Steelhead fishing with a casting rod?
- Thread starter cooper99
- Start date
-steelhead-
Member
casting rod being a spinning rod/reel? or a level wind rod/reel? If you have a spinning rod then I would only use it with a bluefox or spinner. If you have a level winder reel I would use a float, lead, snap swivel, leader and an egg pattern fly/lure.
yes its a spin casting reel, I'm asking because i haven't fished rivers and always see people fishing floats, I've tried to fish a float but it feels awkward and never get a bite. I guess you need a center-pin for float-fishing eh?? I will try spoons and spinners now, is the key to get it to the bottom?
Lipripper
Active Member
Cuba Libre
Well-Known Member
Cooper 99-- you mentioned a spin casting reel... Just to clarify, a closed face spincast reel is NOT what you want. It is commonly used fishing for smaller fish like perch of small bass, but other than for a beginning rig for kids, its rarely used in BC.
Your choices are openfaced spinning reels. They work, but are not as popular as baitcasting reels aka levelwind reels for larger fish like steelies or salmon. Baitcasters can be used with or without a float, with bait, spoons or spinners. Centerpin reels are used by those who are slightly masochistic, but enjoy the feel of directly playing a fish where one mistake can result in losing the fish!!!!! A float is normally used .
The normal progression is often start with a spinning reel, later switch to a baitcaster and then later on to a centerpin or flyfishing. But one of the best steelhead fisherman I knew on the island was a coffee grinder fisherman (spinning reel) so just put your time in until you are comfortable and then decide where you want to go with your steelhead fishing.
Your choices are openfaced spinning reels. They work, but are not as popular as baitcasting reels aka levelwind reels for larger fish like steelies or salmon. Baitcasters can be used with or without a float, with bait, spoons or spinners. Centerpin reels are used by those who are slightly masochistic, but enjoy the feel of directly playing a fish where one mistake can result in losing the fish!!!!! A float is normally used .
The normal progression is often start with a spinning reel, later switch to a baitcaster and then later on to a centerpin or flyfishing. But one of the best steelhead fisherman I knew on the island was a coffee grinder fisherman (spinning reel) so just put your time in until you are comfortable and then decide where you want to go with your steelhead fishing.
I'm assuming that your not a Centerpinner. Otherwise you would've have said what you did. I personally find it easier to catch fish with a Pin, over spincasting and flyfishing. I can drop and get the fly or bait down to where the fish are biting a lot easier in a shorter distance compared if I was using a fly rod. Pinning is also a lot more effective when it comes to drifting down a large area of the river compared to any other method. I find when fishing a river, centerpinning or Fly fishing is the most effective way to fish a large or fast flowing area. The only exception to this would be if you prefer fishing spinners and spoons.. then definitely spincasting would be the preferred choice.
-steelhead-
Member
I agree, once you are proficient with a pin you will land more fish than with a level winders, because a pin offers you greater control over the fish. Plus there is no other better way to play a fish than on a single action reel, aka saltwater fishing with a mr2/mr3, fly reel, and the pin.
lorneparker1
Banned
Agreed. Back east we used them all the time.
Cuba Libre
Well-Known Member
I'm assuming that your not a Centerpinner
Uh-uh... bin der, done dat...... LOL!!!
Uh-uh... bin der, done dat...... LOL!!!
Sharphooks
Well-Known Member
Hey kimbyote,
Cuba Libre hit the nail right on the head. First off, with all due respects, directing a new guy to a centerpin is not doing anyone any favors. A guy with a spinning reel (coffee grinder) or a level-wind (baitcaster) can be on the river and casting in minutes, covering the water up, down, and sideways just as good as a guy who's followed the complete trajectory of fishing evolution, starting with a spinning reel, working his way up to a baitcaster, then finally choosing to learn the subtleties of centerpinning or fly fishing (generally requiring a bit more experience both in rigging techniques and fishing techniques)
I have a whole wall cabinet full of centerpin reels (Hardy Super Silexes) They are all loaded with fly lines and they're deadly with a floating line or even an indicator for winter fish. It’s true I used them many years ago for what you call "centerpinning" but I didn't like the bolo effect of multiple split-shot and generally, I found I needed more weight to achieve the same distance I could just as easily get with a baitcaster.
So these days, if I’m not flyfishing I use a 12 foot G.Loomis and a newer Shimano level-wind. With this rig, I can send one split-shot and a foam float across a very large river. I can't do that with a Super Silex. I can’t do that with a Raven.
So please set me straight: when I'm covering a "large or fast flowing area" with my Shimano on a 12 foot Loomis using split-shot and a float, does a guy using a Raven or a JW Youngs on a longer rod somehow have more of an advantage over me because he's a dyed in the wool "Centerpinner"?
I have fished with guys using coffee grinders who could fish circles around a centerpinner. And just because they had spinning reels didn't limit them to spinners or spoons (not sure where that connection comes from) They could just as easily bottom bounce with roe or yarn balls, fish a float with split shot, or do anything else you can do with a baitcaster or a centerpin reel and these guys were freakin' deadly! I have also been in situations with a flyrod where I had the advantage over guys using heavy artillery and nuclear devices (bait, spoons, yarn, etc).
