"We're gonna need a bigger stick"

Last year I relocated from Southern Ontario to Terrace BC. My pin setup is a Frogwater mounted on a 15' CTS 6-10. I run 14# Nanofil, 12# mono shot line and 10# STS flouro leader. Up until yesterday I had been just fine slaying chrome up to 15#s plus a bunch of dollys, pinks and chum. But yesterday I was working an awesome new run on the Kalum river and hooked something, well....bigger.

I was drifting a small pink jig under my float when it shot down. I got a very solid hookset in to something that had very heavy headshakes. It surfaced near where it went down and I just saw its tail, a good 3 feet away from where the line entered the water. The fish slowly meandered upstream to me to about 5 yards out in front of me with its belly on the bottom. I bent the rod to the cork to pull the big beasty up. Up it came to just under the surface where I could make out a huge silhouette. It looked at me, winked, laughed and shook its head and snapped that leader like it was nothing. Off he went and I didn't hook another fish all day.

It was either a very early chinook (springer out here, they start to make their way up in mid April) or it was a 20# plus steelie. It is in the conversation for biggest fish I've ever battled. But this was the first time I felt as though I was at the will of the fish with my gear. I have had back and forth battles with big fish before but this was different. He was in charge from hookset to break off. Which brings me to my question.

I need a big whuppin stick to put a beating on big chinnies. 50s and 60s are caught regularly. Say someone was crazy enough to go after them with a centerpin, what would you guys like for a rod? I know a lot of folks favour the Sage 3113s out here but at 11'3" that's shorter than I would like to go. I love my 15' for the casting distance but also for the drift control. It's hard to get info in the area because either you plunk and throw spoons or you're a spey guy. Pin fisherman are few and far between. Any ideas?

Better to have hooked, played and lost..........than never hooked at all !!!!!

I use 13' rods, like the 6 - 10, I don't CP, too old to learn.

Keep the memory.....

I fished with a guide on the Kalum many years ago. We caught Kings and Steelhead. Also 1 guide took us across the Skeena(I think) to another river that we did excellent on Steelhead.

Cool rivers.

fp

Memories are all you're left with...exactly why I gave up the trout gear for late winter-runs years ago. They ain't leader shy.

Spey rod blank -> built into pin rod.

Rainshadow makes a pin for that a lot of the guys seem to like. I dont have the model number of hand but its a 13 foot version with the backbone you need. Several dudes here that have it and can tell you more. Seen lots of huge steelhead landed on that rod!

Raven came out with a newer heavyweight, suited for steelhead on bigger spectrum.

What is fishing one, perhaps he'll chime in.

All of my pin rods are on 7, 8, 9, or 10 weight spey blanks. I have talked with several rodbuilders in the midwest and they are still of the opinion that their ultralight 4-10# blanks will catch any Chinook or steelhead in the PNW.

I am of the opinion that they have no clue.

As C/22 said, Raven has come out with a heavier one, I haven't seen it yet so can't comment on it.

Fish on...

Todd

Good April fool's day joke.

LMAO. I didn't even realize it was April fools. That is a good joke. But I swear it's a true story. Thanks for the input guys. I'm going to start looking at spey blanks.

I don't doubt you needing a heavier rod, God knows nobody owns enough, but you didn't break your rod. You broke the leader. You hooked the fish, played him to your feet and popped him off.

I would recommend looking into raven's series of rods before you take the time and money to have something much fancier built. I have ran a couple of their pin rods and they are great, I especially like the 11'6" 6-12# IM6. Can handle a lot of abuse, and doesn't have the tip sag and fatigue of some of the longer rods, and for a good price. Raven makes great stuff.

Ok so no AF'sD joke...so I would look into BDJr's Raven recommendation.
Specifically the 12'6" 8-15#, for the water you are currently fishing.

They are considerably lighter than any comparable spey or switch blank wrapped as CP, are warrantied (where fly blanks are not), and you can beat the crap out of them. Terrific bang for the buck.

Good luck on your next outing.

And there you go