Best of the Best?

[BrianF]

I thought it would be fun and informative to create a thread for what everyone thought of their salmon/steelhead gear, and pros and cons of it. Please do not use this thread to put down anyones opinion and or gear. I listed the gear in my order of importance; feel free to list in your own order. Remember that these are opinions only.

Polarized Sunglasses- Revos PROS--- I just love the way they reduce glare on the water, and allow me to see fish in the water column; they take a lot of abuse. CONS--- very very very expensive you will cry if you lose them, which is why I am currently looking for something good, but more expendable.

I will be checking out Smith sunglasses this fall and they have interchangeable polarized lenses, and my Maui Jims but, have not fished with either of them yet.

Reels- the Ross Big Game Canyon 5---- PROS---reasonable price for what I consider a high end reel, low maintenance, plenty of backing for all kinds of salt/fresh water big game fishing, low profile of the drag wheel, great sealed drag, no sharp edges, CONS--- no drag sound, I like to hear reel that sings as the line heads out fast, drag settings are too broad, what I mean by that is you have to turn the drag knob about three times to go totally loose or totally tight ( not recommended while fighting a fish!).

Rods- this choice is a lot harder as I have used a few different makes, and find them all to be very good. Sage four piece fast action in a 9wt, ***** tip flex 9wt two piece. PROS--- reasonable price for the craftsmanship of the rods, good casting power when not doing chuck and duck. Tip flex are great for working big fish, these two brands hold up very well under the strain of big fish, though one can say that the reel helps with that as well. Good warrantee support on both.

Waders- ***** Silver label breathable--- PROS--- They just fit me the best, very comfortable, good construction. CONS- no water tight chest compartment, that would be great for car transmitters, cell phones etc. scary when you fill them with water in a deep hole (all breathable waders are)

Landing Gear- Boga Grip---PROS great way not to handle a fish for release, to lift up fish for a picture, accurate weight of your fish, good control, built like a tank to last and last. CONS way more expensive then a net.

Leader- no brand preference--- I like mono over fluorocarbon, as it is more environmentally friendly. Fluorocarbon is great when the water is really clear as it is invisible in water, but does not deteriorate over time when you lose it to a snag which is really bad news for a river; mono is the reverse of floro.

Line- any running line that does not have mono based core. Rio fly line for casting situations.

[Steeldrifter]

Sunglasses-fitovers in amber shade(cant leave home without them or i'm turning the truck back around!) :D

Rod- sage VPS 8wt 9ft....tried many differnt rods,*****,reddington,loomis,scott,winston..and for the price i think its hard to beat this rod for salmon.

Reel-Harris Solitude IV...is there anything else ;) i also have a ross rythme and a ross c4 and they are great reels but after countless 20+ pounders and 6 years the harris still preforms like a champ...pricey but worth every penny!

line-i use SA and teeny lines,but i'm not real picky about brands for salmon as long as i have maxima for leaders i'm happy.

waders-Simms gore tex (the $150 pair..free stone i think) best waders i've owned and will stick with them throughout my fishing days.

gear bag-sage waterproof bag,lots o room and hold dirty/wet waders without getting the truck nasty.

wadeing shoes-i've killed many a pair of wadeing boots in my day but after getting these korker convertaboots i cant ever see myself buying anything else.

Flyshops-BBT best shop in town and friendly guys....now do i get some free stuff when i come in bob? ;) :D

SD

[Chrome Kid]

Okuma Intergrity is the best salmon reel that i have seen for under $100.
Ive used it for 2 years without any problems.

[TNfly]

I say you get what you pay for. I used to be the exact type that would go the inexpensive route to make myself feel better about the purchase, but 9 times out of 10 I regret it.

For example: I just did it on a berkley lip gripper like the boga. It has a digital scale that I thought would be cooler (it's not, its actually harder to use) and it was $70 instead of $150-200. Wished I would have gotten the Boga. The Berkley drops fish like there is no tomorrow. Jaws just won't stay shut on a 20lb salmon.

