Light Great Lakes Rig

[Ausable]

For an occasional Steelie rod could you get away with a 10' 5 weight? I am thinking this will be a much easier set-up with the new regulations on the Salmon than the 10' 7 weight I normally use when chuck and ducking. I will probably fish less than 5 times all Winter...........

[jhouseman]

I fish a 6wt Zaxis on Lake Erie Tribs where the Steelies run on average much smaller then Ontario tribs let alone the beasts you can find in the Salmon. Of course, you can hook a fish on anything! But efficiently bringing that fish to hand with minimal damage to the fish and your gear usually requires a suitable match. It depends a lot upon the manufacturer, but I would suggest a 6 before a 5 if you're 7 is too heavy.

On the other hand, if it's just 5 times a year then use the 5 - rig it with the appropriate breaking point tippet and expect to lose some fish

[Dave]

Ausable,
Like DejonHamann stated, I've often heard of Erie anglers using a 5 or 6 wt. no problem. From what I've heard from respected Great Lakes Steelheaders, the fish are smaller on average, and a real trophy is in the 10+ pound range, with many 4-7 lb. ones. On the Salmon River, 8-11 is the winter average, with MANY larger even breaking into the 20 lb. class range. That is an enormous fish.

It's my experience that in large rivers like Oswego, and the Salmon, there's no way to get around having at least a 6 (minumum), but preferably a 7 wt. for Steelhead. Even an averaged sized lethargic steelhead in the middle of January will bend a 7 wt. into the butt of the rod. With high flowing systems like the two above mentioned one, you wouldn't want to be fishing a 5 wt. I should also mention that we've often seen a few try to get away with a 5wt. only to be broken. I witnessed this twice last season. Not yet this one.

DejonHamann, I like your site, and congrats on the elusive Erie Chinook! Great picture. I hope you report your great lakes adventures here more often.

[craigw]

if your looking for something affordable i would recomend tfo teeny series 10' 6 wt. very nice for the price. softer tip and strong butt section. i have yet to use it for steelhead but i can let you know in a couple weeks

[AaronJasper]

Craigw,

Good look on that one! I forgot that my friend Tony swearsa by his 10 foot TFO Pro Series on the GL Tribs. Also, if you bloe it up it only costs 25 bucks to replace!

[Nymphmeister]

If you are good at fighting big fish, with plenty of experience, a 5 weight is okay. As CraigW posted, the TFO 10'6 is a sweet lighter Steelhead rod, with plenty of backbone in the lower right, but soft enough in the tip too. I generally recommend a 10' #7 for most Great Lakes Steelhead is you are gonna use a 10' rod, and it is my go to length & size when I head there. Out of curiousity, what's wrong with your current 10' #7 rod? If anything, I like a lighter/softer rod for using a running line/chuck & duck, and a faster/stiffer one for Indicator Nymphing.

[Ausable]

I have an Orvis 10' 7 weight T3 and I really like it but it is a 2 piece rod and I will be travelling up that way (where I grew up) with my family so my SUV will be jammed packed. Also, I was thinking my 5 weight Z Axis would be much more sensitive for non-chuch and duck fishing!

[AaronJasper]

Ausable,

Don't bring the 10 5 Z Axis up there! It will get blown up. The 10' 5 wt TFO pro series is super durable. It won't break as easy under pressure as the Z Axis would. My favorite rod for the early season is my 9' 6" 6 weight Z Axis.I also have a 10' 7 weight Scott S3 which is great as well.

[Nymphmeister]

Hey, at only $195 you cannot go wrong with the 10' #6 Pro Series TFO. 4 pieces so you can squeeze it in your overstuffed SUV no prob. And it really does have a very nice action, I wanna say they designed it with a lot of input from the Lake Erie Steelhead crowd. Many Salmon River regulars use a 6 weight so as to have a bit more cushion when playing 12+ pound Steelhead on relatively light tippets (3x-4x). It does seem like the Great Lakes standard has become a 10' #7 though, just like 9' #5 is for an all around trout stick.