# new to salmon fishing.



## matticito (Jul 17, 2012)

plan to go to michgan soon and not sure what kind of rod to get. I plan to just throw spoons and rooster tails. It seems like i need 30 - 40 pound test from what i saw on a washington state website. They said a 9 to 10 foot rod for bobber fishing is common. I just want something strong to take on the fight if i get one. Will probably cast the lake too to try for lake trout. Really whatever might bite. I dont like to still fish much as i get bored fast and so does the wife. 

i'll have to look i know they mentioned another kind of line too that didnt stretch. Are there specific swivel snaps i should get to put the spoons on? Could I use a large rod like for catfish? I know I saw some large shakespeare rods at dicks were between 7 and 9ft and maybe like 30 bucks. Any suggestions would be very grateful! 

Thanks


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## caseyroo (Jun 26, 2006)

I fished salmon in Oregon and everything was heavy to the extreme. Remember those salmon are ocean run.


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## matticito (Jul 17, 2012)

Yeah i was reading some posts on here of fish snapping 30# line after taking the whole reel out. In a river setting i imagine they'd run the whole reel out too? 

I'll be starting by saugatuck and south haven michigan and work north to manistee.


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## sherman51 (Apr 12, 2011)

back when I salmon fished I just used a downrigger rod with 20# line and a kastmaster spoon in blue and chrome and green and chrome. I don't remember what weight spoons I used but hey were about 2 1/2" long. the rods I used were 7'6" long. Michigan salmon don't get s big as ocean run salmon. most of the salmon I caught were between 20# and 30#. I fished salmon for many yrs and only caught 1 fish over 30#. good luck and have fun.
sherman


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## grub_man (Feb 28, 2005)

Are you fishing the rivers or the lake?


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## matticito (Jul 17, 2012)

I'll fish the rivers. We'll cast parts of the lake as well as i saw someone last year on here had caught some lake trout or something but the salmon ill concentrate on in manistee. I just have to read the regs for what lures and things u can use and where.


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## grub_man (Feb 28, 2005)

In principle, you can catch salmon on a whippy little UL, and I've caught one on a 6'6" light power rod. You just need to work harder and be more careful.

This will give you an idea of what kinds of rod blanks are used for steelhead and salmon in the rivers. Out west, they ratchet up the power, in the great lakes tributaries, the linked blanks will give you a good idea. Those rods will have power in the butt, similar to a bass rod, but the extra length allows for a rod that reacts a good bit more slowly to help prevent hooks from pulling out on surges. They are closer to a very powerful fly rod in the way the rods act than a catfish type of rod.

You can also look around at the steelhead/salmon lines from St. Croix, Loomis, and others to get an idea of what to look for. In general these types of rods typically don't come very cheap, but I haven't looked around to see what all is available.


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## CPK (Jan 31, 2015)

A good cheap route is a 7'mh or heavy ugly stik with a cheap shimano 4000 series reel. We run like 17lb mono/flouro or forty pound braid. You can be at fifty bucks or less and do fine with a setup like this. Pm me for more info if needed. My family has fished September salmon runs in Michigan for 25+ years.


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## Dandrews (Oct 10, 2010)

CPK said:


> A good cheap route is a 7'mh or heavy ugly stik with a cheap shimano 4000 series reel. We run like 17lb mono/flouro or forty pound braid. You can be at fifty bucks or less and do fine with a setup like this. Pm me for more info if needed. My family has fished September salmon runs in Michigan for 25+ years.


That's what I'd recommend


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## fishwendel2 (Nov 19, 2007)

I tend to go long on my rod. 10' 7 wt fly rod or a 9.5' spinning rod/reel. I will make braided leaders (6-8 ft) and then use good mono. In the rivers you will lose too many flies to rocks and fish foul hooked. If you are cast to open water then spoons and braid is fine. Rivers...you dont want to be that guy throwing "coaxial" and getting stuck every cast and having to wade out to free yourself up and scare the fish out of there


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## matticito (Jul 17, 2012)

Thanks for all the replies! Probably will check out the shimano real and long ugly stick. Then i need the line.

