We’ve gotten some really interesting input from all of you when we’ve asked you about your favorite fly rods for steelhead, trout and bonefish.
Since we’ll catching king salmon at Alaska West and chinook salmon at BC West (local terminology!) in just a few weeks, we figured it’s a great time to ask you about your favorite king/chinook rods.
What’s Your Favorite King Rod?
Leave a comment to let us know what your favorite rod is for kings. Just pick one – but tell us why! Single- or double-handed, long or short, 8 weight or 10 weight, slow or fast…we want to know about your sweetest stick for kings.
If you’re viewing this in a newsletter or a reader, just click right here to go to our web site and leave your vote in a comment.
So, what’s your favorite king rod? Why?
Sage Z-AXIS 8129 – this is shorter than most king rods and has just as much power as a longer stick. When I first started I used a 14ft Winston b2x which is a good stick but I feel I can cover the same amount of water effectively with a 12ft rod. The Z-AXIS also has the backbone to put kings with the baddest attitude to the beach.
I am a huge fan of the 8123-4 TCR for a king fighting stick. Can really put the wood to the fish and it nice to cast all day. No doubt “T” is right on the money with the 8129-4 Z-Axis for a good one too.
Financially challenged and slummin’ on the public water of the lower 48:
#1 – Sage GFL 9100 RPL
A rare, sweet rod that I bought second-hand. Stands as a constant reminder that Sage had it all figured out in the late 1980s. Nothing casts better. Total newbies pick it up and rock. Feels under-gunned for fish over 20 pounds, but that’s not all bad. Been broken three times, and will explode again very soon.
#2 – Vision 9′ 11wt prototype
I catch shit for fishing an 11-weight, but it’s so nice to be able to lean into a big fish. It will probably break soon, and I’ll never find another one. Hint, hint, Tuomas.
#3 – Vision 9′ 10wt (can’t remember the official code name)
Super light, fast action, comes with built-in king magnet. Replacement sections arrive within a few days from Finland. No shit.
WHAT NOT TO BUY: Shakespeare UglyStik 10-weight – This rod almost broke my arm. Testing their 8-weight this season, and I have high hopes. Retail: $57.00, guaranteed for life. Fuck yeah.
Great response Rob, especially the what not to buy!
For spey fishing for kings my go to has been the Sage Z-Axis 8129. It rips with just about any fly and tip with a skagit short 625. More of a 9 weight than an 8 weight. Played around a bit with the TCX 7126 and was great for smaller fish sub 25 lbs but got my ass handed to me on a few big, hot fish!
Been playing around with the new ECHO King sticks! They are pretty damn good casting rods and have thrown anything from 650-750 on both and can handle the grains no prob. Will most likely fish the 13′ #9 this June/July.
Anxious to try the new ONE 13′ #10 as well!
The Sage Z-Axis 8129 rocks for the kings and it fits in the boats a hell of a lot easier than the 14′-16′ rods that were the norm until just a few years ago.
The Loomis 13′ 8/9 Stinger GLX is my stick of choice for covering all water types, huckin’ gagger flies and still having the backbone to hammer it down.
As already stated: Shorter rods=More leverage for the Kings of the K-tok!
