# favorite noodle/steelhead rod?



## Guest

morning. i am planning on a new steelhead rod. leaning towards a fenwick or st. croix. would like to hear what you guys use. any input will be appreciated.


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## PartTimeBasser

And I am using a 10 foot "St Claire" (IM6 or IM7) that I bought from Mogadore Bait and Tackle for about $20....I love it, and would not have to break the bank to replace it if it had an accident going to or from fishing spots.


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## hollandbass

I have 2 for drift fishing, loomis 9'6 bronzeback which is perfect and croix avid 9'6 which i great as well. Both have lifetime warranty, break it and get a new one. Loomis was $280 with tax, croix $200. Dont waste your time with cheap rods, you get what you pay for. The loomis paired up with shimano sustain is one sweet combo, makes fishing 100x more fun.


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## steelheadBob

10 1/2' cortland ctr float rod.


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## corndawg

I have an 11 6 Browning Gold Medallion noodle rod that I've had for over 10 years. Great rod for very light line. Ive tossed spawn and spinners with it without a problem. Broke it one time because my boy stacked some gear on it. Had it fixed at the Rodmakers Shop for less then $20.

My other Rod is 96 Quarrow ML1 Green Country. I use it most of the time and have caught some respectable size fish on it. Its a very sensitive and responsive rod that only cost me $60 at the RM Shop. Ive had it for about 7 yrs. and have never had a problem with it.


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## kfish

Two St. Croix 9 & 10.5 for drifting and 1 Daiwa 8.5 and 1 Riversider 8.5 for tossing hardware.


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## Wannabitawerm

9'6" Gander Mountain Guide series. Paid $49 for it and it has served me well. Paired it up with a Spidercast 60 for another $59. Better than the cheapest but certainly easily replaceable if necessary. 6lb Trilene XL and the biggest steelies are SKEEERED!!!! (But I ain't!)


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## joel_fishes

How do you plan to fish - i.e. float, hardware, trolling? That will help determine what you should look for. 

Joel


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## Guest

float fishing. already have an 8.5 for spinners and an 11.5 kunnan advantage that i bought 17 years ago. this is a noodle rod, but a bit on the heavier side.


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## joel_fishes

I have a 10'6" St Croix Wild River that I like as well as a 10' Shimano Convergence that I really like in some instances (mainly slower water) and it only costs about $70. Also have a 13' St Croix Wild River. It is a little heavier than the others and may not be a true noodle rod. Go with something at least 10' long for float fishing. 

Joel


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## Buckeye Mike

Just curious, would a 9 or 10 ft. crappie rod work as a float rod ? got a couple of Wally Marshall rods that i have caught some catfish on 8 or 10 lb. by accident, and they took care of the big cats pretty easy. Would these work ? THANKS


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## Steelie Junkie

I'm hardcore when it comes to steelheading, so I'm willing to spend the big bucks. I have a 14' Raven float rod for my spinning reel. For the centerpin, I have a 15' Frontier X-series rod. I bought the rod in Canada several years ago for $480.00 CDN, luckily the exchange rate was in my favor back then.


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## Guest

what is the difference? is it just that one is an ultra light while the other is a light action. i saw a 9 ft. wild river drift rod in a st. croix catalog and liked it. plan on using floats and jigs or spawn, mainly. will this work? thanks for any help.


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## hollandbass

I am not a fan of the wild river line, croix stopped making them also. Its older sc2 graphite which is run of the mill, also used in their triumph line. Go avid if your sticking with croix, much lighter with more power.


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## oarfish

rapman said:


> morning. i am planning on a new steelhead rod. leaning towards a fenwick or st. croix. would like to hear what you guys use. any input will be appreciated.


Rapman, if it fits your budget go with the St Croix Legend Ultra.
It is a fast rod for crisp casting and the lightest weight as far as I know.
That is alll I use on the river fly fishing.
When I cast hardware from the wall in Lake Erie, my favorite rod is a custom built (by Frank at the Rodmakers Shoppy The) 15' yess fifteen feet long tree piece baitcasting rod designed to throw 3/4-1 ounce spoons to extreme distances. My favorite reel for this rod for steelhead is the Shimano Calcutta TE 100 DC loaded with 6# mono with 12# fluorocarbon shock leader connected with bimini twist and albright knot. The leader is about 20 feet long.
Laszlo
laszlohomeservices.com


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## joel_fishes

To me, the weight and handle design (and therefore balance) are the most important things. If you can find what you like in a less expensive rod, you do not need the sensitivity of an expensive rod when float fishing since the float, and not the rod, is doing the work in detecting the strike. 

Joel


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## GobyOneGnoby

rapman said:


> what is the difference? is it just that one is an ultra light while the other is a light action. i saw a 9 ft. wild river drift rod in a st. croix catalog and liked it. plan on using floats and jigs or spawn, mainly. will this work? thanks for any help.


Typically a float rod will be longer 12'-15' and have a bit more power for longer hook sets. Whereas a noodle rod is often shorter with less backbone. A float rod is usually used with a centerpin reel and a noodle with a spinning reel. The guide size and spacing is different to accommodate the different reels too.


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## capt S

st. croix stills makes the wild river rod and it is my top choose. since loomis sold to shimano their rods have been cheeply made i would advice not buying one. just my choose but i highly recommend the wild river series. i have two 9fters and two 11fters and just got a 13fter and love them all. i was told they stopped making the avid series. good luck!


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## hollandbass

You are severely misinformed capt S. Avids are still made and the new 2007 models just added ART technology to the blanks. I own 8 of them. The wild river is junk compared to any Loomis above gl2. Loomis and shimano are separate companies with separate plants and components, Loomis blanks are the same as they were 10 years ago.  Try a GLX or bronzeback/imx float rod and the wild river will feel like a 10lb pool cue in comparison.


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## capt S

mine catchs fish just fine. no reason to get all huffy. like i said just my choice.


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## Patricio

I have a Croix 13' Wild River rod I picked up about 10 years ago. and while I'm strictly flyfishing anymore, the rod was the funnest rod I ever had to catch fish on. once you start using it, you'll use it to fish for anything.


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## Crumdfargo

http://steelheadsite.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=10216
This is the rod I use for pinning. I even have some pics of it with some specs. Cant beat it for 60 bucks at gander mountain. Well, just click the link and you'll see.


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