J(oe)ah.

For summer run in a casting rod I gotta love my Rapala tournament classic HM-45 9'6" 6-10 1/8-1/2oz medium light with my pro caster and 15lb. PP or 10lb. suffix siege peach. In a spring rod however for for both summers and winters I love my Avid Saint Croix 9'6" 6-12 15lb. PP or 10lb. suffix siege peach. But for the big stuff (king and OP winter run) I usually use Cetified pro Bill Herzog 8-17 casting medium mag with my pro caster and 20lb. PP or Cardiff 301 with 30#PP for the real big boys. As for a heavy sping 9'6" 12-25 and my Stadic 5000 with 30lbs. PP.

1143-C + Curado = Steelhead

1265-C + Calcutta Conquest = salmon and big local stuff

Just an idea for anybody getting into float fishing... Ive got a Shakespeare 10.5' noodle rod and a Certified Pro 10.5' for around $ 70 apiece. They are rated for 4-8lb i believe and matched with a decent Shimano spinning reel(whole setup maybe $ 125) will make a great cost effecient setup for somebody getting into steelheading. When i fished summer runs alot i would typically land 30-40 fish a summer on the Shakespeare and 10-20 on the Certified Pro(Im7) They are light, have good "whip action" for hook setting, and tire fish quickly. If your fishing Feb-April for big Nates they dont have a ton of backbone for turning a freight train but will do just fine in the right areas.
You can probably find the Shakespeare and Cert Pro in any Surplus/Outdoor shop???

I am a recent fan of the All Star rods.

I picked up a 10'6" IM10 fast/light action for float fishing this year. The tip on that sucker is super light and if you happen to be doing a wierd drift where you may not always get a hard take down that is noticeable, you can pick up the slack and feel the slightest hit out there.

Pretty sure the new ones are not what you want to get. The one I got was a older one that had been sittin a while. The newer ones are made over seas I think after they were bought out by Shakespeare.