Selecting the Best Salmon Float Rod

Selecting the best Salmon float rod can be a tough and overwhelming thing to do but it doesn’t have to be. A good rod won’t make you get more bites but it will help you catch more fish. To specify the right rod doesn’t have to be an expensive one, it just has to be the right one. There’s a few key components you need to be aware of when picking your float stick, length, line rating and speed. 

Length of the rod is self explanatory  and easy to find. Line rating is listed on the rod, online it should be listed in the description. The line rating gives you an indication of how much power the rod has and generally what leader you can run and shouldn’t run. The speed or action of the rod tells you where in the blank your backbone comes from. Slow rods take longer to get to your power, meaning your backbone is lower in the rod towards the handle. A fast rod gets to it’s power higher up in the blank. There is pros and cons to each and each one has a time and place to be more effective than the other. 

Float fishing for King Salmon

 The rod I pick up on any given day is mostly determined by the size of the river I am fishing. I don’t want to fish a 12 foot rod in a small creek, one it would be a pain to get around and find room to set the hook but it most likely won’t fit your needs either. If fishing smaller rivers and creeks and taking shorter drifts you don't need the ability to control line and set the hook from a distance, what you do need is a little extra forgiveness in the rod. When I’m fishing smaller river systems I like to fish a rod that is on the slower side, hooking fish in the small, tight water isn’t the problem but keeping them hooked can be another story. The slower action in the rod gives me a bit more forgiveness allowing me to put good pressure on the fish but also a little more time to react and adjust when a fish changes directions or runs unexpectedly.

When fishing a bit bigger of a river system, my rod length increases, usually around 12ft for kings and I prefer something with a fast action. On bigger rivers I might be farther from the boat and fishing deeper water making it difficult to manage my line but also get a good hookset. The length of the rod helps control your line and the fast action helps drive the hook home. 

My salmon float rods are between 10’6 and 12’ depending on where I am fishing. For line rating I like to stay around the 10lb-20lb mark, speed varies on the river, smaller rivers moderate, bigger rivers medium/fast. You don’t have to spend a lot of money to get a good rod $100-$200 is plenty to get a quality stick to put fish on the bank or in the boat. Also, don’t be afraid to try something different and get the feel for some different rods until you figure what you like.