But all things being equal, if a guy wants to step into a river and wants to start fishing steelhead or salmon with a minimum of fuss and a maximum of opportunity to hook a fish, I'd put a spinning reel or a baitcasting reel in his hands without a second thought. Then after he gets a feel for the difference between a rock and a fish and gets a few of those silvery snaky things on the beach, I'd tell him how much more fun it might be to play these fish with a single-action reel and a longer rod.
And here’s my editorial comment about “centerpinners”: the guys who step into the river with 13 to 15 foot rods and a centerpin reel, thinking they are the Prince of the River because of their highly refined techniques……they are not doing the steelhead any big favors in a catch and release fishery.
I fished a river in Alaska last spring and was really depressed watching these really cool guys with their $ 700 outfits brutalize the fish. Why? They were using rods that had zero backbone to get the job done. Somehow it's more classy and grandiose to nurse a wild steelhead in the shallows for ten minutes before it finally swims away on its own steam?
For me, that’s one more reason to stick to my 12 ft Loomis, especially in a C&R fishery.
Cuba Libre hit the nail right on the head. First off, with all due respects, directing a new guy to a centerpin is not doing anyone any favors. A guy with a spinning reel (coffee grinder) or a level-wind (baitcaster) can be on the river and casting in minutes, covering the water up, down, and sideways just as good as a guy who's followed the complete trajectory of fishing evolution, starting with a spinning reel, working his way up to a baitcaster, then finally choosing to learn the subtleties of centerpinning or fly fishing (generally requiring a bit more experience both in rigging techniques and fishing techniques)
I have a whole wall cabinet full of centerpin reels (Hardy Super Silexes) They are all loaded with fly lines and they're deadly with a floating line or even an indicator for winter fish. It’s true I used them many years ago for what you call "centerpinning" but I didn't like the bolo effect of multiple split-shot and generally, I found I needed more weight to achieve the same distance I could just as easily get with a baitcaster.
So these days, if I’m not flyfishing I use a 12 foot G.Loomis and a newer Shimano level-wind. With this rig, I can send one split-shot and a foam float across a very large river. I can't do that with a Super Silex. I can’t do that with a Raven.
So please set me straight: when I'm covering a "large or fast flowing area" with my Shimano on a 12 foot Loomis using split-shot and a float, does a guy using a Raven or a JW Youngs on a longer rod somehow have more of an advantage over me because he's a dyed in the wool "Centerpinner"?
I have fished with guys using coffee grinders who could fish circles around a centerpinner. And just because they had spinning reels didn't limit them to spinners or spoons (not sure where that connection comes from) They could just as easily bottom bounce with roe or yarn balls, fish a float with split shot, or do anything else you can do with a baitcaster or a centerpin reel and these guys were freakin' deadly! I have also been in situations with a flyrod where I had the advantage over guys using heavy artillery and nuclear devices (bait, spoons, yarn, etc).
But all things being equal, if a guy wants to step into a river and wants to start fishing steelhead or salmon with a minimum of fuss and a maximum of opportunity to hook a fish, I'd put a spinning reel or a baitcasting reel in his hands without a second thought. Then after he gets a feel for the difference between a rock and a fish and gets a few of those silvery snaky things on the beach, I'd tell him how much more fun it might be to play these fish with a single-action reel and a longer rod.
And here’s my editorial comment about “centerpinners”: the guys who step into the river with 13 to 15 foot rods and a centerpin reel, thinking they are the Prince of the River because of their highly refined techniques……they are not doing the steelhead any big favors in a catch and release fishery.
I fished a river in Alaska last spring and was really depressed watching these really cool guys with their $ 700 outfits brutalize the fish. Why? They were using rods that had zero backbone to get the job done. Somehow it's more classy and grandiose to nurse a wild steelhead in the shallows for ten minutes before it finally swims away on its own steam?
For me, that’s one more reason to stick to my 12 ft Loomis, especially in a C&R fishery.
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IronNoggin
Well-Known Member
The pin (or the fly when you can get that to work effectively) DO present the most in the way of FUN once you've hooked up.
As far as "effective" goes, nothing... repeat NOTHING matches what a levelwind can do in the hands of one with experience. Far faster and in depth coverage of ANY flow. Really!
Used them all, started here with a spincaster (simply because I had no familiarity with the others at that point) and while it worked, the levelwind offers some very serious advantages.
I now greatly prefer the pin. In doing so, I well recognize that I am not being as efficient as I could be with any of my seven levelwinds, but... I LIKE my $ 1,200.00 set-up ($ 700 is for Cheapos Sharphooks!
) and greatly prefer the single action in battle. Cheers,
Nog
youngsteelheader
Member
dont you think its all a matter of personal opinion and the amount of money you want to put into fishing. whether you drive to the river in an 2010 f350 harley edition or a rusty bmx, you are still getting there, just a different way and at different price tags.... fish a season with your spinning rod and see if your a steelheader, there is a big difference between casting a line with a few beers in the summer and standing on a river in minus 2 in february, not catching anything but a cold and still go out the next day. dont go and buy a pin or a levelwind if your not a steelheader.... knowone knda likes steelheading, your either are or your not
Sharphooks
Well-Known Member
Hey Nog-- man, you're a High Roller! I guess that makes me a Cheapo....
