Hi Everyone,

A friend of mine is going to be spending a few weeks in Alaska this summer and will do some fishing for Sockeyes. He may also run into some silvers. I offered to build a rod for him but I'd like a few ideas.

I was thinking 9'0" 4pc 8 weight with Hialoy singlefoot fly guides. Is this a good size? Any recomendations on blanks. I want to give him a range of choices but I know his budget is limited to probably less than $100 for the blank. So I was thinking a Dan Craft FT on the high end and a Forecast on the low end. Any good options in between?

Thanks

Mark

The difference between the FT and the Forecast in terms of flex will be pretty significant. If your friend likes relatively fast rods, you may want to consider an Amtak Matrix, more expensive than Forecast but quite a bit less than the FT and quite fast, with lots of power. I'm building one of these now.

The Dan Craft Signature V 10' 8 weight is also an excellent choice. I made one for a friend who fishes Silvers on Kodiak Island almost every year. He likes the extra length. This is a terrific rod to cast, but it must not be over-extended when fighting fish. My friend broke the tip section of his rod just above the ferrule while trying to tail a Silver. He horsehoed the rod, which is too much bend for this blank, and most others for that matter.

If you check out the CCS the FT 908-4 has an ERN of 10.63 and the Sig V 8wt 10 ft only has an ERN of 7.77. I would much rather have the FT than the Sig V when tailing a large salmon.

By the way I lived in Alaska for 20 years and fished almost every place in the state from Southeast to the Arctic. Just wish some of the fine blanks that are available now had been available then, would have made fishing a lot easier.

Bob

I've never built or cast an FT, but I've got to agree with Bob. If you don't want the extra length, I have read that the FT is a tougher blank. And four piece rods are much more convenient to pack.

I loaned my Allstar Austin 9' 9 wt to my friend for his last trip; it CC's at 10.4, and I thought it would be a much better choice for the Silvers. He used it only one morning, and went back to his 8 weights. He just likes 8 weights I guess, and the longer length.

I also live in Alaska and have fished much of the state. If he's coming up from the lower 48 and spending alot of money in the process I would suggest he look into spending another 50 or so dollars more and look into the LOOMIS IMX. I've used and built alot of rods, and the IMX is one of my favorites for salmon.

Fishing for sockey (Reds) is most productive in faster water (where the current drives them closer to the shoreline), and the take is often incredably light and hard to detect. The IMX seems to be plenty sensitive to detect the take, but plenty strong for the fight to come (Reds do put on quite a fight in quicker water). I guess what I'm saying is, If your friend is already spending all that money for the trip, make sure he/she is not standing on the bank with a broken rod. I've seen far soo many rods broken on reds and silvers to keep track of. Do your friend a favor, and incourage him/her to spend a few more dollars if he/she can afford it (He/She won't regret it when a 15+ pound silver finds his/her fly). The 3 piece IMX is still plenty easy to pack.

What ever you decide on, I hope he/she has a great time in Alaska.

I live in Juneau, and have built a number of the five river blanks. Don't overlook the Sig V. They are VERY light in the hand, and I have yet to break one yet (w/ hundreds of salmon to the bank). The 9ft 10wt is very nice chinook rod. The FT 1008-4 that I have is really cool too. I both a single handle and double handle butt sections for it...works out great, although the "switch" configuration in much sweeter in my opinion (single or two-handed). The ten-footers have a nice med-fast action with more than ample power in the butt. Landed a 38" steelhead on the Situk with it last week...what a blast! My arms are still sore LOL!

Personally, I would go with a 9ft 8wt. for most situations. If they like a very fast rod, or need to sling a lot of string, go with the nine foot FT. For smaller rivers where roll casting is a premium, go with the 10-footer with a nine or ten weight line. If blank weight and all-day-fishability (and night for that matter) is desired, go with a sig V. Sockeye are hot fish...he'll love it. I wouldn't worry about durability with any of Dan's blanks (the 8'9 6wt Sig V is a blast for fighting humpies).

Go with the ceramics whatever you decide on. I really like 'em no matter what the guys with their $700 factory rods say.

Can't vouge for all of Dan's blanks, except that all of the ones I have are very nice and that I plan on buying more in the future. Top notch products, and a great guy to do buisness with.

Ray

I would not call the 1008-4 FT a medium fast action blank...it's really more toward the moderate side. CC'd at 59-60 for me. Probably a great rod for high grainage shooting heads, but not what I'd want for all-day casting as mine filled out at nearly 5.5oz.

