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[halcyonguitars]

I've got a friend who wants to get in to fishing for salmon, he has nada in terms of gear.

I'm thinking that if you can have only one rod, probably a spinner is most versatile. Just wondering if anyone has any other opinions?

I was thinking maybe trying to find a 10' rod which gets a bit more line off the water if you're drifting a float...

Any thoughts?

[96XJ]

I agree , spinning rod is the way to start , if ur a noobie to fishing a level wind reel can take a lot of the fun away from a day

Ya , I wouldn’t go much longer than 10ft , 9.5 - 10 is pretty easy to handle

[clarki]

http://www.fishingwithrod.com/yabbse/index.php?topic=39830.msg375856#msg375856
Similar  thread

[halcyonguitars]

Thanks!

[Jk47]

9 ft Ugly Stick I believe is the best and cheapest beginner rod out there with a lifetime warranty also if I remember correctly. And yes - with a spinning real forsure

[firstlight]

10.5 ft rod and a abu 6500
take him to the park so he can learn how to cast.

You mentioned drift fishing and is why i picked this combo.

[halcyonguitars]

Is that a level wind?

[CohoJake]

Yes,  it is a level wind, and it is good and bad.  It is a great first (or lifetime) level wind, but you can expect any new angler to spend half of their time (at least) untangling backlashes.  And it is near worthless if you are fishing frog water for coho or pinks.  On the flipside, a spinning reel really sucks for float fishing, especially in faster water.  It helps to know what technique and kinds of water they will be fishing most.

[FlyFishin Magician]

I think in order to determine the best option you (and your friend) will need to decide what type of salmon fishing you intend to do.  Will this set-up be primarily used for float fishing the Vedder for fall salmon in flowing water (i.e. water with any type of flow)?  If so, I would recommend a 10'6" float rod (Trophy, Shimano, Fenwick, and similar brands offer decent rods at the $100 - 150 range) with a decent levelwind reel (e.g. Abu Garcia C3 5500 or 6500).  This set-up will last a lifetime if taken care of, and will provide for plenty of learning for your friend to master.  It will also be much more efficient for float fishing than a spinning set-up for flowing water (e.g. drifting roe).

If you intend to primarily fish frog water and deep pools with little to no flow, using lures and jigs for example, then a 9 ft spinning rod and spinning reel would be the way to go.  This set-up will be much more efficient for this type of water over a level wind set-up.

I would lean toward the levelwind set-up, as I believe float/drift fishing medium sized rivers like the Vedder will be the most common and accessible method for your friend.  But that's just my gut feeling.

Good luck and have fun!


EDIT - Oh, I forgot to mention fly fishing!  A fly set-up will allow you to efficiently fish both methods, and under certain conditions is the best method to use!  This is the set-up I started with and used for several years before obtaining my first gear set-up...

In all seriousness, IF your friend takes to fishing and really enjoys doing it, then they will eventually end up with more than one set-up for sure.  In other words - there is NO ONE ROD TO RULE THEM ALL!!!

[RalphH]

tell him to buy 2. Spinning rod sets are cheap.

[ShaunO]

My Canadian Tire spinning combo was on sale for $45 a long time ago, but the 7' Shimano rod had cork handles and a 4500FX reel, already spooled with line.  This is the rod that I cared very little about and I wasn't afraid to chuck it in the truck and head out anywhere I liked and became the fishiest rod I own as a result.  Still have it, still use it and the reel is rock solid. 

[Shinny]

My opinion..if your looking to target fall coho get a spinning rod, like and ugly stick or a Shimano rod. Pair that with a Shimano Sahara 2500 with a 12lbs mono line. Pick up some Gibbs crocs, koho 35 & 45’s, blue fox #3’s in brass/copper/silver and he/she will be into a fish much quicker than learning to use a level wind and then dealing with bait loops with roe or wool. It’s messy and a pain in the butt for a beginner and honestly I catch more coho with my spinning reel and hardware than I ever have with my drift setup.  Plus each time you put on a new lure it’s almost like a reset in my opinion, it keeps your hopes up. I have drifted good roe through a run and got nothing. Switch up to the spinning reel with a croc...nothing. Go back to the top of the run, put on a koho lure and boom, two casts later you have a fish on the beach.

I have fished pools where you can see the damn fish and they won’t take a thing. I work my way through my lures trying different things and usually, eventually they will hit on something.

If you get them hooked on fishing with a spinning reel then talk about a drift setup. Also the same spinning setup your using for coho you could target steelhead as well. Just my 2 cents.

[Jk47]

^this^  100%

[RalphH]

^this^  100%

+ 1

[obie1fish]

Agreed on the spinning setup. Another advantage of it being easier to cast is that you'll get more casts as a beginner than a drift outfit. That means more time with the lure in the water which, in turn, results in more success. An added plus is that you will sometimes have the Coho follow your lure right to the rod tip!