A 13'er and I thought it was a tad too long for the most part. Switched to a Sage 5120 (12' 5wt) and an RPL 7100 - Perfect for the size of river to me.

 

I use a 13' 7wt. fall/winter/spring and fool around with a 12.5' 6 wt. during the summer months. If you ask Malinda at Malinda's Fly Shop in Altmar I'm pretty sure she will tell you 13 foot is the most common size she sells for the river.

 

13' 7wt or sometimes a 12' 5wt. for Steelhead and an 11' or 12' 8 wt. for the fall Salmon run.

 

Sr

I would say a 11.5ft-12.5ft rod in the 6-8wt range all depends on the flows and time of year. I like a 12’ 7wt for fishing in all conditions on the SR. Salmon season will require heavier weighted rods.

Andrew

 

I felt a little over gunned with a 13' 7wt. I went back with a 12'6" 7wt and it felt right. Might have been the Delta Spey on the 13' or the skagit head on the 12'6" that made more of a difference though...

 

There isn't a spot on the river I cant hit with an 11 foot 7W. That being said I do love working a 13+ in 6 or 7 W. I love a deep bending slow rod, stepping down slow and in the groove.
Scott

 

11.5' 7wt works well for me, especially in places where I'm tight to the bank, although I've got my eye on a 13-13.5' for those wide open sections mid and lower river.

 

Thanks Guys. I have a 11 foot 8 weight Hardy Jet and a 11 foot 6 inch 8 weight Scott rod. Just wondered if a 13 footer would cast further than my 11 footers.

 

Yes bit further and still bit further when you cast longer line head and also when you stand deeper in water longer rod can be better. Casting performance comes from the line weight in the first place.

Esa

 

Yeah any of those rods will be great. The wife and I used to go up there a ton each year because one of the top guides up there was like an uncle to us and we would visit and fish with him all through the year. We used 8wt T&T 12’ 8wt 1208-3 & 1208-4, T&T 10’ 8wt SW1008-4 Switch Rods and also used a lot of the Forecast 1308/9-4 13’ 8/9wt rods that I would build and we would use during the Salmon run. Even the 10’ Switch rods were enough for most of the river. If you can go in the middle of the week then that is the best time to beat the crowd. Have a great trip!

 

I mostly use a AR UHM 7/8 12' rod (actually 2 of them rigged differently). If I end up in pocket water situations I will switch (pun intended) to my 10'9" switch (Batson). Either of those rods will land anything in that river during 200 - 500 cfs flows. If the water is up and it is still salmon season I will not use the switch.

Quinn

 

I only fish for King salmon up there in oct.

 

That is too bad. I caught my biggest steelhead in the month of October. Three of them: 15 to 17 lb.