What plug pulling rods do you prefer and why.What should I look for in a plug rod?

Steelhead g.loomis gl-2 mbr-941c great rod $140.00

A glass Fenwick FS-83C this rod has a Soft tip with plenty of back bone when a fish hits.

I use the Loomis HSR 9000 7.6" one piece rod and it has outperformed any other plug rod I have used. A very sensitive rod with enough backbone to land nookies. I use an Ambassadur 6500 spooled with 30# tough line. This setup works great for me.

another vote for the 941, $140 for a loomis class rod what a deal. Have fished these rods for 2 years have yet to have a good plug take that did'nt hook up. I also like the 9000 but it seemed kinda wispy to me, not to mention the difference in cost

Are any of the above plug rods sensitive enough to use as back up drift rods?

I built a matched pair of lami s glass one piece 7&1/2foot,
With soft tips and a fast taper.Great plug rods.

I have been using the TH 9000c 7'6" 6-14# (Rainshadow blank) for our hatchery season.. (which is still going strong )

and the TH 965c 8' 10-20# for our wild fish season which has just begun..
I like the the Ambass. 5500 w/ 30# yellow power pro.

I would drift fish with the 965.. no problem.
The 965 has the nicest tip in the industry!

I run a 10' Lami Mag X10MTC-T. Strong spine, super quick tip. You can see everything the plug is doing, but have plenty of power to fight a fish with. It also works well for silvers in the salt. Might be a little light for chinook, though.
It casts extremely well, and unlike my partner's rig, hasnt lost a fish yet.
I'm getting a 8'6 version of the same thing; might be easier on the old Head hunter for a day's worth of casting.
I wont insult your intelligence by telling you what reel to use, or line.
Just remember: buy the best. You'll never be disappointed with it.

Allstar 901's great plug rods for 100.00 retail with a lifetime warranty, higher modulous graphite than the loomis gl-2, same as gl-3
Cant go wrong here.
Peace Superfly

Hey Fish4Fun, I love those rods too. Good for drifting too. But I can never find em any more. I heard they quit making them. The last one I saw was at Sportco a few years ago. Maybe it was just a left over. My boat looks like team Fenwick.

KNOPHISH,

I have been fishing FS83-C Fenwicks for close to 30 years. They are still available I believe, just got to look a little to find them is all. I have hooked and landed several 20+ steelies over the years. The biggest fish to the boat on this rod is a 46 pound King. For an all around light rod this thing works great drift fishing, plugs, and then put cut plug's off the downriggers for summer time fun.

[ 01-29-2002: Message edited by: Fish4Fun ]

Yup, those Fenwick's are a hoot for pulling tadpollys, warts and whatnot. Some stoner dude that I bought my first tank of a driftboat from had them and I've been a fan ever since.

Tough as hell and slow enough not to rip the plug out of a steelie's mouth on the takedown. I got mine for about $55 each on sale at Outdoor Emp. in Seattle. They've always got a bunch around.

I run gl-2 HSR1021C's 8'6" This rod is great for both salmon and steelhead and yes i have used it for drift fishing many times and backbouncing. Best all around rod I own. I know a few people that use this same rod year round just for drift fishing.

I use Eagle claw downrigger rods. I always get a good hookset. joking
I use a Lamiglas northwest special 10-20. Nice rod. I bought it from a buddy for $70. It is a couple years old. I have seen the All stars and I am getting a spinning rod in a week or to.

Superfly, didn't know the Allstar 901 was that low in $$. Was looking at BK's the other day ( he had it banging around in the back of his pick-up ) nice plug rod! While he wasn't looking I looped the line and put it over the ball on his bumper. It took a serious BENDO but I did get 1 wheel off the ground .....c/22

Nothing works better than Fennys!

I had TH make me 2 of those 965c. I am still learning to pull plugs but these things are nice. I can run small plugs with them or the big Kwikies. I might even pick up another set someday.

dc

I'll third the motion,G.LOOMIS MBR941C,7'10" 1pc.exfast action,rated 10#-17# line, soft tip and lots of back bone. Comes in a GL2 and retails for only $140.00............sweet..............

I just got a new Rogue 8'6" 6to12 thats proving itself to be a sweet plug rod. Also use a 9' GL2
6to12 that works great.
You just need somthing limber enough to let the plug dance around.

Looks like BK is going to have a hard time getting any more rods from me!!!!
Come on man , Where's the Love
Peace Superfly

I have to jump on the MBR 941C bandwagon, great one piece, 7'10" rod. Fast tip, strong butt. Throw an Abu 6500C3 on them and you are good to go! Good for any kind of plugging.

Kev

I like the Loomis 981c for steelhead and the 983 for salmon. These rods are made especially for pulling plugs.

I noticed the Loomis 9000 posted a couple of times and I too used to run those because I haven't seen many others that telegraph as much as they do. But I switched to Loomis 930's which are 7'9" one piecer's and a bit heavier. The 981 is what I use when I know there are big nates around and also at times when there are nookies.
Keith

Whoa Bruce, That's gnarly dude. Cough cough. Don't Bogart those FS83-C's. Heh heh. I'd like to call Outdoor Emporium before I run down & buy one but I'd have to cash in some empty beer cans 1st, as I just got a lay off notice & might be hard up for some cash. I think those rods are worth every penny, cuz they're not in the $100-$300 range, another bonus. Maybe if I could sell my old truck ('78 3/4 t 350 2WD GMC w/canopy & no rust $2000.OBO). Cough cough.......Ear

Haven't tried them out yet, but I just got an Allstar 901 for steelies and an Allstar 964 for kwikies in the fall.

I really like the idea of the Fenwick and love to watch take downs on that rod, but the rod just feels like mush to me when playing fish. For that reason, I'd prefer not to use it and take my chances with a graphite rod. Oh well.

I have always wanted to try a Fenwick FS 83 C for pulling plugs and bait divers for Steelhead and Silvers. I was in Hill Creek Outdoors in Castle Rock the other day and noticed one for sale. After reading this thread I got curious and called Fenwick's toll free number. They confirmed the FS 83 C has been discontinued. I called Ted's to see if they had any. They were out of them. They wanted 10 bucks more than Hill Creek for the models they did have in stock. At less than 70 % of manufactures suggested retail I talked myself into buying it. Anyway, thanks for bringing Fenwicks up and talking me into getting one. Hopefully the softness of the tip will increase the hook up ratio and shows how my plug is working better than my current rod, outweighing any mushy fish fighting tendencies.
I'm not connected to Hill creek in any way, but I got to give them a plug. They are nice people to deal with. It is really a Stihl saw shop. They started selling some fishing tackle a couple years ago. Just stuff local people use and need for the type of fishing there is around here. They don't have a lot of inventory or even knowledge, really, but that lady LOVES her tackle and is excited about having it in the store. They are happy to have you in there, and every thing is priced reseasonably. I hope they make it.

Even though it looks like this tread is dying, I need to correct a mistake I made. Based on the info supplied several posts up I called Outdoor Emporium, not Ted's. I don't know why I typed Ted's earlier. Just a mistake. Sorry.