Northwest Fishing Reports

I plan on drift fishing and plunking soon in the rivers(Sky, cowlitz, etc) for salmon and steelhead.
I was looking at reels online and not many are rated for braided line.
Power pro says there 30#test is the same diameter as mono 8#test.
Does that mean if I find any reel that says 150yds of 8# test (or more) then I could fit a 150yd spoil of powerpro braid on it?
Or should I get a specific reel (penn battle II comes to mind from my research) that is made for super lines?

Thank you.

I thought all reels these days were rated for braid? I havent seen one in ages that didnt have a number for how much braid it will hold.

What brands are you looking at?

Anyway, yes. If the real says it can hold 150 yrds of 8# mono, it can hold 150 yrds of 30# braid more or less.

Well, online atleast it only states the general amount. (Which implies mono) except for a few says how much braid they can hold. I am looking at reels prices around 100$ or less tho, that may be why as well.
But ok thanks for the info !
I'm considering Penn, Cabelas (the one I'm thinking is a cabelas reel that's engineered by Daiwa FWIW), Shimano, Okuma.
Looking for the best reel I can get at 100$ or less that will properly hold a spool of 150yds of 30#braid.
Particular I was hoping to match it up with an ~9ft med weight rod. (In my price range was thinking the Fenwick Eagle Salmon/Steelhead rated for 10-17lb line and lure weight 1/2-1 1/2

I prefer holding the reel before I buy it. I dont trust the specs as much as how it feels when i crank the handle

Your best price locally will be at Sportco in Fife or Sportsmans wearhouse further north in Federl Way and they have another store up near Seattle someplace.

They will almost always beat BassPro or Cabellas prices for the same stuff.

Scheindogg wrote:Well, online atleast it only states the general amount. (Which implies mono) except for a few says how much braid they can hold. I am looking at reels prices around 100$ or less tho, that may be why as well.
But ok thanks for the info !
I'm considering Penn, Cabelas (the one I'm thinking is a cabelas reel that's engineered by Daiwa FWIW), Shimano, Okuma.
Looking for the best reel I can get at 100$ or less that will properly hold a spool of 150yds of 30#braid.
Particular I was hoping to match it up with an ~9ft med weight rod. (In my price range was thinking the Fenwick Eagle Salmon/Steelhead rated for 10-17lb line and lure weight 1/2-1 1/2

Check out the Pflueger President for a great reel around 60-70$ I bought my first one three years ago and haven't bought any other brand of reel since. The size 35 or 40 can hold 150yrds of 30# braid no problem.

As for the Braid... most reels list the amount of Braid they can hold but if it doesn't then you should be fine just matching the braid to whatever diameter it'd be in mono. I'm not sure I'd drift fish or plunk with braid though. Braid works better for float fishing rather than drift fishing.

Larry3215 wrote:I prefer holding the reel before I buy it. I dont trust the specs as much as how it feels when i crank the handle

Your best price locally will be at Sportco in Fife or Sportsmans wearhouse further north in Federl Way and they have another store up near Seattle someplace.

They will almost always beat BassPro or Cabellas prices for the same stuff.

Awesome thanks for the advice! And for the record: what I do is o go online and get an idea of what is in my budget, then I go in and buy it (that way I can feel everything before I actually buy it)

BlakeP wrote:

Scheindogg wrote:Well, online atleast it only states the general amount. (Which implies mono) except for a few says how much braid they can hold. I am looking at reels prices around 100$ or less tho, that may be why as well.
But ok thanks for the info !
I'm considering Penn, Cabelas (the one I'm thinking is a cabelas reel that's engineered by Daiwa FWIW), Shimano, Okuma.
Looking for the best reel I can get at 100$ or less that will properly hold a spool of 150yds of 30#braid.
Particular I was hoping to match it up with an ~9ft med weight rod. (In my price range was thinking the Fenwick Eagle Salmon/Steelhead rated for 10-17lb line and lure weight 1/2-1 1/2

Check out the Pflueger President for a great reel around 60-70$ I bought my first one three years ago and haven't bought any other brand of reel since. The size 35 or 40 can hold 150yrds of 30# braid no problem.

