# Salmon and Coho rod weight



## ejsell (May 3, 2012)

In late October I'm going with a couple of friends to the Betsie River in Michigan. Does anyone have suggestions for rod weight? I have a 6 wt. Quest II from LL Bean and am wondering if I can get away with using it? If not would an 8 wt. suffice? I'd hate to go much larger because a larger rod probably wouldn't get much use from me. The smallies just don't get that big on the Blanchard or Clear Fork

Thanks.


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## flytyer (Jan 3, 2005)

I use an 8 wt. for salmon on the PM in Mich all the time, so that would work good for you. Make sure to get a good reel with a good drag and lots of backing or they will tear it up! Good luck and have a ball!


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## Salmonid (Apr 14, 2004)

no way id take a 6 wt, go with the 8 wt as the chinooks and cohos if your lucky enough to get one will be all you can handle as it is, LOL when I go to the PM up there we always take a 7 and a 8 wt, the 7 is a 10 ftr with an extremely fast tip so that really helps as its more like an 8 wt. Youll have a blast and also make sure you have plenty of backing because if you hook a hot one or tail hook one, they will pretty much head back to lake michigan in a big hurry and if your not careful, will take everything you got with them, it seems every year we see someones flyline all tangled up in a treetop and we always fish them out but it was obvious how it got there, ha ha

Salmonid


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## Dandrews (Oct 10, 2010)

I went to the Betsie River last year, I took my 8 wt. but I didnt do any fly roddingit was too crowded and Im really not that good at it yet. 
It was awesome, unbelievably fun, those fish are incredibly powerful. Theyll test your equipment for sure, as well as you shoulders.


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## jhammer (Jun 13, 2011)

When I chased salmon, I used a 9wt. It also doubled as my pike rod. As the other guys have said, a soild reel and lots of backing is a must have. Those fish like to run. :B


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## bigduck10 (Feb 15, 2009)

I use a 9wgt for Salmon. The streams I fish in New York have Salmon, Steelhead, and Browns all at the same time so I tend to use the heavy stuff.
Had a 35 pound KIng take me to backing twice with the 9wgt.
Better safe than sorry.


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## big ugly stick (Nov 29, 2010)

I am also making my first trip to michigan for the salmon run the first weekend of october. i believe im going to the Manistee river or Muskegeon river. has anybody ever fished or heard of anywhere good to go there?!!? i just got my first fly rod last weekend and already obsessed after a few good trips to the rocky river and maumee so i had to book the trip. I know im going to mess up a lot but i figured thatll be one heck of a learning experience before the steelhead run starts here. any tips for salmon or steelhead would be awesome.
Thanks n good luck this year to everybody!! =)


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## big ugly stick (Nov 29, 2010)

or any fly types and setups that are used there would be so helpful! I just bought john nagys book to steelhead fishing lake erie tributaries and it has all the key setups. just have to learn which flies to use and when to be successful with steelhead but have no clue at all what to use for salmon


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## flytyer (Jan 3, 2005)

big ugly stick said:


> or any fly types and setups that are used there would be so helpful! I just bought john nagys book to steelhead fishing lake erie tributaries and it has all the key setups. just have to learn which flies to use and when to be successful with steelhead but have no clue at all what to use for salmon


Big Black Wooly Buggers (sz 6) are always good !


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## jhammer (Jun 13, 2011)

I've had good luck with black Pike Bunnies tied on a size 2 hook and fished on a sink-tip line.


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## flytyer (Jan 3, 2005)

I was trying to find it in the Michigan laws, but can't right now. Anyway I think the gap (hook point to shank) can not exceed 1/2". The best way to check it is with a piece of 1/2 " dowel rod. If the dowel goes in it's to big. Just something to keep in mind whether you buy or tie your own flies.


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## big ugly stick (Nov 29, 2010)

Thank you all very much. does anybody know of like a bait shop to go to and try and get any information around the area? much appreciated


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## ejsell (May 3, 2012)

I think there is a fly shop in Benzonia, it's Backcast fly shop. The place we are staying at has a fishing contest in the spring and on there website they mention the fly shop donating some of the prizes.


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## Salmonid (Apr 14, 2004)

Baldwin bait and tackle is always a good shop in the Pere marquette region and the "who ever owns it this month" Orvis shop there always has good guides catering to fly casting guys, just make sure you know what "Chuck and Duck " means and tell them ahead of time if thats NOT what you want to do. Egg and rockworm patterns or a local fly called a PM Wiggler free drifted always worked well for us, fish them like a big nymph and even under an indicator. The locals cant believe you can actually catch with without snagging them.....LOL

Salmonid


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## JPH (Oct 27, 2011)

The backpacker fly shop is having a seminar next week I think on this. check out there website.