8123 TCR is a close second for me.
My Chinook/King Salmon rod is the Pieroway Metal Detector 13’5″ 720 grain. I’m completely biased but this is the perfect rod for fishing the Kanektok. The length is perfect for dealing with large fish and casting long, the unique Metal Detector action makes casting in the wind all day a pleasure. I match this rod with an airflo 720 grain skagit compact intermediate and 12′ t17 sink tip
Here’s a vote from Charles St. Pierre–
Just tried this one and can’t wait to put it to the field test. The Kanektok is only three weeks away…
The new Sage One 10130-4. Now THIS is a king stick! Add a 700 grain Rio Skagit Flight, 13 ft. of T-11 or T-14, 40 inches of 20 lbs. Maxima Ultra Green leader, add Chartreuse & White Ho Bo Spey. Then huck, swing, stir, and marinate vigorously in king rich Alaskan tundra river and hang on. Guaranteed, you don’t want to be at the other end of this rod. Oh yeah, a 4 inch Hardy Bougle Mark IV that gives the vibe here a sound. Capture…
Charles St. Pierre / Northwest Speycasting / Ak West Spey Instructor / Jedi
Do too little chasing kings with long rods. So my experience is limited. Have fished southern BC with Niska a couple times, and got into my first fish on the OR coast just this last winter. Have a Burkie 10130-3 that I picked up second hand from a guy who used it too little. Have a couple other Burkies (8139-3 and 7115-4), love the the Burkie feel, and the 10130-3 doesn’t disappoint. chucks a 720 gr. Ariflo Skagit Compact and any tip and fly I want to throw with authority. And more backbone then I know what to do with. Not a problem being able to stand my ground and make a heavy fish work. having access to the heavier grain lines makes for a lil’ more enjoyable casting in the heavy winds I’ve experienced on the coast. and yeah, I thing the 12’6″-13 length is the happy medium…. My .02…
My go to rod for Kings is my 11′ 8wt Z-axis Switch Rod! I can cast the thing with just a twitch of my arm! It is loaded with Rio 7/8 switch line that is slick as black ice!! I am now waiting for a Sage One 11’6″ 5wt to come in in a few weeks!!!
Sage 9140 TCX is my choice if I had to pick one King Rod. It covers all the basics for me. Just like Sam Adams- ” always a good choice”.
I’ve been using the Sage 8wt Z Axis switch rod for several years and it’s by far my favorite rod for smaller kings–up to 35 lbs. It has plenty of backbone to handle a hot fish plus loaded with a 500 grain Skagit line you can chuck big stuff 70 to 80 feet all day long. I have the 5wt thru the 8wt Z-axis switches–all used to swing for trout, steelhead and kings–they are sensitive and powerful–not sure how Sage can make a better rod. I guess we’ll see when “The One” comes out.
I am surprised to see that so many of you like short rods for Kings. A King rod has to do two things well; handle the fight and handle the heavy long sink tips. I regularly use 18′ T14 or T17, sometimes on intermediate heads. In order to lift those kind of lines a longer rod is much nicer than a short rod. When it comes to fighting the fish the main feature the rod has to have is “back bone”. It is true that the shorter the rod the easier it is to create “back bone”, there are very few long rods with strong enough bottom tapers to handle Kings. Where I fish anything under a hefty 9 weight is too light. That said; my preferred rod is a Guideline Le Cie 14’7″ for a 10#; lots of “back bone” and the needed length to handle long sinking tips. Now back to my weight lifting workout to get ready for those Kings! 😉
My favorite for kings is an antique Scott ARC 16′, 10 wt. it is fast, but the tip is a little softer than a similar Sage Z axis. It throws an Airflo 720 gr. line with 15′ of T-14 very nicely, and there’s no worry in the fight. Not a light weight rod however, but it’s my winner.
I am going to have to say Pieroway’s Metal Detector- the MD 720 to be exact. That rod is phenomenal and we have been using it up here in Alaska for some time now. Its smooth casting and ability to handle heavy fish makes it one of the best in my opinion. We have used several Sage, TFO and Scott rods and Pieroway is top of the line!
I like short rods even when fishing our big river, the Fraser. I use an 11 foot 7/8 RB Meiser switch rod for almost all of my fishing for Chinooks. This rod can handle a pretty big fish if you know how to fight them properly. We also chase fish with our jet boats if they get out of control though. I would step up to an 8/9 switch if I wasn’t able to chase fish.
