Line and backing - steelhead and atlantic salmon

[m0nk]

I'm considering a starter setup for general use between steelhead and atlantic salmon. Figured that after years of fly fishing, and now after getting hooked on the fight that comes with deep sea fishing, it's time to combine the two and get a stronger fight with my fly fishing.

So far I have a single hand 8wt rod and reel picked out (and I'm also considering a spey setup in the future). What I'm having trouble with is deciding on line and backing...

For backing, I've been told I want 20lb and I've been told I want 30lb. Either way, I'm getting something Dacron based and hi-vis, but I just need some opinions on what to match with 8wt line for steelhead and atlantic salmon.

Also, I understand that sink-tip line is the way to start, is that correct?

Thanks!

 

[Ramcatt]

what kind of flies are you going to fish?
what style of fishing?

 

[boychick]

For steelhead, 20 lb. dacron backing will be fine. A good all-purpose line is the Rio steelhead salmon line. It’ll work for indicator fishing and for swinging streamers. You don’t want a sink tip line. Get some 8 foot T8 and T11 sink tips for swinging streamers and get a 9 foot 3x leader for indicator fishing. That'll put you in business. I’ve never fished for salmon so I can’t address your backing question there. You’ll be able to use the same Rio line I suggested for salmon.

 

[m0nk]

Ramcatt wrote:
what kind of flies are you going to fish?
what style of fishing?

Good question... I don't know. :-D

I've read that steels will take a variety of nymphs, wet flies, streamers, and even dry flies at times. I've gotten decent with my style when fishing for trout around here, and usually take a nice assortment of flies. But with steelhead and salmon fishing, I'm sorta clueless.

 

[m0nk]

boychick wrote:
For steelhead, 20 lb. dacron backing will be fine. A good all-purpose line is the Rio steelhead salmon line. It’ll work for indicator fishing and for swinging streamers. You don’t want a sink tip line. Get some 8 foot T8 and T11 sink tips for swinging streamers and get a 9 foot 3x leader for indicator fishing. That'll put you in business. I’ve never fished for salmon so I can’t address your backing question there. You’ll be able to use the same Rio line I suggested for salmon.

Sounds like you've got a good handle on this steelhead thing. :lol:

So here's my proposed setup, which is relatively cheap, but I've got 2 boys and I suppose it'll become one of theirs when I'm ready to upgrade (assuming it lasts).

10' 8wt Bass Pro White River Classic rod
7/8 Cabelas Wind River reel (seems kinda cheap, but it can hold 200y and I read a review that it'll work well for steelhead)

Plus assorted flies, tippet/leader/etc that I'll be putting together before the winter runs come along. With the 20lb Dacron backing and the Rio Salmon/Steelhead line, this should get the job done, correct?

 

[pcray1231]

Rod: Fine. 10 ft is nice as these fish are often extremely drag shy, and the streams are often wide open.

Reel: Not familiar with it. But steel/salmon is a situation where the reel is more than just a place to hold line. It's gotta have that smooth drag with no catching, and good adjustment capabilities. And LA is nice too, when a big fish runs at you, you gotta pick up line quick to keep it tight.

Backing: well, I've never fished NY, only PA steel. But I've never seen my backing anyway. It's not that the fish aren't capable, just that the streams are small enough. They can't go out, and if they go up or down, you just follow em to keep as short a line as possible. If they took a whole line out, you're in trouble anyway as current is going to be pulling it pretty good, stressing already stressed tippets and decreasing your control on direction. That's how you lose fish.

Line: Again, my experience is in PA. But no different than trout lines, other than the line weight. I'd want a floating line, DT or WF which loads the rod well. If you gotta put a sink tip on for streamers, go ahead. But while streamers are fun when the fish are fresh and aggressive, I'm more often throwing egg patterns and nymphs, where drag free drifts are the goal, and the ability to mend is important. And when you do go to streamers, the streams aren't all that deep that a sink tip is necessary anyway.

 

[albatross]

I think you are all set. Die-cast aluminum reels like the one you are considering can be more fragile than reels machined from aluminum bar-stock, but of course they are much less expensive. Just be careful you don't drop your reel and you'll likely be fine. The 10 foot 8 weight is a nice compromise for an outfit to fish salmon and steelhead. The 20 pound backing will be just fine for both species.

 

[m0nk]

albatross wrote:
I think you are all set. Die-cast aluminum reels like the one you are considering can be more fragile than reels machined from aluminum bar-stock, but of course they are much less expensive. Just be careful you don't drop your reel and you'll likely be fine. The 10 foot 8 weight is a nice compromise for an outfit to fish salmon and steelhead. The 20 pound backing will be just fine for both species.

Thanks for the heads up on the die-cast reels, as well as the backing. I'm also considering the 7/8 L2A from the fly shop, it's a lower priced, machined aluminum reel with enough room for all the backing I'll need. There's also the new Cabela's WLx that seems fairly well built based on the reviews. Though I'll likely go with the cheaper one first, see how my first time out goes, then get the L2A and keep the Cabelas model as a backup or spare for friends/family.