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## big ugly stick (Nov 29, 2010)

Great thank you very much for the information, I am going to try my best to make it to that seminar but i'm pretty sure i have class that day from 7-9 =(...


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## SteveinCanton (Aug 19, 2012)

I fish for Salmon for 2 weeks every year in Michigan. It has been my experience that a 7 to 8 weight is fine with the average size of Michigans rivers and salmon although if you decide to fish the Big Manistee I prefer to use a 9 wt to throw larger flies and fly line. If you are fishing the Betsie at the end of October there is a good chance that you will have missed the King Salmon run, the farther north you go the earlier the run is, I would plan on fishing the last week of September or the first week of October on this river.


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## oarfish (May 12, 2004)

tippet weight is more important then rod weight


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## ejsell (May 3, 2012)

Should I use a 0 or 1?


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## Salmonid (Apr 14, 2004)

lots of things will decide your tippet size, higher water heavier line, low gin clear, lighter lines, if fish are fresh and hot, and not leader shy, bigger tippet, if fish are oldy/moldy lighter leader since the fight is weak at best. If your on a woody outside bend pool, better to go heavier, in a straight glide, then maybe lighter, etc. Most of the serious guys use straight mono, we prefer Climax tippet in 6,8,10 and 12lb tests and would use whatever the mood of the day told us to use. And yes, they do get VERY line shy so the smallest you can get away with is best. also in low gin clear water, a much longer leader is best. 

Salmonid


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## oarfish (May 12, 2004)

ejsell said:


> Should I use a 0 or 1?


0X is nice with bigger fly and 9 weight rod.


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## SteveinCanton (Aug 19, 2012)

While I agree with you on tippet size for the smaller rivers and streams, for the larger rivers like the Manistee I like to use the heaviest sinking lines that I can with heavy fluerocarbon sometimes up to 30 lbs trilene to deal with the fast deep water and the many snags in the river. When fishing the smaller waters like the Betsie and the PM I typically use a floating line with 10 or 12 lb fluerocarbon. I also like to use small flies, typically size 14 black stoneflies or crystall meth, I fish a dropper single egg pattern off of these to pick up the numerous brown trout the stack up behind the salmon.


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## ejsell (May 3, 2012)

Thanks for all of the tips. I got an 8 wt. ordered last night. It looks like we will be fishing both the Betsie and Platte river and may venture to the Manistee River. I think I'm going to take my 6 wt. along to try for trout and use the 8wt. for whatever salmon are left and hopefully the beginning of the steelhead. Anyone have any thoughts on strike indicators? I've never used them before and thought maybe I should pickup some for the trout.


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## ARReflections (Jan 7, 2011)

Anyone use a switch or two handed rod for Spey or skagit type casting?


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## oarfish (May 12, 2004)

ejsell said:


> Thanks for all of the tips. I got an 8 wt. ordered last night. It looks like we will be fishing both the Betsie and Platte river and may venture to the Manistee River. I think I'm going to take my 6 wt. along to try for trout and use the 8wt. for whatever salmon are left and hopefully the beginning of the steelhead. Anyone have any thoughts on strike indicators? I've never used them before and thought maybe I should pickup some for the trout.


It is always good to have an extra rod setup on a trip. And Yess take bobbers with you always in the flyfishing bag. In special circumstances strike indicators are the greatest tool to catch fish.


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## ejsell (May 3, 2012)

Thank you for the advice on the 8wt. rod. I caught my first steelie using my new 8wt the last week of October on the Platte River in the remnants of hurrican Sandy. We didn't catch much but still had a blast in Michigan. I went 1 for 7, hooked into 3 steelhead including the one pictured and 4 salmon/coho. Not much of a run of steelhead when we were up there. I think my group of 3 guys only caught 5 total but no one else around us was catching much of anything either, just a lot of people snagging salmon with and a few good hookups. The one I caught was at about 8:30 AM in the sleet and snow with wind gusts around 30-40mph. I hooked into him about 20 ft down river using a egg sucking leech. He must have turned and came back at me because I thought I lost him and started reeling in my line. When I had it almost all in he took off up river with all of my fly line, a good chunck of my backing and my fly rod doubled over. I think I fought him for 10 or 15 minutes but it seemed like a half hour. Everytime I would get him close he would make another run. That was the biggest rush I've ever gotten fishing and the biggest fish I've caught on a fly rod. I can't wait to go again.


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