Intereresting observation by Chaveecha.—The Sage 9100 RPL 3 piece rod was developed for Steelhead fishing back in the 80’s before Spey rods became “Main-Stream”–a SPECALITY rod developed to throw Teeny 300 sink tips using the :”Roll-Shoot” method when backed up to a shoreline with no room to cast.—Bus Bergman as the master of this technique and we all tried to emulate his effective style.—-A few years ago I took my 9100 to Gary Anderson and had him convert this OLD ROD with so many fond memories of large B.C Steelhead, to a switch rod setup for Spey and single handed use.—The plug in bottom piece turned it into a fine 10’4″ switch.—He is an amazing craftsmen!—Maybe I will put it in my OLD long boy case and give it a try on my Alaska West trip this year.—Maybe it will become my FAVORITE Kind rod just like Chaveecha?
Love Brian Niska’s Pieroway Whistler Spey Metal Detector 720. Awesome rod: light in the hand, casts a mile with a nice easy stroke – you can huck big junk all day on the K’tok! Ultimate king rod. Brian got this one right.
My favourite rod is the sage tcx series, they’re just perfect to cast heavy skagit and sinktip lines.
I like the Sage 9143 Zaxis but…I would like more stick in fighting something huge….
Anyone cast the new Echo King rod???
Hey Klint, I have one of the Echo King rods in the mail to me right now! I’m fishing it on the Dean later this month – look for a review…
Andrew
My two cents worth would be in the Scott T2H line up, if the big guys are running around the 12510 or 12’6″ 10 weight with a 780 grain skagit will get it done. I believe a sleeper in their line is also in the 12’6″ range but in an 8 weight line weight. I throw a 600 grain skagit on it and it flat jacks big tips and flies. It’s a joy to cast and really powerfull as well.
I have field tested a variety of Spey rods, but particularly I have two favorite Spey rods, or in military terms – Spey Missiles (haha). These are both ranked as a tie. The 14 9/10 Loomis NRX is an absolute cannon when utilized with a 625 grain Rio Skagit Flight. For the 15 foot big boy, although discontinued, the 10150-4 or 15′ 10 wt Sage Z-Axis. It loads very nice and bombs a cross country mile when matched to a 750 grain Rio Skagit Flight. These are my two Kenai killers – home to 60, 70, 80, and even 90 pounders!!! Kenai Kings on the spey – the ultimate fly challenge!!
Well, I tried Loc’s new GLoomis NRX and I have to say it was like drinking a 1966 Chateau Latour,,,,,, pretty special. I really dig the new Echo King and trust it a lot. But if I am on the Kenai, I like to bomb that Zaxis 10150 I have just for ultra big rivers. Cant beat those three….
I recently finished a week of great King fishing on the K-Tok. I fished my R.B. Meiser MKS 13′ 9/10 wt almost exclusively. It’s a rod built for Skagit casting and was fantastic on the Kings. In a week of fishing, I never got sore shoulders, neck or arms despite plenty of casts. It was very smooth and powerful in casting and especially in fighting fish. I consider it a dream rod. Now if you guys could figure out an alternative to that damned “Kanektok Creep” I wouldn’t have to feel like Houdini trying to get out of a straight jacket every time I had a fish on.
I know you guys on the other side of the Atlantic have the tradition of “Short rods”.What I cant understand is why?I use a Loop 15ft with 750 line which I feel gives me better line control when mending.I fished for 14 days on my visit last year .The physio tells me my shoulder and neck should be ok given time.
lol> (smilin’) John Gaynor….
quote: “I use a Loop 15ft with 750 line which I feel gives me better line control when mending.I fished for 14 days on my visit last year .The physio tells me my shoulder and neck should be ok given time.”
might also have something to do with fishing kings 14 days straight on the K-Tok and Dean…well, ok, there was a travel day in there somewhere no?
Old 3 piece GLOOMIS GLX STINGER 9wt 12’6″. Rod is short, powerful and fast. My second would be the Z-Axis 8wt 12’9″. What I like best about these shorter rods is the ability to use Skagit switch heads for the really tight spots.