would not go with a rod heavier than 6-10 lb for float fishing steelhead. Good luck.

 

[halibuthitman]

new glass rods weight very little more than a comparable graphite rod... yet are considerably stronger and more sensitive in the tip.. Just sayin.. Your rods are very nice, you should get some WM blanks and build some high qaulity glass rods-

 

[steelhead_stalkers]

I felt the s curve rods the other day and they felt kind of heavy but it could just be the "feel" of glass that I am not used to and the way it flexes. Do they sell just the blanks?

Gary Loomis was telling us about a machine he made to test rods and their strengths where it would flex the blank past where it is supposed to bend and it would rotate 360 degrees to simulate setting the hook. He could get over a million hook sets with graphite and somewhere in the seven hundred thousand with glass. This was years ago though and glass rods have probably improved since. They are much better with impact than graphite.

What makes you feel the glass is more sensitive in the tip than graphite?

 

[halibuthitman]

I wish they sold blanks,, but I don't think they do. I switch back and forth all day long between sage and lami graphite rods, and top end modern glass rods.. you feel every single tap with a modern Hardy or even the cabelas glass rods, the s-curve wm rods have stunning tip sensitivety you can tell almost always tell a fish from a rock, a graphite tip feels like its tapping a drum, a glass tip feels like its tapping a brass bell.. it almost resonates it just feels quite different, Its my opinion that in a plug rod a graphite rod cannot even touch a modern glass plug rod, if you used one I think you might agree.. this is however the opinion of someone who likes medium to slow action rods, and old glass rods are exclueded from this, Im speaking solely of the modern Hardy, scott, winston and WM gear,

 

[halibuthitman]

the main thing in the graphite vs glass debate is you can get tip sensetivety in a glass rod for 1/3 rd of the money it would take to get in a graphite rod, in the very top end of all custom blanks and tapers a graphite rod WILL win... but you can get high qaulity lower in the price range, a $150 glass rod fishes like a $400 graphite rod-

 

[fish4life]

I wouldn't think sensitivity would matter much since were talking about a float rod, float goes down set the hook.

 

[halibuthitman]

true, guess we headed off down a side road on that one-

 

[steelhead_stalkers]

That all makes sense. I have not fished with glass much but had a friend who loves them for plug rods.

Sensitivity for a float rod is nice because many times you can feel the fish bite before the float goes under and in low clear water steelhead can pick up your bait/lure and spit it out without hardly moving the float. Its a feel you get after doing it for years and I think a sensitive rod helps in this! Also, a sensitive rod will almost always be light weight. Weight is a deterrent to sensitivity! A light float rod will be easier to mend all day too.

 

[rippin fish lips]

For lure fishing a 7'6 med. Action or med. Light works best for me.

So dead on with the rod length for lures!! Good post Troutdude, i got a lot of catching up to do

 

[imfishing]

OK. So, it's braided line that you're using. 10-4.

[Answer]

Roger On The Braid....

[/Answer]

But, why such heavy mono leader? I think that most peeps, don't use much more than 8# for summers. I know that I haven't.

[Answer]

My Apologies. In all the switching back and forth of topics I guess I Forgot about the Summers Part. Sorry.

I Guess this applys also, To some Degree, for Summers':

Where I fish most of the time you have to wade out some where in the 35 to 45 feet [Off Shore] range in waste deep semi-raging water.

During times of 8 pound test mono usage, because so much time elapses during the walk/wade back to the shore to land your catch

the fish Is still Fighting the Battle. The line works in their teeth back and forth putting small nicks in the line. SNAP Right At The Bank.

I Use Just A Little Heavier Line To Minimize The Break-OFFs. As Always Your Mileage Can And Will Very.

In Ideal Conditions I Should Walk Out With A Net, So Its A Choose Your Own Adventure Story. I Just Need To Pick which Set Of Variables

To Tackle. I Dont Carry A Net For "Jinksy" Reasons. And [IMHO] Its Very Presumptuous. I Never See The Net Hikers With Fish.

There You Have It. My .02.

[/Answer]

 

[steelhead_stalkers]

I remember choose your own adventure books! I used to write my own in elementary school. Thanks for the memories.

 

[brandon4455]

I remember choose your own adventure books! I used to write my own in elementary school. Thanks for the memories.

those are cool books, my dad gave me one a few years ago he had when he was a kid.

 

[troutdude]

Thanks for all of your thoughts guys. Great thread!

 

[proguide]

I use a GLoomis 1562 rod. its not as heavy but love the rod. I just got into the sport so I decided to get a rod that can last forever. just my .02

 

[steelie_killa]

I have a 9'6" XMG 50 medium light w/shimano stradic CI4 2500, 20# powerpro with 10# flouro leader....really sensitive and great backbone for the hook set