Jim,
For about $200, several rods come to mind. Take a look at the TFO Professional series. A 9' 4-piece 7wt with a factory Cordura tube will run about $190 out the door. The Sage Launch 4-piece is another good choice at about the same price. If you like a slower action, try the Scott A-2. For some reason, it's not available as a 7wt. But if you can live with a 6wt or an 8wt and you like a medium action, it's well worth a test drive.
K
Hi all.
I'm taking my first trip to Alaska this summer from July 24-31 fishing the Alganak River with Charlie Summerlin's outfit/lodge.� He told me that I really need to get myself a 7 wt for fishing this river to deal with not only the wind and large bows, but to double as a salmon rod.� The sockeyes will be in the system at that time so it makes a lot of sense.
To date I've been purely a trout fisherman, my heaviest rod is an 8 1/2' 5 wt St. Croix with medium action.� I don't want to spend a lot of money on a rod, but at the same time want something I'll be happy with for a good long time.� The way I figure it, now that I'm finally going to have a heavier rod, I'll be forced <grin> to fish the salmon and steelhead runs around here�� So, a few questions:
a) Considering that I'm used to medium action rods and prefer the open loop that can be thrown with these, is there a St Croix or some similar quality 7 wt that fits the bill?
b) Am I going down the wrong path thinking I should stick to medium action for this kind of fishing or should I get used to fishing a faster action rod?
c) I'm figuring I should go with a 9' rod since I'm used to fishing 8 �' to 9' rods in the 5 wt class, do you agree?
d) I like my Redington GD 5/6 large-arbor reel a lot, and figure I'll go with the 7/8 model.� Is there a better option in the $100-150 range?
e) I want to spend around $300-400 tops for the rod/reel and line.
f) Has anyone on the list fished the Alganak?� And, if not, general tips for fishing Alaska bows when they're hunkered down during a big salmon run would be appreciated.� I'll have guides with me, but I'm pretty independent and would like to know what I'm doing rather than depending on someone.
g) I also have a couple species on my list that I've never caught that will be an option there:� arctic char and grayling.� Any specific tips for grayling in particular would be awesome - I've always wanted to catch one - my few times on the Big Hole I was really hoping but never connected with one.
Any help will be much appreciated.
Cheers
Jim
