Looking for starter kit recommendation for steelhead/salmon on the American

[mjm6]

Hi folks,

I have been a trout fisherman for nearly 40 years now (has it been that long?), but I've always lived in places where steelhead or salmon runs didn't happen, so that has not been on my radar at all.

I now live only 2 miles from the American River, and so I figure I should consider the possibility of some larger fish on a larger river like this.

I'm only interest in fly fishing, and preferably, be able to do some dry fly work for these fish (which I understand may not be viable for the salmon). I understand that for the most part, we're talking about streamers and other similar fishing activity. I am not interested in flossing any fish.

So, I'm looking at what kind of rod, line, reel setup I should consider to get started with some larger fish.

I haven't done any spey casting, but I'm not opposed to doing that. I think I'd prefer to stick with single-handed for the time being though.

I'm thinking that a 9' to 10' 8-weight rod is probably about the right place to start? Does that seem viable? Then, I expect a sinking line and then some weights and a largish streamer is the typical approach for these spawning fish.

Any thoughts and suggestions is appreciated.

I'll stop in at the fly shop once I have a little better idea what a good approach will be.

Thanks,


---Michael

[winxp_man]

If you want to fish both with one rod.... a 2 handed rod, 7wt Method or 7wt TCX (if you can find one). These are both sage rods. I have used both for salmon: coho, and chinook. And also steelhead. Both will do the job. You might have a fight on your hands if a big chinook decided to take a fly. You might ask why two handed... well distance and bushes become a non issue. Unless you own a boat and use it every time you go to the lower American. Might even look at a 7-8wt method switch rod. For me personally it's sage rods. Call me a fan boy or whatever you feel like calling me. But when you get a hold of a two handed rod made by sage you will see what I mean. Not one person had anything bad to say. Price wise yes they did haha. But check the classifieds on fly fishing forums and you would be surprised on what you can find. Either way hope you find the right setup that works with you.

I run the lamson reels and they are awesome. But this becomes a personal preference.

[mjm6]

Thanks Aron...

I'm thinking that I'll probably focus on Steelhead initially (I won't have time to fish this fall probably), and I'd rather get an ideal rod for each rather than a "Jack of all trades".

With that in mind, how would you revise your recommendation? What would be a great Steelhead rod, and what would be a great Salmon rod? My thought was a 7-8 weight single hand rod for the Steelhead and then something a little larger for the salmon, maybe a 9-10 weight? How long makes sense on the American? Does a 13-14' rod sound like overkill? I could get a switch rod, something in the 11-12' range.

I'll probably go with inexpensive rods to start, but if I get the hang of it, I'll move up to a good rod in the future. So, I'll probably start with something like a Redington just to get a line in the water for a year and see how I feel about it.


---Michael

[PV_Premier]

A single hand #7 10' or #7 switch/spey 11-12' is going to be your most versatile adult steelhead rod for the northern CA region, when thinking past the American river to include the Trinity and North Coast rivers and the Feather. If you intend to fish only on the American and similar large rivers, a longer rod 13-14' rod will help cover more water. But it can become a liability on the Trinity, Feather which are smaller and more hemmed in by brush.

There are many good rods in these sizes at many different price points, starting at under $300 and going up to thousands of $. If you are looking at entry level, TFO and Echo have the best warranties. Redington is also decent and they've treated me well in the past on issues I had with their rods.

If you go with a single hand, spend a little more money and get something that is lighter in hand. It makes a difference after a long day of casting. Which you will do a lot of to actually successfully catch an adult steelhead.

I would spend more money on your rod and line system than on your reel, but you want a decent quality reel for sure as steelhead are strong. Many here swear by the Echo Ion reels, as they're pretty bulletproof for the price. I have one and have caught a few SH on it. Primarily though I use older model Lamson reels for steelhead which I've picked up gently used on this and other forums for reasonable prices.

I prefer non-integrated lines as they are more versatile. By non integrated I mean a shooting line combined with interchangable shooting heads and tips. Some manufacturers also make integrated lines (rio switch line being an example).

For salmon, #8-9 is better I guess, but would be overkill on steelhead IMO.

[itsbenlong]

In my opinion only, there is a perfect Steelhead Rod and Reel in the classified section. I know you want to start with a single hander but for Steelhead I would only go Switch or Spey....

Check out this link and the Nautilus X-Series 6/7 reel in the classified section....

http://www.kiene.com/forums/showthread.php?39894-Closet-Cleaning-Sage-Anderson-Ross-Rio-Costa-and-Smith&highlight=TCX+7119-4

http://www.kiene.com/forums/showthread.php?40219-NIB-Nautilus-X-Series-6-7-reel

I might snatch it up just because!

[JasonB]

If we're talking shore fishing a switch or Spey rod really is a great way to go: being able to cast well in a lot more places opens up some good water. For line systems one reel with some running line allows you to use floating or sinking lines, and you can carry a few different sink tips to allow you to fish different depths in different kinds of water. Super versatile system! For summer or fall fishing a scandi head is ideal, but for winter fishing a skagit head system is better suited (in general). Either can work in most situations depending on how you fish...
JB

[mjm6]

Thanks for the recommendations everyone.

I have a lot to think about before the beginning of the year...

---Michael