What rod for Salmon? NY Salmon river

tjsingle

tjsingle

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Feb 27, 2017
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Downingtown, PA
Hey guys,

So I am making a trip with some buddies up the Salmon River in NY. I typically fish trout streams in PA, with my biggest fish being about 22", so fishing for salmon is out of my element a bit. I have two rods now, an Orvis Clearwater 5wt outfit and a BPS White River Hobbs Creek Outfit 7wt. Both rods are 9' 4 piece.

I know my Orvis 5wt is way too light for salmon, but I was wondering if I could utilize the BPS 7wt? Any suggestions for what setup to use? I was thinking a 7 or 8wt rod? If the rod I have is good I might invest in a better reel, because the one I have doesn't have the greatest drag.

I personally don't want to spend a fortune on another heavier rod and or reel, that I might not use often. But on the other hand I don't want to get frustrated if I'm losing fish when I'm in NY. I also plan on bringing spinning tackle up there.

Thanks in advance.
Tom
 
I never used a 7wt for salmon but if think it's be fine, but on the light side. Most guys use 8 or 9 wts from what I have noticed there. I don't go expensive on my salmon rod mainly because that's all I use it for. If you want a heavier rod I'd suggest an 'll bean, although you should be "ok" with your 7wt.
 
Gotcha, that's kinda where I'm at, I don't want to spend that much, but I don't want to be too light. I'll look at ll bean.
 
I've caught plenty of salmon there on a 7 weight. Not ideal but it would work.
 
9 wt. No need for anything expensive. Don't use a 7 wt. That is fine for the steel and browns, but the not the salmon.
 
If you can fight big fish appropriately then you can land salmon on a 7 weight but the problem is it may take you a little longer. You'll be around other fishermen and you want to land a fish quickly so you're not taking up all the water and keeping people from fishing. I'm headed up in October and I would suggest anywhere from an 8-10 weight. The kings especially just muscle down and can just sit in the current and not budge for what seems like hours. It can take 10 minutes plus to fight a good fish so being undergunned makes it that much more difficult to land them. I would look for a 9 weight. Cheap rod, decent reel. Rods will break up there so bring your 7 weight just in case. You're not doing a bunch of casting, just chuck and duck so the rod isn't that important, but these fish will run and a decent reel is needed. Make sure you check the regulations up there before you go. There are some strict rules you need to follow. It's a blast and you can catch a ton of big fish but it's tough on gear. Also buy a big net. Some places you can beach a fish but a net helps drastically. Any other questions just ask away.
 
Okuma SLV Fly Reel is a good value and will get the job done.

 
Thanks for the replies guys, it definitely helps. I need to look into fly reels and rods now, any suggestions? What about fly line and backing?

Bruno, I will definitely look at the Okuma, I like the price point.
 
I'm more than likely going to get a 9wt. It seems that a 7wt is too light for what I want to do.
 
You're really not doing much casting. Any basic line will do with a 30lb backing.
Tie good knots. I won't mention a guy I know (might have been me) who's first king he ever hooked took him into the backing and his fly line to backing knot gave way..... 90 feet of fly line attached to a freight train of a king headed back to the lake was quite the sight.

Bring lots of split shot. The large stuff you use for spinning gear. Like 3 bags. They don't sell anything lead in NY and you'll go through it quickly. Lots of snags. Get strong fluoro tippet too. 8-10lb minimum. I actually just use regular flouro, not tippet.
 
That sounds good fly line wise. I did plan to use fluorocarbon for tippet. Sorry for all the questions but, what type of leader should I use? And what type of connection would be better, nail knot or the loop to loop connection?
 
You're not going to need anything fancy. The best leader up there is a stiff section of 30 to 50lb mono attached to your fly line and a barrel swivel attached to that. Then tie on a 3-6 foot section of your flouro and leave a tag end on the swivel. Tie a simple overhand knot on the end of the tag end and put your split shot there. That means if you snag your split shot it will pull through your overhand knot and not snap your fly off. 1 fly only up there. Rules on how far weight can be from your hook, etc. Watch the regs, they'll bust you if you don't obey.
 
My first year up north i used my 7wt after that i bought a 9wt and ive had that make some funny sounds when hooked to a big king.
 
Ryguyfi, thanks I really appreciate the help. I will definitely try that!

For fly rods I'm thinking possibly a Redington Crosswater 9wt paired with an Okuma SLV. It's not going to break the bank, but should get the job done.
 
tjsingle wrote:
Ryguyfi, thanks I really appreciate the help. I will definitely try that!

For fly rods I'm thinking possibly a Redington Crosswater 9wt paired with an Okuma SLV. It's not going to break the bank, but should get the job done.
Click to expand...

^ A 9wt with a decent reel will do the job.

Here is a good primer on fishing the Salmon River covering tackle, gear, rigs, techniques and etiquette! ....lol.

Have a great time and post some pics.
 
afishinado wrote:
tjsingle wrote:
Ryguyfi, thanks I really appreciate the help. I will definitely try that!

For fly rods I'm thinking possibly a Redington Crosswater 9wt paired with an Okuma SLV. It's not going to break the bank, but should get the job done.
Click to expand...

^ A 9wt with a decent reel will do the job.

Here is a good primer on fishing the Salmon River covering tackle, gear, rigs, techniques and etiquette! ....lol.

Have a great time and post some pics.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the link, I will definitely share some pictures. We are going up for 4 days
 
I'll be there on October 5-8 with a crew.
 
You guys using 9' rods or longer?
 
Either a 10 foot 7 weight for browns and steel or a 9 foot 8 or 9 weight for salmon. Just seems to be the industry that there aren't many 10 foot+ 8 or 9 weights unless you're going the switch route.
 
I ended up getting a good deal on a 9' 9wt 2 piece Redington Path, ordered a Okuma SLV as well
 
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