gear selection.for Erie Steelhead

[streamerguy]

strap44 wrote:
Fishman12992 - so odds are that if the weather continues like this, there may be no fly fishing for me (or anyone) in march. Ice fishing is a no go for this guy.

Looking at the forecast for Erie next week it's going to be in the 40s with rain. That will likely cause massive ice jams and flooding, but once the creeks recede it'll be game on. If we don't get any more crazy cold weather after the thaw we should be fishing the tribs by March.

 

[boychick]

My fingers are crossed!

 

[CRB]

With this winter freezing up 90% of the surface of Great Lakes my bet is the long term forecast will be not accurate.

I a fan of a 6 wt 9' with a fighting butt. I've found a rod 10' or longer makes landing a fish(tailing) more difficult especially if alone. Only way I've found that dose not harm the fish or cause the rod tip to bend dangerously close to braking is with a long handle net. It works well but just one more thing to carry.

Reels, use whatever you like. I have used $30 to $300 reels and all land fish.

 

[pcray1231]

If this is Erie steel only, I'll second the notion of the 10 ft 7 wt being the go to. Also that this is one instance where having a good reel with a powerful and smooth drag is really important. How the rod casts? Not nearly as important. These are not large streams, even Elk. Nor are they brushy. Casting is easy. The name of the game is being able to get a good drag free drift (10 footer helps there), then being able to land the fish.

Thus, having a soft tip is a big plus to protect tippets, while still having some backbone, and a good reel. Beyond that it's just experience.

If you have thoughts of expanding to NY salmon, you could opt for an 8 wt to try and cover both bases. And in NY or Ohio, bigger rivers do exist, so castability of the rod comes into play more.

 

[country52]

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