# 1 setup for river smallies AND steelies



## kingofamberley (Jul 11, 2012)

Hey all,
I'm not necissarily in the market for a new setup (yet), but I think about it a lot haha. Since I'm not made of money (yet), I'm wondering if you guys think a 7 wt would suffice for both river smallmouth bass (in my neck of the woods in SW Ohio) and river steelhead (in Cleveland)? I know 2 rods is optimal, and maybe some day in the future that will be a possibility, but that just is not realistic for me at this stage. From what I can tell, 7 might be a little over powered for smallies and a little underpowered for steelies. Any input would be appreciated. For a little background, I've been using an el cheapo 5/6 wt combo for river smallies, white bass, trout, etc. I am certainly not confident in its ability to fight a steelhead, as one took me for quite a ride with a medium spinning outfit haha.


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## sbreech (Jun 6, 2010)

To be honest, I'd say a solid 6wt would be low end for steelies, and upper end for most smallies. It would do the trick for both if you do your part. Fight with the butt of the rod, not the tip. The strength lies in the butt. The soft tip is for protecting the tippet. Just read that as "don't high stick it like Babe Winkelman and you'll be ok." If you're using a 9' fly rod, that is 9' of rod you can transfer the energy of that running steelhead to. I'll bet you'd have fun fighting steelies on the 5/6. You may lose a fish or 2, but man will you appreciate feeling the power of those fish.


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## TheCream (Mar 19, 2009)

In my humble opinion, undergunning to "feel the fight" of a steelhead would be a non-smart move. I use a 9'6" 7wt and still got overpowered on a regular basis. Most folks I know go with 8wt setups for steel. The last one I hooked last spring stripped me to the backing in a heartbeat. Going with a 5wt or 6wt to me would be a poor decision. My steelhead setup is also my primary smallmouth setup, so I use the same 7wt. If you're using small nymph/craw/streamer patterns I could see going lighter, but I throw meat to smallies. Weighted large craw patterns, bulky streamers, and wind-resistant topwaters up to size 2. Trying to cast those patterns on a lighter rod is really going to work you harder than you need to work.


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## toobnoob (Jun 1, 2010)

My smallie rod is a 9'6" 6 weight and I've used it for steelhead as well. It's a bit on the light side for the steel but as sbreech says, fight with the butt of the rod and it will work. Also apply constant side pressure on the fish to keep turning his head out of the current and it will tire out faster.

That said if you tie into a big fresh steelie right outa the lake you will be in for a ride with a 6 weight. I had a monster in october that ran straight for a log jam and I couldn't turn him before he took my line through the jam, out the other side into my backing still jumping about 100 yards down stream. Fought him till i could reach my fly line and then just busted him off. Sometimes you just know when you're out gunned. I use my 8 weight most of the time for steel.


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## flyman (Aug 9, 2007)

I have a 9'6" cabelas SLi 7wt and honestly, it's not enough only for the biggest steel, like fish at 9+ pounds, where the rod simply does not have the stiff enough butt section for me turn the fish. But otherwise it is superb for everything else, from dink smallies to 30" carp. If you are smart about landing your fish (not trying to manhandle it by force), a good fast action 9-9.5' 7wt rod is very versatile. Just make sure you try to cast it before you buy, because sometimes a rod may not be as fast or as stiff as advertised, or vice versa.


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## kingofamberley (Jul 11, 2012)

Interesting points. I feel like if I tried to battle a steelhead with my janky 5/6, it would probably break haha. Cream, I like the idea of throwing big flies at smallies. Also once I figure out river saug/wall/eyes better on the spinning rod, I plan on attempting them on a fly rod as well.


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## TheCream (Mar 19, 2009)

kingofamberley said:


> Interesting points. I feel like if I tried to battle a steelhead with my janky 5/6, it would probably break haha. Cream, I like the idea of throwing big flies at smallies. Also once I figure out river saug/wall/eyes better on the spinning rod, I plan on attempting them on a fly rod as well.