For other gear:

Waders-Have had *****, Hodgeman (really suck...their repair policy is crap too), Cabelas....nothing compares to my new Simms G3 Guideweight waders. They are the bomb. For $425 they better be. Built in hand warmers, built in tippet spool pockets, and built in zingers for clips. If these waders ever ripped like my ***** I would be suprised.

Rods - Tried Powell, Sage, *****, Redington....hands down Winston Rods are the best. I have two BL5's (6wt and 9wt) and a DL4 (3wt). Love them...if you fish a Winston you'll never go back. Built in Montana. Their return policy is cool. I was headed out west this summer and called for one repair on the 3wt and one lost section out of my 6 wt. They told me it would be two weeks. 3 weeks before my trip, I thought I was safe. They called me a week before my trip and told me that they wouldn't be ready in time for my trip, but that they had FedEx'd me two loaner rods of the same models for my trip out west. When I got back my rods were waiting on me. I kept the loaners for 2 more months and they never called about them. Finally, I got to feeling bad that I was so lazy and I sent them back.

Sunglasses - I alternate between ***** and Ray Bans. They are both awesome. Picked the ***** one's up on Sierratradingpost dot com $50 for $150 pair....you can find loads of closeout outdoor stuff there at bottom dollar....even flyfishing gear.

Reels - I've got about 8-9 different reels, 90% of the fishing I do is for trout so all my reel is doing is holding the line. I think its crazy to spend $300 on the reel when alot of people never even use the drag or get into the backing with trout. I've got a Pate that I use for Salmon/Steel/Salt and while it is a total tank, I will not buy another one because it took me 3 hours to put it back together one time. Loop reels are cool, but overrated. The LA Battenkill I have is pretty nice. But, if you are truly looking for the best reel on the market, go with the Abel.

Line - Hate RIO...too stiff. Wouldn't fish it if you gave it to me. I prefer Scientific Angler or Cortland. Don't like the ***** line either. A neat thing to do that alot of you probably know about is to buy a double taper and turn it around when you've used it for a year or so. You get two lines for the price of one.

[SpanishFly]

Sunglasses - I have Smith Slider 01. Yep, interchangeable lenses at $50 a pair. I have yellow, brown and orange lenses! Love them all. Very light, easy to swap out, and most important, shatter proof! I don't know if I would say they are comparable to other polarized glasses specifically designed for fishing. I need to wear a hat to cut down on the light entering the top and sides.

Reel - Depends. Cold weather, HARRIS all the way! Warm weather, big fish - TIBOR / ABEL . Small fish - well, it only holds the line so it doesn't matter.

Rod - I haven't really experienced the high end rods, so I'm lucky, I don't know what I'm missing. I can say that for salmon/steel, I don't really consider that casting, so anything will do as long as it is stout enough. I have two 8wts for salmon, a 7 for steel, a 3 for fun and a 11' 8wt cabelas for bass which I love!

Waders - Hodgeman, too cheap to invest in Simms. Definitely boot foot next time!

Vise - Renzetti, affordable and good customer service.

Float tubes - Fishcat Panther all the way! Needs only 3 inches of water! Let's see an ODC or TU go over without hitting bottom! Mine clears it even when fully loaded!

Line - ***** tippets! Scientific Angler otherwise!

[Murph]

Sunglasses--not doubt about it--Costa del Mars. But at last years fly tackle show in Denver there were about 20 sunglass vendors/makers from all over the world so prices may start to come down.

Rod--depends of the kind of fishing but for salmon I really like my 9 wt Sage. All the better brands--Winston, *****, et al--are good its more of a personal preferance at the high end. I got a new 4 pc Temple Fork Outfitters 9wt that I'm anxious to try.

Waders--Simms, no doubt about it.

Reels--again, depends on the fishing and price point. Abel is a great reel and there are others. I've used 2 different ***** Battenkill large arbors--the 7/8 and the 9/10--and they're good reels for the money. Someone mentioned the Okuma and I have one as a backup that I'm interested in trying.

Misc stuff--I've been really pleased with some of the Simms stuff--vest, underwader wear, bags--better than some of the bigger name/higher price stuff.