Cost effective Salmon river setup?

[jayL]

All,

I have made two trips to Pulaski before, both of which were last fall-- mid sept and early nov.

I was relegated to spin fishing both times due to a lack of gear and a lack of knowledge of the area. I'm going to try to fly fish it (err... fish it with a fly rod, would be a better way of putting it) this fall. I'll be heading up mid october, so I should get a smattering of cohos and their much larger friends, the kings. I'm also anticipating some of those behemoth brownies.

I know the salmon run requires a bit heavier gear than the later steelie run, but ideally I could get a setup which would suffice for both of them.

I'm thinking ~9wt or so, but I am looking for advice.

The traditional "I'm young and poor" schtick still applies, so I'll spare you the finer points of that... Just keep it in mind.

I do have the ability to build a rod, but I really can't be sure that I'll have the time or the workbench space to get it done in time. If anyone shows me a deal on a blank/hardware/reel that really knocks my socks off, I might have to find the time I guess.... It'd really be easier to buy a setup though.

 

[govtmule]

jayL,
a 9'-10' 8wt will cover the salmon river species. Leader set up:
a 4'-5' piece of 12-15lb test, a swivel then a 4' piece of 8-12lb test will do the trick. Put the weight above the swivel. Also, try the maxima chameleon and the ultragreen. I bought the low end orvis streamline combo and so far it's been good although i got a new reel with a better drag. Definitely have a decent reel and drag. For Steelehead, RIO 6#flouroflex is the ticket..last time i went up with my bro and got a guide and that's all he uses....it worked. www.trophy-angler.com



check this links FAQ's.
http://www.yankeeangler.com


jeff

 

[2bonthewater]

The middle of October is a great time to go.......the holiday weekend will always be insane............people will be elbow to elbow the entire length.............

Your guess of a 9 wt rod will do fine for whatever fish swims in the river that time of year...........I fish mostly with a 10.5 foot 9 wt and when that tires me out..........I fish a 7 wt..........

rod wise:

St. Croix Premier, St. Croix Imperial ( if you can find one ) or a
Fly logic FLP rod, you can probably get these rods for under 100 bucks if you look for them.............Ebay has lots of bargains........

The newer entry level St. Croix rods are now made overseas......

Fly reels that are cheap with a great drag system are the Fly Logic FLP reels.........FLP 567, FLP 890, each retails for about 100 bucks.....you can find them on EBAY for under 80 bucks

also, OKUMA AirFrame AF 7/8 reel is cheap-- about 40 bucks retail, but can be found on Ebay for almost half that.......I used this reel as my backup reel..........it performed awesomely.......landed a few lunkers with this reel.........fish it with confidence........it did not fail me

Best thing is to set the budget: rod, reel, line, backing and then go from there......you have a few months before October gets here....I am pretty sure you can find yourself a combo that will get the job done!!!!


Landed this guy on a FLP 567 with 7 wt line -- St. Croix Avid 9'6" 7 wt rod........

 

[jazz]

2Bonthewater,what are you doing lurking here?Have n't heard from you in awhile,two months till Salmon time!!!I,m going to let you guess who this is......the same that you made me guess who you were!
As far as rods for all round use in Salmon Country go with a 9'6" or 10 ft 8 weight.The quality of the rod is not as important as the reel,a good smooth drag is of utmost importance,it will scream on the initial run,so the drag must be smooth and easily adjusted.The 8 wt will handle the Kings and will not be too much for the trout.