Going to start looking at youtube to learn the palomar not so i have a knot stronger than the improved sinch that is the only knot I've known. 

Most of my fishing has been with slip bobber and minnow or when i was a child just a worm over the boat. I have them real light rooster tails i will use too, assuming it would cast right. I doubt though that such a small weight would take heavy line out very far. 

At worst its a nice 3 day weekend in manistee and Michigan. Might be too early but aug 21 weekend is the only weekend i could really get out.


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## sherman51 (Apr 12, 2011)

are you going to have access to a boat or will you do all your fishing from shore? there will be some fresh run salmon gathered in the south end of Manistee lake by the time you go up. I have caught fish jigging and casting with the kastmaster spoons and a limber downrigger rod. good luck and have fun, and be sure and let us know how your trip goes.
sherman


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## BFG (Mar 29, 2006)

Keep your fingers for a thunderstorm front with following heavy East winds a couple days before your trip. That will flip the lake, and run fish up the river this time of year. 

Casting the piers is a riot....and a 7' MH spinning rod w/ 30# braid should work just fine.


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## CPK (Jan 31, 2015)

I wouldn't waste my time with the rooster tails either. A salmon worth catchin will absolutely destroy those. Get yourself some deep thundersticks and larger shad raps. -8 and -9 size


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## matticito (Jul 17, 2012)

ok i have some shad raps. I'll spend some time near the pier in manistee. Pretty sure i saw a salmon haning out there couple years ago. I was there for my sister in law wedding was the weekend of august 11 that year. That got me wanting to go. I went last year october 10 weekend. Was really cold and didnt have much time really just one morning. It was really just a long road trip than anything but i did see some salmon in ludington. That was cool first time seeing them.


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## sherman51 (Apr 12, 2011)

we use to fish Manistee lake a lot. I would tell the guys that went with me if they got 1 fish there trip would be worth going. back when snagging was legal it was easy to catch fish. then they stopped snagging and we started bait fishing and the salmon swam around with there mouths open and they would get the line in there mouth. then we would reel until the hook got to the fish then we'd set the hook and it was like hooking into a freight train. we would fish at night then at the crack of day light we would switch to kastmaster spoons and jig and cast the spoons. and when one hit the spoon on the drop it was something. you would be dropping the spoon and it would just stop then you set the hook and the battle was on. we used 17# and 20# line for jigging and casting spoons. we always started fshing labor day week end but there is a lot of fresh fish in the lake in late august.
sherman


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## matticito (Jul 17, 2012)

nevermind! I found it 
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I am having trouble finding what mf and mhmf mean. Can someone help me with that?


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## grub_man (Feb 28, 2005)

mf -> Medium power Fast action and mhmf -> Medium Heavy power Moderate Fast action are shorthand for the action and power of a rod.

Rod power gives you an idea of the relative deadlift capability of a rod. The ratings of UL, L, ML, M, MH, H, XH will depend on the manufacturer and what the rod was designed for, i.e. a L power surf rod may be much more powerful than a MH power bass rod. It's best to compare the power ratings of rods within a single series, bass/walleye, salmon/steelhead, inshore, surf, etc.

Rod action gives you an idea of where a rod begins to flex when it is first loaded.
S slow - flexes from tip to butt (not used often in freshwater fishing, but if you look at some of the saltwater jigging rods, particularly butterfly jigging rods you'll see rods with a slow action flexing deep into the fore grip)
M moderate - flexes in the upper half (best with treble hook lures, and on powerful rods used for punching or used in heavy vegetation to help prevent rod breakage and keep fish on at the side of the boat. A number of pros use moderate actions in more applications than many would expect.)
MF moderate fast - flexes in the upper 40% (a great action for graphite crankbait rods and often used on inshore popping rods and live bait rods)
F fast - flexes in the upper third (best with single hook lures, great for general purpose rods)
XF extra fast - flexes in the upper 20% (best with single hooks and light lures, but can be great for working topwater lures with trebles if you are careful not to pull hooks out during the fight)

Keep in mind that action refers to where a rod begins to flex, and as you increase the load the blank will flex deeper as the load increases.

