Misty,

I agree with Os that you are wasting money by spending over $200 and up to $300 on a float rod for jig fishing. Ryan has the right idea in spending from $120 to $150 for an All Star. If you have to stick to a Loomis or Lami, a 1000 series Lamiglass in 9.5' or 10.5', depending on your height, will make for a fine float rod. Line rated 6 to 12 lb. for steelhead, 8 to 17 lb. for a dual purpose salmon/steelhead rod, and a 10 to 20 lb. for a 'nook float rod (except for snagy tidewater use, in which case most guys use 25 lb. or 30 lb. rated rods). $0.02 opinion.

Don't overlook custom rods by TH Custom Rods down near Coquille on the southern Oregon coast, and D&E Custom rods near Vanc, WA. They can make you one out of rod blanks from All Star, Rainshawdow, Lamiglass, or GLoomis 'seconds'. You can save some money and have your own custom rod with your name inscribed on it. I recently got a TH 1164 with 9.5' Rainshadow blank rated 8 to 17 lb. and I love it! Great for this time of year when both nook and steelies are present. I use either 15 lb. Izorline Platimun or Maxima UG mono for dual purpose setup, but am going to start using 20 or 30 lb. superbraids from Fireline or PowerPro. Good luck.

RT