# Steelhead Rods?



## blue82 (Sep 19, 2015)

Noticed a lot of people using steelhead rods in the surf this fall. They're casting mirrolures and jigheads for specks in the surf- the same stuff that I have always used a 7 foot inshore rod for. But the guys using these longer rods are getting incredible distance with light 1/2 oz lures. Anybody use steelhead rods for light lures in the surf? Any recommendations for brand and length to buy? 

I also imagine that these are great for Spanish in the summer.


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## SmoothLures (Feb 13, 2008)

Works great spiked for pompano and whiting too.


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## ez2cdave (Oct 13, 2008)

Lamiglas N 386 MC "Norwest Special" 8', 6" 8-12lb test, 3/8 - 3/4 oz 2-piece . . . 

I have 3 of them ( conventional ) that I may be getting rid of soon. Shoot me a PM for more info .


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## Baygullknotsea (Dec 1, 2011)

My old standby is a gloomis str1083s rod 9ft 3/8 to 3/4. Don't use it much since 2007 was the last amazing trout bite on beach up here in kittyhawk.


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## flathead (Dec 18, 2003)

Many years ago I had the same problem and went to a half dozen tackle shops at the Outer Banks. I didn't want to spend the money for a custom/high dollar rod and I believe it was Nick at TWs who put me on what I am using now, which is a couple Shimano Clarus Steelhead rods, 8'6".......IM7 graphite.........rated 1/4-1 oz . Absolutely love them and with 10# mono or braid they will cast a long ways. I throw mainly a bucktail/fly tandem rig on mine so I get away with using 20/6 PP.


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## Garboman (Jul 22, 2010)

blue82 said:


> Noticed a lot of people using steelhead rods in the surf this fall. They're casting mirrolures and jigheads for specks in the surf- the same stuff that I have always used a 7 foot inshore rod for. But the guys using these longer rods are getting incredible distance with light 1/2 oz lures. Anybody use steelhead rods for light lures in the surf? Any recommendations for brand and length to buy?
> 
> I also imagine that these are great for Spanish in the summer.


I have a 10'6" Steelhead noodle rod by St Croix. It cost around $140 ten years ago. It was the most expensive trout rod I ever bought but when you think about it that is $14 per year.

It will out cast normal trout rods by a great margin.

It is very light.

I used it some off a pier also throwing for trout underhanded. The longer rod's only issue for me anyway is that the blank is so light I have to carry it around stuck in a fly rod tube.

A few friends of mine had spinning rods made up from fly rod blanks for the same purpose.


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## don brinson (Apr 8, 2011)

I have 4 Fenwick steelhead rods. 2 are 9'6", 2 are 9'. I have caught 20 lb. king salmon and steelhead up to 14'lb on them. And 2 lb pompanos on them. They cast a mile and make any size fish fun to catch.


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## letmefish (May 23, 2015)

Not a Steelhead rod, but this guy has it going on. Check out his video of a light weight setup for beach fishing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bf2TDO3sRUg


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## greg12345 (Jan 8, 2007)

I have 8 different steelhead rods, anywhere from 8'6" to 10'6". Use them for everything - light surf fishing in close with fleas in the first gut, surf artificials, etc. the 10'6" with 8lb fireline will throw a 1oz glass minnow a mile, light as a feather, real fun with 2-5lb blues/spanish. like don i like the fenwick ones but also have shimano, berkley, okuma, cabelas ones. very versatile rods.


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## blue82 (Sep 19, 2015)

Lot of great information here. I'm hoping to get one on sale this week as an early Christmas present to myself. St. Croix has a Triumph model with a rebate and Fenwick's can also be had on sale. Is there a best all around length? I'm pretty short and my surf rods are all 8 or 9 ft. I would also assume that I wouldn't throw anything heavier than 3/4-1 oz.


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## gshivar (Aug 29, 2006)

Like my 8.5' St Croix steelhead rod for surf trout plugging. Garboman If I used a 10 1/2 ' rod - I would up the size of my Diawi ss1300's . best - glenn


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## narfpoit (Jun 16, 2004)

I have 4 different salmon rod blanks that I have built. They are all 10'6" and just different weight ratings but my go to is is the isa1266f from batson. It is rated to 1 1/2 oz so it is perfect for 1 oz spoons. It is probably overkill for trout but that is why I have the others rated for the lighter weights.


