Budget Downrigger Rod

Well, my birthday's not for another month and a half, but it's never too early to plan ahead. Now that I've got a boat with downriggers, I'm going to need (maybe "need" is the wrong word) a downrigger rod to pair with a Penn Squall 20 reel. I've been using my Okuma SST so far, but the reel doesn't fit in the seat well, and I'd rather keep that as my dedicated rod for steelhead/coho in the river.

Any recommendations on a solid downrigger rod for salmon fishing in Puget Sound?

Any thoughts on these:

http://www.fishusa.com/product/Fenwick-E...CFVFefgodAyIEUw

http://www.fishusa.com/product/Daiwa-DXS-Salmon-Steelhead-Downrigger-Trolling-Rods

thanks!

That Daiwa in medium 10'6" would do the trick quite nice. I've got a shimano convergence that specs out to about the same as that one and I absolutely love it for PS. Handled kings to 30lbs with it. Still light enough for coho to put up a fight. It is also nice having the lighter rods as they will show you when a shaker grabs your gear.

Lamiglass classic glass. ~$100.00 and best downrigger rod ever made!

http://www.sportco.com/store/pc/Shimano-Convergence-Salmon-Steelhead-Rods-8-6-12-6-584p70425.htm

$80 I have (and you too) fished with these or their cousin's for years. I like that medium heavy mooching. Go down to OE and have a look!

I'm not sure what you like as far as the specs but the new Okuma SST boat rods with the carbon handles are really nice, they sell for only $85. I have one myself thats 9' 10-30 and would suffice plus they're actually quite nice. They have them in longer models as well if that floats your boat.

I have both the Daiwa you listed (the heavy version) and the Shimano Converge CVC-M106MH2B mentioned. The Daiwa is a sweet rod and I might add the lighter version for silvers. The Converge gets suggested a lot, which is why I bought it, but the handle below the reel seat on the mooching version is WAY too short to me. It is the absolute last choice on my boat.

The only other thing I'd add is 10.5' is a long rod on a boat and it makes landing fish tricky, especially if the rod man and the net man can't easily move around the boat. You need a long net. I don't think there is a huge downside to a shorter rod. Just make sure it is a "slow action" rod.

Gutz, mostly I remember trying not to screw up using the knucklebuster!

I'm seeing lots of support for the 10'6" Convergence, but I'm concerned it might be a bit long/unwieldy for netting (especially if I'm operating solo).

I might just go with something cheap like like the Okuma Classic Pro (under $30 on Amazon) until I get a better feel for what other characteristics I might prefer.

Good choice and available at Sportco/OE per their website for $85; periodically on sale for less.

I run a CG 86 MHC in each of my downriggers. I pull them out and plug salmon and steelhead too. They're light enough that catching Sockeye on them is still fun. Might be lighter than what you're looking for, but I don't mind a little extra fight (with no seals around).

Classic Glass is tempting. Any other opinions on the 9' Heavy or the 8'6" medium heavy? If I had to guess, I'll probably be catching more coho than kings with it.

Daiwa Wilderness does the job, if you just need a temp rod for the time being. They are fiberglass with aluminum oxide guides. Check out Outdoor Emporium. Got one on sale a few years back for $10.

Right now I am running the CG 90 DR which is listed at 9 foot rated for 15-30 lb test and with moderate action and heavy power. Works fine for silvers but will add that my older son tangled with an over slot ling which put a big bend in that rod before it decided to leave the bottom. So far no heavy kings with it but expect it would be okay.

If you are primarily fishing silvers and fish solo the shorter rod might make netting fish a bit easier but the nine footer is nice to reach out and around the motor/bracket.

I have one of those that I use for mooching, and with it's slow action it can be difficult to get the fish to the net if you are by yourself in a small boat.


I agree with your thinking. I have found some good rods at garage sales.

$25 for a shimano tdr, and get the litest action they have for your length. Nothing more is needed for downrigging. I stay away from the Med Heavy or Heavy rods cause MOST fish you catch won't be 25+ lbers, and the lighter action will keep the release from letting go by msitake at 120'...then you have to reset everything. I use 8'6" to 10'6", length up to you.
Get 2 TDR's for half the price of a $100 rod! Most places will do a price match if that saves you from running around. Check John's....$23.95.

I went into Johns Sporting Goods 5-6 yrs ago with $200 in my pocket to get a "better" downrigger rod as I stepped on my Shimano TDR and figured I've got a ton of nice fly rods, why not spend a bit on a downrigger rod......He said "you want a downrigger rod?....I can sell you all kinds of rods, but this Okuma Downrigger rod(DR-862M) is what I use....Think it was $28 and I love it. Probably the most honest retail sale of my life. Real similar to the TDR which I have as the spare. Was in Everett the other night, and if he was open, would have got another one.....Tom

Well, I just picked up an Okuma Classic Pro GLT CP-DR-862M ($30) and a Daiwa Wilderness WLDR 862MHR ($15) from Outdoor Emporium. Hopefully I'll break them in on some coho this Sunday.

Thanks for all the suggestions/tips.

It can be done solo!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRo30tJCvLY

Nice job Gutz........................in rough water no less.

Yes good job Gutz.

I hooked a 10#er just behind the dorsal while mooching herring with a 7' to 7.5' leader. I got the fish within sight of the boat in a reasonable amount of time but every time that I would reel the lead close to the tip top, the bend in the rod combined with the leader would not allow me to get the fish close enough to the boat to reach it with the net and the fish would just swim away. Eventually when we were both dead tired and I finally managed to drag him on his side and sideways close enough to the boat to get the net in front of him I netted him. I don't know how long it took but it was quite a while and I felt blessed that a seal didn't take it before I got him into the boat.

Took the fam out today. Got one on the Okuma. It has a slower action than the Daiwa, which I liked just for setting it up and trolling. Obviously can't compare when it comes to actually fighting the fish since I didn't catch any on the Daiwa.