Spinning Setup For Salmon

[Bow Man]

So I thought I would give salmon fishing a go this year, I have never fished for salmon before so I am looking for suggestions on a good spinning setup. I will be fishing for them from shore/piers. I what throw out spoons..etc..etc... Also let me know if this setup would be applicable to steelhead, I usally fish steelies on the fly but might try spinning for them also this year.

I do have a brand new Shimano Symetre 4000 reel kicking around right now, would this be good for salmon?


cheers
Bow Man

 

[staffman]

I think your reel is fine and I'd couple it with a 8 or 9 ft. rod capable of handling 10-20 lb. test.

 

[Bow Man]

I think your reel is fine and I'd couple it with a 8 or 9 ft. rod capable of handling 10-20 lb. test.

Suggestions on specific rods? Power, Action ...etc..etc..?

 

[jc53]

I use the St Croix 9 1/2 ft model the rod is really expensive over 200.
Another great option is the 9 ft Rapala RSC model my son uses it and it handles salmon no problem.
I would spool you reel up with 17 to 20 lb mono since you have the 4000 series reel. Which is a high capactiy reel
If you had a smaller reel say 3000 or smaller I would use 20 lb braid.

 

[Shmogley]

id go with a fast action medium to medium/heavy 9 foot rod. 10-20lb rating. could go higher but itd take a lot of the fun away from steel

if you dont want to spend a lot browning has a "goodnuff" one called six rivers or something for under 100$ and it will do just fine. but otherwise get whatever brand you enjoy..

i personally use an ocean surf rod for pier fishing salmon and something lighter for steel. just to keep it fun as salmon fresh off the mouth are just no comparison to steel for strength. hard to balance a rod for both and still keeping it a challenge
.

 

[BASSMASTER19]

get a 10ft m slow action rod, it'll have enough power to chuck a 1 ounce spoon but also let you use 10lb line in the rivers

 

[cptpronin]

Second the Browning Six Rivers... it is about $80 CDN. Blank is tough as nails, pretty light, but it is not a career rod... not that it needs to be. It gets fished maybe four weekends out of the year.

Any make of M - MH drift rod will do. They all start at 8' and get longer from there. Just look for something with a big ass butt, plenty of backbone and a tip with enough whip to huck some hardware and light enough to sling all day. This rod will also bounce some lead later in the season.

For heavier gear, I would avoid braid less than 30lb unless you want to slice wicked grooves into your guide inserts. 15lb mono is my preferred line. Never had a problem hooking up using bigger diameters when spoon fishing for kings... and I wasn't out $25 when spooled... a heart breaking story for another thread.

 

[Christopheraaron]

The reel you have is fine, for a rod a 10' clarus will do the job.

 

[Bow Man]

Thanks guys for the feedback, I will check out the browning... is that not a bass pro line of rods? Or can you buy it at other stores ( if so where ) ( I have not seen browning anywhere except BP ). Any how, also think I will stick with 8'-9' footer.


cheers

 

[Shmogley]

Thanks guys for the feedback, I will check out the browning... is that not a bass pro line of rods? Or can you buy it at other stores ( if so where ) ( I have not seen browning anywhere except BP ). Any how, also think I will stick with 8'-9' footer.


cheers

not sure only seen it at bp they have a float and a spinning version.

 

[cptpronin]

Now that you mentioned it, I did order it rom BPS during an online clearance sale in a combo with an AG C4 reel for about $150 for the pair. It was a sweet buy.

They're a nice buy at $80 regular listing price, but I am secretly praying a king blows mine apart so I can pick up a Fenwick HMX... I think they're starting at $100.

 

[Shmogley]

Now that you mentioned it, I did order it rom BPS during an online clearance sale in a combo with an AG C4 reel for about $150 for the pair. It was a sweet buy.

They're a nice buy at $80 regular listing price, but I am secretly praying a king blows mine apart so I can pick up a Fenwick HMX... I think they're starting at $100.

lol why not sell him yours for a good price and go get that hmx? you both win

 

[cptpronin]

lol why not sell him yours for a good price and go get that hmx? you both win

Shmogley, you are a good arbitrator.

... but I still want to see my rod explode like the death star! That would be helluvacool.

 

[Bow Man]

Hmmmm.....Fenwick HMX......hmmmm, I really like my fenwick eagle ultralight, So maybe a HMX is in order.

 

[IR4Jflyfishing]

You can do everything from a 7 foot medium all the way to a 10 foot heavy... Its one of those things you really have to play around with, the reel is perfect for the job. Ive done braid (mono leader) as well as straight flouro on my set ups, I like braid for distance and didnt see any difference in bumps/takes...

my 2c

 

[BASSMASTER19]

anyone that claims you do better at pier fishing with mono is lying to you, I've used mono, braid and fluro with just about every leader combo possible and haven't found a difference, the only thing that makes a difference is timing