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## drumchaser (Jan 14, 2003)

Have a cabela that really whips it out there on non windy days.


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## Reelturner (Dec 24, 2003)

st croix tws

series IV graphite, 7-6" 4-10#, 1/8-3/8 oz with either 8-10 braid.
Been good so far. use mostly grubs, but it will throw ML's quite good
This maybe on some days a little too light depending on the wind/conditions but Nick/Nathan at TW's got me on to this particular rod. Was costly.
You'll have to decide on the length but for me I've been satisfied with the length on the conservative side.


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## blue82 (Sep 19, 2015)

After a lot of comparison shopping, I just received a Fenwick Eagle 9 ft. 10# 3/8-1 oz. Just in time for it to get cold, but at least I have something extra to be excited about this coming Spring. Got it for $50 on sale, free shipping. Good action, lotta backbone, and pairs well with a 3000 reel. Gold-ish color is ugly as sin, though. Whatever happened to plain black rods? Guess I'll get over it.


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## gshivar (Aug 29, 2006)

blue82 ...In SE NC Hit the surf. Pups, trout, flounder.


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## rsqchief5 (Jan 5, 2009)

While it's not a steelhead rod, another over looked rod is the DIAWA MAD DRAGON. It is a European carp rod. It's a 12' lightweight rod. I bought one at TW's. With a 1.5 oz glass minnow, I can cast a county mile. The rod is sensitive a can be and is a blast with 3# blues. I threw 2oz with bait and had a blast with panfish. Got a slot puppy on it and you would have thought it was a 40.


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## letmefish (May 23, 2015)

CARP RODS haven't been overlooked by me. 

I love using Carp Rods for surf fishing. I've got 2 12' carp rods in 3.5 lbs TC. I love them, and they cast a mile... if I need them to. The rods are very sensitive, you can fee even the smallest fish in the surf. Many traditional "Surf Casting" rods just don't allow you to feel small fish. On my traditional surf rods I used to reel in and check my bait only to find that a I had a fish on and didn't even know it. Sorta like fishing with a Telephone pole to me. 

UK Carp rods are much thinner and lighter than traditional Surf rod, and they can cast heavy lead with ease. I lov'em for Surf fishing, and can't say enough good things about them.


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## bigjim5589 (Jul 23, 2005)

Wow! I'm amazed at the replies. I have a 8' 6" Lamiglas Steelhead baitcaster rod that I used for stream Smallmouths. I would have to go look at it for model number, as I suffer from CRS. 
It's a wonderful rod for tossing light jigs. 
Never gave it any thought to use it in the surf, not that I do a lot of surf fishing any way. I would bet it would be great from lighter stuff.

I'm glad to see I'm the not the only one who "crosses over" when it comes to fishing gear.


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## bronzbck1 (Jun 13, 2007)

I've got a 10'4" rain shadow I throw mirror lures with. I broke the tip on that today after years of abuse. It's now 10'1". I have a 9' 6" one also. I've smoked the big trout on that rod when know one else could reach the fish. I use the 8' Carolina cast pro & century 866 the most these last three years


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## ez2cdave (Oct 13, 2008)

letmefish said:


> CARP RODS haven't been overlooked by me.
> 
> I love using Carp Rods for surf fishing. I've got 2 12' carp rods in 3.5 lbs TC. I love them, and they cast a mile... if I need them to. The rods are very sensitive, you can fee even the smallest fish in the surf. Many traditional "Surf Casting" rods just don't allow you to feel small fish. On my traditional surf rods I used to reel in and check my bait only to find that a I had a fish on and didn't even know it. Sorta like fishing with a Telephone pole to me.
> 
> UK Carp rods are much thinner and lighter than traditional Surf rod, and they can cast heavy lead with ease. I lov'em for Surf fishing, and can't say enough good things about them.


I found an interesting article on the "Test Curve", a term that is alien to many, including me, when trying to figure out Casting Wt. range , for a rod with a TC rating . . .

