Nymph,

I'll echo the recommendation for a 9 1/2' 8 wt. fly rod as the all-around steelhead rod. It will cover more kinds of rivers, summer and winter, and still be a useful rod after you begin to acquire more specialized equipment.

You don't need a $600 fly rod to catch steelhead. I've caught hundreds, maybe more, and they never knew how much, rather, how little I spent on my rods. For a number of years I caught scads of steelhead on an 8 1/2' fiberglass rod that I spent about $28 to build up. I guess it would cost $75 to $100 to do that now, and it might as well be graphite. But don't think for a second that a more expensive rod will catch you more fish. That's nothing more than the hype of Madison Avenue inspired magazine advertisements for rod companies.

If you build a rod, and it really is easy, you can save almost half the cost, depending on how spiffy a tool you want to fish with. If you don't think you can build your own rod, you can still get a good one for $150 or less. I believe Lamiglass offers some at $129, but I'm not sure if they offer the 9 1/2 length.

If you don't already have a strong preference, I'd recommend a medium action rod. As Land Tuna suggests, many are the users of stiff graphite rods who complain of tendonitis and other elbow and shoulder ailments associated with all-day casting. Casting with a fireplace poker will induce that result. I've got severe elbow tendonitis, and I've fished for years with old heavy split bamboo fly rods (which couldn't be made stiff if they tried compared to most graphite today). Those rods and most fiberglass rods never agrivated my elbow or shoulder conditions, but stiff (read fast-action) graphite rods do. It's inherent in the material. There is a jolt from powering a flyline through hundreds of casts over the course of the day. A moderate action rod, regardless of weight, absorbs more of that jolt than a stiff, fast action rod. And if the rod doesn't absorb it, then the angler's shoulder or elbow will.

There are so many good fly reels on the market now, it might be hard to find a bad one, except for the very cheap. A good steelhead reel can be had for about $100, and for $50 more you can get an unnecessary disc drag.

I should have said I recommend against buying combo deals, unless one has been assembled specifically for the all around steelheading you're inquiring about. Buy a good line. I'm sure I could easily catch steelhead all season long with a very cheap rod and reel, but a decent fly line will make a profound difference. Buy a good floater, and then buy a second one, cut off the forward 15', and make your own custom sink tips. The ready mades are getting better all the time, but the best are still home made, and they are much less expensive.

As you can see, fishing gear opinions are like certain parts of anatomy. Everyone has one. If controversy confuses you though, consider this: until 1973 there were no graphite fly rods, and disc drag reels were nearly unknown to most steelheaders. Yet anglers had been catching the hell out of steelhead for decades without ever knowing that they really needed a disc drag and an IM7 or IM8 or VPS or RPL or WQRXZL rod to pull off this stunt.

There are two products that would have allowed those long ago steelheaders to improve their catch. Those were today's sinking line materials and modern waders that permit the angler to wade warm and safely from dawn to dusk.

Sincerely,

Salmo g.