[Pat AV]

So my trusty old chinook rod bit the dust last season and is out of production. I am shopping for a new one. What do you guys have and how do you like them?

Looking for something under 13'6 that can throw in the 650-750 range for a skagit.

Thanks in advance for any product reviews or suggestions!

Pat

 

[Rustybee]

Good god. That must have been some stick you had throwing that kind of weight. Check out the Sage One 10130-4 I've heard good things about it...

 

[fredaevans]

You've got the rod lengh down, but perhas just 12 to 12.5 feet in an 8wt.

For these 'big boys' you need 'beef' if you hook one; a limber rod (IMHO) just isn't going there. Or at least the rods I've tried. Look at the 'sticks' the gear guys use for Kings; all of them are short and stocky ... for a reason. You want the leverage, you don't want the fish to have the same.

fae

 

[fishmhard]

I'd go with my txc 9140 in the classifieds...

 

[klintrock]

Echo King-Pleasant surprise

I had some rods that were my favorites that I couldnt part with, but one day a friend in alaska let me cast his TCX and i realized i had been left behind by my technology and didnt know my date was ugly....after casting everything at the speyclave, i decided i liked casting the winston the best, but for overall price performance the Echo King was killer in a 9130 with a 660gr skagit Airflo. It was a great tool for fighting big fish over 40, and while it took a little to get used to a 13ft rod, it cast very well. I put some 16ft sections of T17 on it and it cast even better....the other model a 10wt, I tried as well,,,and a 720 should work but i didnt love it until i put on a 800gr head....again a beauty, but you wont feel it w/o the heavier head...and its $425 and comes with a head i think,,,and since I use it a week out of the year, it worked for me...! Good luck!

 

[GBrenowitz]

I have and can highly recommend a Meiser MKS 13' 9/10 wt rod. I have been using a 660gr Compact skagit head on it. The rod casts like a dream and is very authoritative in fighting large, powerful Kings fresh out of the salt water in Alaska rivers. One advantage of using a 9/10 wt. rod is that the fight is over faster and there is more fish left if you are going to release it than with a lighter rod.

 

[Rick.H]

Here's another vote for the 9wt Echo King. I haven't landed a 40 lb. King yet so I can't comment on that, but it fishes well and is fun to cast.

 

[japple]

I love my Burkheimer 9135!

 

[Pat AV]

Thanks guys, some good options to look into. Nothing better than the grab and first headshakes of a big chinook……..is it July yet?

 

[beau purvis]

8 or 9 Method...depending on size range of your fish..no contest!

 

[Tayside]

Pat if you don't want to spend a ton of money see if you can pick up a used Deer Creek 13.6 8/9, cork is not the greatest but a very good blank that will do anything you ask of it. If you want more of an upgrade the Meiser 13.6 8/9 MKS would be my choice.

See you out there


Ian

 

[glcaddis]

Meiser designed TFO 8/9136

There is one for sale in the classifieds and Bob himself touts it as a large salmon rod. Check it out.

 

[surfnfish]

King Rod

This time of the year am fishing 3 to 4 days a week for large coastal King's here on the Oregon coast, and have caught them, or lost them, on a;
Guideline 12'6 8/9
12'6 Guideline 9/10
11' TFO Deer Creek 9 wt switch
13' Anderson 9 wt.

Love the crispness of the Guidelines, the Anderson will pull a drift boat, the TFO is great OH from the boat, and they all have lots of butt, which is really all that matters.

Can't win a brawl with a king if light in the ass...

 

[athabascae]

Is that Anderson a 13 footer that's not on his website, or the 13.5 or 12 footer? I'd been thinking of the ACR 1209 as a new chinook / surf rod...

Sorry to hijack your thread Pat.

 

[Pat AV]

No problem on the hijack, enjoy the fall colours of the Yukon I am missing it.

Thanks for chiming in everyone

There is nothing like em………..

 

[surfnfish]

Is that Anderson a 13 footer that's not on his website, or the 13.5 or 12 footer? I'd been thinking of the ACR 1209 as a new chinook / surf rod...

Sorry to hijack your thread Pat.

a custom, no frills rod he made for a neighbor who passed it on to me after it collected dust for a few years. if I only fished one rod for Kings it would be this one, or another 13' 9 wt.

I would recommend anyone interested in King Salmon rigs to spend some time combing through the Deneki.com blog, which runs a premium Alaska lodge operation. Covers the rigs of some of the best known spey fishermen in the biz who guide for them (Tom Lattimore, Ed Ward, Dec Hogan, etc) and their customers favorite rigs as well.

http://www.deneki.com/2009/01/king-rig-roundup/


http://www.deneki.com/2012/05/favorite-king-salmon-rod/

 

[surfnfish]

Kings in the fall

love the fall. My favorite 'double up' is to surf some good waves at one of my favorite breaks, change from wetsuit into shallow wading gear at the truck, walk 50 yards to the river and swing some flies. Most of the fish I occasionally catch are released to continue their journey, once in a while one goes home for the freezer.

 

[klintrock]

Looks delicious!

 

[SteelHeadFreek]

the 9119-4 method is perfect rod for kings tons of power really nice to cast

 

[croagbraining]

Meiser 9/10 MKS

If you can get this rod go with it for sure!! I have fighting fish on the Dean for the last couple of years with this rod and its taken everything I can throw at it. Its awesome!!