Hardy Longstone---$ 100.00 on eBay; I built the 14 ft rod for $ 300.00.
Let's not scare away the new guys in this down economy....
Hardy Longstone---$ 100.00 on eBay; I built the 14 ft rod for $ 300.00.
Let's not scare away the new guys in this down economy....
-steelhead-
Member
Very good points by all. And I started with a spinning rod as well, 3o yrs ago on the oyster but even then I was hucking spoons with it and they work fine. If you want to spend more than a day fishing a river like the stamp you will quickly become dissatisfied with a spinning rod while others around you are hooking up with 12ft baitcaster setups. This is simply advice and not a rule. However, of the drifts are short like they are when you are on a boat a spincaster is fine, but I'm assuming you will be shore angling and wanting to do long drifts with a float. Center pinning is for the advanced steelheader and when you've caught dozens or hundreds of fish on it your baitcaster will be a dust collector. I still use my level wind mainly for salmon, the centerpin will burn a hole in your hand if you play multiple springs. I welcome any beginner steelheader to the sport and if all you got is a stick and line on the end so be it! And enjoy!
IronNoggin
Well-Known Member
Drooling over a Professional Custom Built Rogue Rod valued at $ 1100+ - waiting until reposted for the 3rd time on eBay, between Christmas and New Beers, and collecting said rod for < 2 hun... Great!!
Showing interest in an early Islander Steelheader almost within budget...
Finding out a couple of those Fine Folks actually want me to try one...
and getting a deal my Missuz approved of... Even BETTER!
Matching the two only to discover they had been built for each other!! Breathtaking!!
Getting out of my $500 All I Can Afford These Days Beater riverside, and wandering off to Engage The Day carrying the BEST damn rig I've ever played a fish on...
PRICELESS!!
Some of the best advice so far.
Beware though, when you do become one of the Addicted (for that SURELY is what it is...) you are Truley Lost...
I'm so far gone now, I actually upgraded The Beater...
Cheers,
Nog
Sharphooks
Well-Known Member
So Nog, I gotta ask....
(and I don't mean to hi-jack the thread with my question, but....) How does one get over $1,100 into a fishin' pole??? I build most of my rods and have a pretty good idea what blanks and various components can cost. I have custom-made reel seats turned by Struble so I don't have to file the reel feet of my old Hardy reels and that gooses up my cost. I use really nice ceramic stripping guides on my double handed rods and the best snake guides on the market. Lots of fancy decals at $ 3.00 a pop. But I'm still having trouble adding everything up to arrive at that figure.
Even the newest fanciest fly rods don't break the $ 1K mark. Educate us on why a rod that trades at nose-bleed price levels will be so much better then say, a 13 foot Sage or a 12 ft G. Loomis that costs 1/3 the amount
If I'm going to feel jealous, I want to know why....
Also, congrats on having a missus that gives you the thumbs-up for high-end gear expenditures. Where do I get me one of those?
(and I don't mean to hi-jack the thread with my question, but....) How does one get over $1,100 into a fishin' pole??? I build most of my rods and have a pretty good idea what blanks and various components can cost. I have custom-made reel seats turned by Struble so I don't have to file the reel feet of my old Hardy reels and that gooses up my cost. I use really nice ceramic stripping guides on my double handed rods and the best snake guides on the market. Lots of fancy decals at $ 3.00 a pop. But I'm still having trouble adding everything up to arrive at that figure.
Even the newest fanciest fly rods don't break the $ 1K mark. Educate us on why a rod that trades at nose-bleed price levels will be so much better then say, a 13 foot Sage or a 12 ft G. Loomis that costs 1/3 the amount
If I'm going to feel jealous, I want to know why....
Also, congrats on having a missus that gives you the thumbs-up for high-end gear expenditures. Where do I get me one of those?
swashplate
Member
It's easy to spend over a $1000 on a fly rod. For graphite, Burkheimer, Meiser and Anderson rods are good examples. For cane, pretty much every builder out there charges more than $1000. Bob Clay and Ron Grantham builds are good examples of BC talent priced over that mark.
IronNoggin
Well-Known Member
How the hell would I know?
Might want to ask the Man who builds them.
His comparable rods ran between 1 to 1.3K, and I liked what I saw in the reviews. Don't know a damn thing about building them (and don't really want to all that much) BUT do well understand what I LIKE in my hands!!
Broke the mold methinks. She doesn't fish, but don't even ask about Her Hunting Gear (or shoes... or handbags... or jewelery...)
Cheers,
Nog
i know center-pins look like the way to go! they look super efficient, but im just trying to work with what i got. I do awesome off the beaches for big coho, but look like a jackass at the river,
i guess i wouldn't be able to run a center-pin off my casting rod? but a bait-caster would work? Off to watch the hockey game, thanks for the good info
i guess i wouldn't be able to run a center-pin off my casting rod? but a bait-caster would work? Off to watch the hockey game, thanks for the good info
