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[SirCastsAlot]

Afternoon all!

Thanks Rod for having this forum and all the great info on in.

A little about me:
I have been ocean fishing for Coho,Springs, Halibut, ect a couple of times and really enjoy it, but without a boat, I thought it was time to pickup river fishing. I started river fishing in October and am absolutely loving it. I initially picked up a cheap Rod from Canadian tire(8"6' spinning) and have caught some chum and a coho in stave. But needless to say as soon as I started fishing with it correctly in a river, it just isn't a Rod that I find useful; Especially with 20 pound line on it. I used a friends baitcasting setup last month fishing the copper for winter steel head and loved the reel/rod combo.  On Wednesday I was out on the Veddar for the first time and I was surprised how busy it was, no bites but great to be out there and registered in the derby.

The Questions:
I have been doing some research on the type of Rod/Reel that I am looking for and because the boatshow is coming up next week with some really good deals its time to buy! My issue is that there is so much information about a Rod/Reel that I am not 100% sure on what to look for in a Rod and can't tell what Brands are good/not so good. If you guys could give some feedback/advice on the following it would be very much appreciated.

Looking for the following setup $300- $400 all in:

This rod will be used for:

• River Fishing - 90% Float Fishing and 10% spoons and Jigs
• Salmon/Steel head
• Rod Type: 10-11 feet: I am thinking Medium action?
• Reel Type: Baitcasting. Not sure what size I should get?(Going to be fishing lower mainland rivers mainly)
• Line: 12-15 pound mainline Maxima Ultra Green and 10-12 pound leader.

Thanks guys for all your help and hopefully see you on the river with a fish on the end of your Rod.

[tburns]

I would keep an eye out in the buy/sell section.  You'll probably be able to find quite a good setup in your price range

[brandooner]

Shimano converence/technium or fenwick HXM rod paired with an abu garcia 6500 ambassador reel is a great set up and wont break the bank. And as far as line goes, what you mentioned is perfect. Hope to see ya out there, tight lines! 

[standalone]

If I could have only one rod and reel, it would be med light rod and low profile baitcasting reel.I seldom cast less than 1/4 OZ lure though.

[Animal Chin]

If I could have only one rod and reel, it would be med light rod and low profile baitcasting reel.I seldom cast less than 1/4 OZ lure though.

I'd agree with the above. Low profile levelwinds are pretty user friendly. Shimano Chronarch or Abu. 

Or go with the smaller versions of round reels made by Daiwa (253), Shimano Calcutta (both about $250-300 new) or Abu 5500 (cheaper). As for rod, I'd go with a fast action med to med-lite rod. More backbone but lightweight.

I really like my St. Croix Avid Med. 10'6 ($250), I'd also look at the Fenwick HMX ($120) if you wanna spend a little less.

Go to SeaRun in Coquitlam and talk to Andrew or Cody (don't know Brian that well). You won't regret it, they have the best layout for checking rods, shaking them about, and can give you advice. 

Good luck, river fishing is awesome.

I don't like Ultragreen...get's crunchy. I'd go with Stren 17 lb.

[SirCastsAlot]

Thanks guys for all the help! Great information and advice for Brands. Will let you know how I make out.

[SirCastsAlot]

Ok,

I have narrowed it down to one of the following three combo's all levelwind left handed and will be buying it tomorrow.

Trophy Titan XL 2106 and Abu 6500 C3 $400
Shimano Convergence/Calcutta 400B Combo $379.95
Fenwick HMX and Abu 6500 $249.95

• Trophy Titan has lifetime warranty over the counter, but cannot find any good reviews on the rod. Went to Seawest and that is the Rod combo they recommended(Thanks Animal Chin)
• Heard good reviews but read that they only offer 1 year warranty on the rods now
• Read really good reviews on the HMX and abu combo.

Oh the choices!! Votes on which setup anyone?

I am going to head out on Sunday, even though the river will be high there is an itch that needs to be dealt with.

[MetalAndFeathers]

Id go with the Titan for sure.
Although i dont have it i have a trophy xl centerpin rod and its amazing and it has a warranty as well.

[Humpy]

From personal experience, out of the two reels, the calcutta is the better reel and worth the extra cost over the abu.
I recommend the 200B model, it will be cheaper and will be great for LML flows.
For rods, I like the hmx over the convergence. Haven't used the titan.