*http://www.harrisonrods.co.uk/testcurve.htm*


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## ez2cdave (Oct 13, 2008)




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## greg12345 (Jan 8, 2007)

i fish pomps almost exclusively with carp rods, i like 2.25 to 2.75 TC. no offense but the maddragon is not a very good carp rod IMHO. wish cabelas still made the 2.25 predator, have 3 of them and have put many citation pomps on the beach with that rod and some fleas...was dirt cheap too


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## rsqchief5 (Jan 5, 2009)

I can't attest to where the Maddragon stands in the world of carp rods. It is the first one I have owned. I picked it up in TW's and it just felt like it would cast the hell out of some metal. If there are better carp rods out there, I intend on checking some out. My maddragon is my go to rod when spanish are jumping out of reach. I grab it and let it fly and am the only one that can reach them. I can easily cast farther with the maddragon, a 1.5-2 oz glass minnow and 15# braid than I can with my Ballistic with 17# Suffix and 6-7oz. with bait.


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## letmefish (May 23, 2015)

The world of Carp Rods can be very expensive. Carp Rods are so thin it's like fishing with a 12 foot switch. The Mad Dragon to me is more of an entry level rod. It's a good rod, but there are better rods out there just be prepared to pay some hefty bucks for them.

The Carp Rods I use are Resistance Tackle Carp Rods. They were out of Graham NC. I'm using their Lightning Rods in the 3.5 TC. It's a nice 12' rod, and was under a 100 bucks. Sadly they recently closed up shop, so you can't get them anymore. I wish I knew who built their rods for them, but I have no idea.


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## ez2cdave (Oct 13, 2008)

letmefish said:


> The world of Carp Rods can be very expensive. Carp Rods are so thin it's like fishing with a 12 foot switch.


Like the world of Fly Rods . . . ( I tried fly fishing a long time ago . . . It's not for me ) !


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## bigjim5589 (Jul 23, 2005)

Not the same thing, but along the same line of lighter & longer rods, anyone here tried using a "FloatNFly rod" in the salt? Bass Pro has a couple models. I have one of their 8'6" models, which is made for even lighter stuff than I can toss with the Lamiglas. The FNF rod is a spinning rod, and again I originally purchased it for SM bass, but have also gotten good use out of it on various panfish species (tidal & freshwater) but never tried it in true saltwater. Anyone done it?

Dave, I love fly fishing, its a method I enjoy most, but it's not always the best method & certainly not for everyone. I have several fly rods in various weights & they don't have to be expensive to be perfectly fishable. Although many are expensive.


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## greg12345 (Jan 8, 2007)

you can get a fairly nice carp rod for $100 or so. 

i taught myself how to fly fish 2-3yr ago and it was the best thing i ever did, should have tried it 20y ago. it can be $$$ but you can get a decent complete starter outfit from cabelas for about 50-60$ on sale (every so often they will discount stuff 50-60% off). my salt outfit i picked up online at a small mom/pop fly shop in oregon for 50% off at a $100...redington 8wt and it gets it done

nothing more fun than dry fly fishing IMO


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## letmefish (May 23, 2015)

I taught myself fly fishing about 5 years ago. I don't get to do it often, but it is a whole lotta fun for sure. I even fly fish for Bass, Crappie, and Bluegill. Catching a Bass on a skinny little fly rod is a lot of fun.

I also love catching big bluefish and drum on my skinny Carp rods. Even the little ones give a good fight on that thing, and some of the big ones feel like you are pulling in a whale. I dig it.


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## bronzbck1 (Jun 13, 2007)

Hijacked thread carp rods & fly rods the guy wants to know about steel head rods


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## DrumintheSuds (Nov 19, 2007)

I switched years ago and never looked back. You will miss fewer fish with these rods because you have to fish lighter and don't underestimate the strength of them. I've caught citation size drum with them while flea fishing. You can't beat the Fenwick HMX 9'-6".......I also have Shimanos and Cabelas fish eagles which ate great as well


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## HStew (Jan 8, 2009)

check out some of the guys fishing SPEY (Scotland) rods on youtube


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