As for the Braid... most reels list the amount of Braid they can hold but if it doesn't then you should be fine just matching the braid to whatever diameter it'd be in mono. I'm not sure I'd drift fish or plunk with braid though. Braid works better for float fishing rather than drift fishing.

Ok thank you I will check that one out, definitely.
As for the type of fishing I'll be doing, my father in law got me into fishing and has used braid with plenty of success in drift fishing while using braid, but thanks for looking out on that note!

My experience with spooling braid is that the spool never holds as much as the specs say it will. But that's ok for reasons I'll explain. A very important tip is to not overload the spool. This will cause problems like rats nests and increasing the likelihood of the line biting into the spool under tension. I always make sure I have some lip sticking out after spooling with braid to help keep it winding properly when reeling.
Now, the reason you don't need a lot of braid is because when a mono topshot/bumper is properly used then you'll rarely to never lose any of your braided line. When fishing in the rives using a 2500 to 3000 series spinning reel I don't think I've ever needed more than the top 30-40 yards (if that) of line from the reel when fighting a fish. The rest usually sits on the reel unused. When hangups and snags occur the mono bumper breaks first saving the braid and preventing unnecessary line loss as well as keeping a wad of destructive braided line out of the river. The stuff is a menace to fisherman and aquatic life. The only time I lose braid is periodically I'll cut off the top ten or so feet due to wear (abrasion and fraying), but that's only about once or twice a season. The stuff really lasts. Knots can be worked out by those who are patient and have a good pair of hemostats or knitting needles. I use hemostats and when I get a knot will just work on it until it unravels.
I use use braid for everything now. I like it for drift fishing as it really transmits the feel of the drift through the the line.
Two important tips: When loading braid on a spool (at least a spinning reel spool), always use a piece of tape or mono line backer as the braid can slip, even on these new grooved spools that say they're made for braid. Been there, done that. Not cool. And, never try to grab and pull braid with your bare hands (especially hands that have soaked in the river all day) to break off a snag or heavily cinch a knot as the stuff will slice you quick like a little serated knife.
I've been using 30lb PowerPro original and Super Slick 8 for the last 5 or so years or more and have never felt disappointed. In fact, I'm still using the original line I first bought on one of my feels and it's been transferred between 3 or 4 reels since. The stuff just keeps on going.
This might be all information you might already know, but maybe it'll help someone.
Tight Lines.

BentRod wrote:My experience with spooling braid is that the spool never holds as much as the specs say it will. But that's ok for reasons I'll explain. A very important tip is to not overload the spool. This will cause problems like rats nests and increasing the likelihood of the line biting into the spool under tension. I always make sure I have some lip sticking out after spooling with braid to help keep it winding properly when reeling.
Now, the reason you don't need a lot of braid is because when a mono topshot/bumper is properly used then you'll rarely to never lose any of your braided line. When fishing in the rives using a 2500 to 3000 series spinning reel I don't think I've ever needed more than the top 30-40 yards (if that) of line from the reel when fighting a fish. The rest usually sits on the reel unused. When hangups and snags occur the mono bumper breaks first saving the braid and preventing unnecessary line loss as well as keeping a wad of destructive braided line out of the river. The stuff is a menace to fisherman and aquatic life. The only time I lose braid is periodically I'll cut off the top ten or so feet due to wear (abrasion and fraying), but that's only about once or twice a season. The stuff really lasts. Knots can be worked out by those who are patient and have a good pair of hemostats or knitting needles. I use hemostats and when I get a knot will just work on it until it unravels.
I use use braid for everything now. I like it for drift fishing as it really transmits the feel of the drift through the the line.
Two important tips: When loading braid on a spool (at least a spinning reel spool), always use a piece of tape or mono line backer as the braid can slip, even on these new grooved spools that say they're made for braid. Been there, done that. Not cool. And, never try to grab and pull braid with your bare hands (especially hands that have soaked in the river all day) to break off a snag or heavily cinch a knot as the stuff will slice you quick like a little serated knife.
I've been using 30lb PowerPro original and Super Slick 8 for the last 5 or so years or more and have never felt disappointed. In fact, I'm still using the original line I first bought on one of my feels and it's been transferred between 3 or 4 reels since. The stuff just keeps on going.
This might be all information you might already know, but maybe it'll help someone.
Tight Lines.

