Early last week we asked our loyal readers about which rods you like to fish most for steelhead. Just like we did with our polls about trout rods and bonefish rods, today we’re here to give you the results.
Single Handed or Double-Handed?
You guys like fishing two-handed rods! Note: there was one switch rod given as a favorite, and we called it a two-hander.
- Double-handed – 80%
- Single-handed – 20%
Which Manufacturer?
Well, Sage is 3-for-3 in our ‘Favorite Rod’ polls. It’s cool to see how many manufacturers are represented here though.
- Sage – 44%
- Burkheimer – 12%
- Winston – 12%
- Beulah – 4%
- Cabela’s – 4%
- CND – 4%
- Echo – 4%
- Fly Logic – 4%
- Grey’s – 4%
- Scott – 4%
- TFO – 4%
What Weight?
No surprise here – 7s and 8s rule the roost.
- 7 – 57%
- 8 – 39%
- 9 – 4%
Currently Available?
It’s always interesting to know whether ‘classic’ rods are more well-liked than current models (see our Favorite Trout Rod results to know why). Looks like the manufacturers are doing a good job when it comes to steelhead rods.
- Yes – 71%
- No – 29%
Commentary
Lots of people like swinging flies when they’re fishing for steelhead, and it looks like you agree with us that if you’re swinging a fly, a two-handed rod is the tool to use. In most rivers that are most accessible to steelhead anglers, 7 weights match up really well with the size of fish, tips and flies that make the most sense. Some pretty big advances have been made in the world of two-handed rods in the last few years, and it looks like new technology is working great for most of us.
So there you have it – no big shockers but lots of interesting input regardless.
Thanks to everybody who weighed in!
what happened to g-loomis, or meiser rods. i think id prefer the meisers. great rods!
This is a very interesting study. I likewise wonder about G. Loomis. I would also love to see the same study done on what spey reel your readers prefer!
Meiser, Loomis are great rods. Didn’t like the stiffer action on my z-axis, however as much. but one really has to look (and can unfortunately find with effort) crummy equipment out there. Most rods and reels today can really do the job …let’s be honest about how good we’ve really got it!I am happy to live in an equiptment rich environment.