It is the combination of action and power that are what make a rod the best choice for a given fishing application.


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## matticito (Jul 17, 2012)

I had asked this question on the "knots sticky" havent got a reply yet so I thought i'd try here. I got my 30# spectra braid by power pro. What knot should i use to tie it to the reel when i spool it on or however you call it. Then what know would you suggest to tie the line to the snaps. I know I shouldn't tie direct to the spoon as the spoon will cut the line. I posted my question here as this is the knots post. Hopefully with your suggestions I can have a night of trying the knot.

Normally I use mono and the improved clinch but i'm usually fishing whatever bites at pymi or off e 55 in cleveland.

Again, all help is greatly appreciated. Braid is something new to me. I've only used it perch fishing when my dad wants to go out and he's got it about 60ft tied to whatever mono is spooled on a reel.


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## grub_man (Feb 28, 2005)

I wouldn't tie braid directly to the spool. Put on some mono first, even if it is only a few feet. If you don't spool braid tight enough, because of the lack of stretch, it can slip on the spool. Some will put a wrap of electrical tape around the spool to give the line something to dig into, but I prefer to use at least a little mono for backing.

To tie the braid to the mono, use the albright knot.

To tie the braid to your snap, use the palomar knot, but rather than using a single overhand knot in the palomar, loop the line around again making a double overhand knot before you run the snap through the loop and cinch it down.


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## matticito (Jul 17, 2012)

Ok. I just got finished trying the arbor knot for the spool and i had saw the palomar and saw a youtube about another where they doubled it so I'll do what you said about the palomar. I got another rod to spool yet so ill see how i can do with that albright. I think i have 17# mono I'll put on a couple turns of the reel and the check out the albright. 
Even with that knots sticky i have trouble visualizing them. I really need step by step visual and guidance so its hard for me. 

Thanks for the help


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## sherman51 (Apr 12, 2011)

matticito said:


> Ok. I just got finished trying the arbor knot for the spool and i had saw the palomar and saw a youtube about another where they doubled it so I'll do what you said about the palomar. I got another rod to spool yet so ill see how i can do with that albright. I think i have 17# mono I'll put on a couple turns of the reel and the check out the albright.
> Even with that knots sticky i have trouble visualizing them. I really need step by step visual and guidance so its hard for me.
> 
> Thanks for the help


try googling the knot and maybe you'll get some videos to wach.
sherman


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## sherman51 (Apr 12, 2011)

grub_man said:


> I wouldn't tie braid directly to the spool. Put on some mono first, even if it is only a few feet. If you don't spool braid tight enough, because of the lack of stretch, it can slip on the spool. Some will put a wrap of electrical tape around the spool to give the line something to dig into, but I prefer to use at least a little mono for backing.
> 
> To tie the braid to the mono, use the albright knot.
> 
> To tie the braid to your snap, use the palomar knot, but rather than using a single overhand knot in the palomar, loop the line around again making a double overhand knot before you run the snap through the loop and cinch it down.


I use a mono backing on all my reels when using braid. just 50' of mono can keep the braid from slipping on the spool.
sherman


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## matticito (Jul 17, 2012)

Got the albright knot. Was easier than i thought. I saw some videos on youtube. Some are better than others. Some the guys hands are always in the way. (Homers voice) Doh!!!


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## NewbreedFishing (Apr 15, 2004)

Fishwendel2 is exactly right. You need @longer noodle/mooching rod if you plan on drifting naturally and getting a nice sweeping swing cast while keeping line off the water. Also being able to absorb the quik loading force a fat salmon will put on it. Braid is highly discouraged ...u will be miserable trying to break that free as you 'Will 'snag all the time. 17 lb -20 lb premium line with a 6 - 12 lb leader is what most use.


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## Flowie (Jul 2, 2015)

I caught my first salmon...a 30 lb male in a river in michigan on a 7 ft mh ugly stick and a shimano syncopate 4000 reel with 25 lb test line.

I use a 9.5 ft rod and 20 lb braid now

Salmon have explosive speed and power...Ive seen them snap 50lb braid. Stay focused and let them run first


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