I'm not sure about the sauger/walleye fishing in your area, but here in SE Ohio the sauger run in the spring on the Hocking (OH River trib) is great...if you get good fishing conditions. The fish are there, but when the water is 5' up and chocolate milk-colored, it makes fly fishing pretty tough. When the river is clean, and the sauger are there, you can bounce a small minnow imitation and slay them. It needs to get deep, though, and that means snags, so be prepared to lose some flies. I'm catching them in like 3-5' of water when the conditions are good.


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## kingofamberley (Jul 11, 2012)

Yeah man I lived in Athens for a bit and did some fishing on the Hocking, that river is a GREAT fishery. I have been catching a winter saug/wall/eye here and there but can't wait for spring!


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## LilSiman/Medina (Nov 30, 2010)

I've had a tough time on some big smallies with my 6 wt. I'm getting a 7 or 8wt this winter for smallies and carp next summer. I feel I need the extra power where I am and a 20''+ smallie will really tear up my new rod.


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## riverKing (Jan 26, 2007)

a 9 foot 6-8wt will be fine. the longer heavier (10ft 7-8wt) rods normally used for steelhead are more for casting the rigs and mending at a distance than landing the fish. In low water a 10ft 5wt is fine, but in high water you will be working to hard. for smallies you need enough rod to cast the flies, if you intend on throwing any reasonable sized poppers a 6wt is the minimum and your asking to work to hard, and rods longer than 9ft are difficult to properly work streamers and poppers. 
a mod-fast 9' 7wt should be excellent, it's a great all around smallie rod, and while it's not perfect for steelhead it will work as long as the tip has a bit of flex, and your alot closer to smallies so I would lean to a smallmouth rod.


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## fishinnick (Feb 19, 2011)

Since you're in the SW part of the state I'd also lean towards a 6wt, unless you also plan on fishing for big river wipers. If you make only a few trips for steelies a 6 will be fine, but if you're going to do a lot of steelheading than get the 7.


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## kingofamberley (Jul 11, 2012)

Well my lady is a Clevelander, so I end up going there a fair amount to visit her family, and what better way to make it more enjoyable than fishing! So I'd probably get 5 to 10 Cleveland trips a year. I've read that for summer run steelies you can get away with using 5 or 6 wt but for winter run you'd be better off with 9 or 10 wt, so I hope a 7 would be a good compromise. That steelie I caught was in early October, so I guess that was a winter run (?), and that was a challenge for sure on a medium spinning outfit. I thought it was big but looking at some pictures on the Steelhead forum here, it wasn't near as big as some of these.


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## fishinnick (Feb 19, 2011)

Here on the Erie tribs we mainly have fall and spring runs. Some fish do enter in the winter, but exremely few fish in the summer. 

Actually, the winter fish tend to fight less(colder water) so you can definitely get away with a 6wt. Fish fresh out of the lake in early fall, well all seasons really, fight the most. Still a 7wt(or 8) would be your best option for steel, even for winter fish. Just don't go with a 5.


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## willy (Apr 27, 2007)

As May West once said, "It's not the size of the pen but how you yield it" or something like that.
I would go "middle of the road and/or whats the best priced rod deal going when I am ready to buy" myself. As an example if you focus too much on one species then it may not be useful between the steelhead runs or smallie season if you can only afford one outfit. On the other hand, if you get a lighter weight outfit, you can use something like rio shockgum for the steel which I actually have used and liked it. Is it pretty? no. Will you cast like in "a river runs thru it"? no. Do you need to cast like that in NE Ohio? No. have i used it in my own homemade leaders and landed some nice steel on my 6wt I started with? yes, yes i have and it was fun 8).
Another option would be to post in the classifieds on OGF and just say what you are looking for. You could find you may be able to buy one members 6wt they don't use much anymore as well as someones 9wt outfit for less than you could get either on a sale alone, doesn't hurt to ask.


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