Ina Nektar Fly Fishing

Spey Line

The Best Fly Rod For Steelhead

Steelhead put up a good fight no matter what fly fishing rod an angler chooses to use.  There are many different tactics that one may choose to use in order to hook into one of these magnificent sea faring trout, which in turn requires different rods to get the job done in the most efficient matter.  Let's take a look at the main methods for steelhead fly fishing and talk about the best steelhead fly rods that you may want to make a part of your fly fishing gear arsenal.

Two Types of Rods

There are two different types of rods that a steelhead fly fisherman has to choose from.  There is the traditional single handed rods that use an overhead cast to get the fly to the fish.  A traditional rod is what most people think of when they think of fly fishing.  This is where most beginners will want to start, especially if they have not had other fly fishing experiences in the past.  
Spey Rods are longer, two handed steelhead and salmon fly rods that can be used with an overhead cast, but are most often used with a certain type of roll casting.  This is more for advanced fly anglers, as the casts must be very precise.  Spey casting has gained a lot of popularity in the last decade or two.  This is mainly because a good spey caster can cast a fly much farther than with a traditional steelhead fly rod and with much less energy being used.  Spey Rods are great for large rivers where a lot of water needs to be covered.  They are typically the second step, and I do not suggest you start with this method.

Rod Size

Steelhead vary in size from river to river.  In my home area of the Snake River Drainage, we have the Clearwater River where a 25 pound steelhead is not out of the question.  Only a short drive away is the Grande Ronde where an average steelhead is 6 pounds with 10 pounds being big.  For this reason a Steelhead fly fisherman needs to take into account the size of rod weight he or she will want to purchase.  For a smaller weighing run, a 7wt might be perfect, whereas a river that tends to hold larger fish you would be better off with a 9 or 10wt.  If I had to buy one rod for all rivers, I think a guy would not regret an 8wt or 9wt.  

Budget

Rod price will also affect which rod you will purchase.  With quality comes price.  I would stay away from rods that do not offer an unconditional lifetime warranty, as we all break rods sooner or later.  The value priced rods will start at around $300 and go up from there.  High end rods will offer a better feel and comfortability, but are definitely not required to catch fish and will most likely not catch you more fish.  A good rule of thumb is to go with the best steelhead fly rod you can afford.

Conclusion

Choosing the perfect fly rod for Steelhead, or any other fish is not a simple decision.  There are numerous brands, sizes and styles  to choose form. The next step in this process is picking out a make and model of rod, and then a reel and line. To further narrow you search for the best fly rod for steelhead, go to The OnlineFlyFishingGuide.com . Choose which weight rod will best be  suited for you and we will show you the exact rod we feel is the best bet for a  wide range of budgets.  Click Here: www.OnlineFlyFishingGuide.com

 

About the Author

Chris Jackson is an avid outdoorsman living in the Northwest in the state of Idaho.  He spends as much time with his wife, daughter, and friends in the outdoors as he can.  Fly Fishing and archery are his passions, as well as anything else he can do to get outside and experience all that the Northwest has to offer.

Anglers Book Supply Co 0Cmw001550 Spey Fishing For Steelhead With John Hazel $49.88 Practical detailed lesson on spey fishing steelhead: casting line control fly presentations mending hooking playing landing. Presenting a variety of patterns to a number of different water types is at the heart of this spey production. Hazel also details lines leaders flies reading steelhead water. 2 hours. SUBJECTS: Presentations Skaters Sub surface Wet Flies Reading Water Working the run Steelhead habits Fly selections. DVD

Anglers Book Supply Co 0Stg078999 The Scandinavian Spey Cast $70.11 To lend perspective Mortensen visits the famous River Dee in Scotland to analyze the historical roots of the traditional spey cast with a classic Scottish ghillie. He then travels to Canada s beautiful Gaspe Peninsula in Eastern Quebec to illustrate his modern redefined version with practical implementation on three of the most challenging salmon rivers in the world: Grande Cascapedia Bonaventure Petite Cascapedia. Under suboptimal conditions of the early season low water few fish very clear rivers the benefits of the Scandinavian Spey Cast become apparent. 74 min. Henrik concentrates on what he terms the Scandinavian Spey Cast. To lend perspective he visits the famous River Dee in Scotland to analyze the historical roots of the traditional spey cast with a classic Scottish ghillie. He then travels to Canada s beautiful Gaspe Peninsula in Eastern Quebec to illustrate his modern redefined version with practical implementation on three of the most challenging salmon rivers in the world: Grande Cascapedia Bonaventure Petite Cascapedia.Under suboptimal conditions of the early season low water few fish very clear rivers the benefits of the Scandinavian Spey Cast become apparent. Henrik s perfection of the Scandinavian Spey Cast and his unique method of body movement and its importance in the cast is also neatly illustrated from the banks of the river Morrum in Sweden. From both the European and North American continents he also demonstrates where and when one should use short and long casts and the type of line and leader to use under various circumstances. When the salmon doesn t take the fly simple change tactics...this shows you how. ABOUT THE AUTHORHenrik Mortensen has worked professionally in fly tackle design and development for some of Europe s largest tackle manufacturers. He is currently Head of Design and Development for Scierra (www.scierra.com). He conducts over 120 casting seminars per year as well as several At

Spey Royal Malt Whiskey $39.99 Spey Royal Malt Whiskey - Giclee Print

Spey Casting $38.97 Learn the switch cast, single spey, double spey, snake roll, snap T, and devon switch, and now the skagit cast The efficient way for anglers to catch fish--including trout, striped bass, salmon, and steelhead--on big, moving waters No other cast is more graceful, or more fun to learn, than the spey cast. Champion spey caster Simon Gawesworth teaches the casts, some of which he developed himself, all of which he has mastered as an angler and instructor. Revised and updated to include the latest trends, this new edition has a completely new chapter on skagit casting, a remarkably easy way to lift the largest flies and lines with the fastest sinking tips from the water--this cast is ideal for tight backcasting situations.

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