+1

Excellent summary and good advice.

BlakeP wrote:

Scheindogg wrote:Well, online atleast it only states the general amount. (Which implies mono) except for a few says how much braid they can hold. I am looking at reels prices around 100$ or less tho, that may be why as well.
But ok thanks for the info !
I'm considering Penn, Cabelas (the one I'm thinking is a cabelas reel that's engineered by Daiwa FWIW), Shimano, Okuma.
Looking for the best reel I can get at 100$ or less that will properly hold a spool of 150yds of 30#braid.
Particular I was hoping to match it up with an ~9ft med weight rod. (In my price range was thinking the Fenwick Eagle Salmon/Steelhead rated for 10-17lb line and lure weight 1/2-1 1/2

Check out the Pflueger President for a great reel around 60-70$ I bought my first one three years ago and haven't bought any other brand of reel since. The size 35 or 40 can hold 150yrds of 30# braid no problem.

As for the Braid... most reels list the amount of Braid they can hold but if it doesn't then you should be fine just matching the braid to whatever diameter it'd be in mono. I'm not sure I'd drift fish or plunk with braid though. Braid works better for float fishing rather than drift fishing.

I picked one up at Sportco 2 years ago and love it. For the money they are hard to beat.

I agree - you dont really want to fill them up to the max rating.

That reel is a perfect example of what I mean, altho it is rated for braid, it only said the amount of braid up to 12# test that fits on it. It doesn't say how much 30# braid would fit on it, that's why I was looking for one that was actually rated specifically for 30# braid because I feel like / thought that would be the best fit

if ya want a great rod and reel combo go to cabelas and get the eagle claw spinning reel with the eagle claw IM6 rod...9'6 and built really well, personally have landed steelhead and quite a few chum salmon over 20 lb and not had any issues.. Plus for $69 its a great price

I suppose it's opinion but I'd say Eagle Claw anything isn't worth the money. No sensitivity. But opinions are opinions. But I'd compare Eagle Claw to Shakespeare rods.

About the rating for Braid. I don't think you'll find a lot of reels that show ratings for heavier braid unless they're large reels(4000 and above) and they won't be specifically rated for 30#. I never personally use 30# braid(I stick with 15 and 20#) but I have friends that do and any size 3000-4000 Size Reel can handle up 30#. You could probably fill a 4000 Reel with 50# braid no problem even. The best thing you can do is try things out and ask anyone in the Sporting goods section their opinion on what you're looking for. I'd still look into the President, I've never talked to anyone who was disappointed with it.

For rods that's all based on what you think feels best for the price as well. Personally I've been happy with a lot of Okuma rods for their price. They're not great by any means(The SST is pretty great but more as a float rod) but they work well for the price. The Okuma Celilo is a a pretty okay option for around 50$. If you have the money I'd say you're better off getting a rod built, I had a rainshadow rod made a few years back and I've stuck with Rainshadow rod blanks ever since, but those get really pricey.

Thanks Blake, definitely still considering the president, I think it very well may end up being the one I get.
As for rod I was looking for around 70-80$.
I've pretty much come down to the Wriggt and McGill salmon/steelhead rod IM7 (8'6 med) or the Fenwock Eagle Salmon/Steelhead (9'6 med)

And ok that makes sense about why it doesn't show the rating for heavier braid. (Even tho 30# braid is still only as thick as 8#mono proving its still quite thin, which is why the the reels might be rated for it)

Also- do you guys know any spots on the cowlitz that are Good for plunking? I will be going down Thursday and probably drift fish a bit, but would love to try plunking as well

I just did a lot of reading on reels and eventually bought the Shimano 4000FL. Small for the strength. Smooth. Easily carries 30# braid. It was on sale at Cabelas for $89 awhile back. Rated very high when reading online. I started by ordering the 3000 online, but it was too small. Went to Cabelas and held the 4000 which is perfect for a casting reel to go with a Takeda line-counter for trolling or back bouncing, anchoring up. 4000 has a very smooth line spool edge so casting is easy. I've never had a problem with Shimano in several years and a few reels now.

The tip on backing with tape is a great one to know.

Good luck.