I've been fishing a 908-4 recently and paired with an Airflo 40+ line, it's a rocket. Finished rod is about 4.5oz, but that's nearly all in the butt end so it wouldn't be too fatiguing over a long day.

Dan is offering a 909-4FT now and that would be the rod I'd go after for salmon fishing. The 908's a solid stick, but a little more power would be helpful when pulling something 15+ lbs around (if the silvers are good sized, that is...). A 909 would still let the little guys be fun, but would also allow your buddy to fish silvers, kings, and whatever other big fish back home (pike, muskie, saltwater, etc).

For a $100 coho/sockeye salmon blank,the 9ft or 10ft 8wt(the 7wt might even be a better choice) Dan Craft FT would make a GREAT choice.I would also consider the 10ft 8wt or 9ft 9wt SIG V(very light in weight).No comparison between these and the Forecast's IMHO(the Forecast's are nice in the light trout rods though).

I have several DC SIG V's,as well as numerous factory Loomis IMX and GLX rods(both 9ft and 10ft models in various line weights up to a 10ft 9wt GLX),and the SIG V's are IMHO,as good as the GLX,and definitely a step up from the IMX in performance.They are considerably lighter and much faster recovering than the IMX,kind of like what the GLX would be like if it had the IMX's flex profile(if that makes any sense).I would DEFINITELY consider trying this blank for a single hander.It offers superior performance for the dollar and you won't have to worry about getting a crooked blank,LOL.

IMHO,there simply isn't a better salmon or steelhead rod out there for the dollar than Dan Craft SIG V(although the same could probably be said for the FT) and it's one rod that won't wear you out after casting all day because it feels so light.It's a medium fast action,but has extremely fast recovery.Put full ceramics(I would forget the Hialoy's and go with Alconite's,zirconia,or SIC ring guides.Better yet,put a set of AT Titan's on it for the ultimate in weight savings and performance for the buck) on one and you have a serious piece of performance.If you are considering building a switch rod,I would go with the 10ft FT.

I can't imagine needing more power for coho or sockeye than what either a 9ft or 10ft 8wt Dan Craft FT has(especially the high ERN on the 9fter).A 8wt FT would not only handle these salmon with ease,but would also have the power to tackle chum and the odd chinook under the right conditions.In fact,if I was going to build a 9fter for strictly coho and sockeye,I would probably go with the lighter 7wt FT.It has more than enough power(check out the ERN on these things!) for any salmon of this size,and would be a more enjoyable rod to cast over the day.A 9wt FT would be overkill unless chasing chum and chinook,or unless throwing some really heavy heads.

I am pretty sure the ERN of 7.77 that Bob mentions is in regards to the discontinued 10ft SIG IV series,and not the SIG V.The SIG V usually has a ERN that is about a point to a point and a half higher than the rated line weight(for example,the 10ft 7wt SIG V's have ERN's in the 8.2-8.6 range,so the 8wt probably has a ERN over 9.0) and is a very powerful blank.The 10ft 8wt SIG V would EASILY handle these fish,as would the 7wt version.In fact,I usually use my 10ft 7wt SIG V for everything but chum and chinook,and it easily handles these fish to 20+lbs or Teeny T-300 lines,plus it's still light enough to enjoy fishing.

For larger salmon like chum I would go up to a 8wt SIG V,or better yet,a 9wt or 10wt,and for chinook/kings I would go 10wt.That said,the FT's tend to have really high ERN's in the 9fters and all reports regarding the 10fters indicate that they can tolerate some pretty heavy loads on them(more than most 10ft fly blanks can),and they are a bit more durable than the SIG V,so if going with the FT I'm sure you could get away with a lighter line weight(7wt FT for coho/sockeye and 9wt for chum/chinook) and still have ample lifting power.Either way,you won't find more bang for your buck than either the FT or SIG V.

Howdy All,

There's some great information contained in this thread. I am in a similar situation, as I am going to build a salmon fly rod for my brother. Does anyone have any experience with St. Croix's, Legend Ultra 908, 4 pc., blank. I was thinking of using one. Any response would be both appreciated and helpful. Thanks in advance.

The St Croix SC IV is a great rod. I built 1 earlier this year and was completely impressed with the way it cast and felt. I wish I could tell you how it fished, but it was stolen from the back of my brother’s truck while we were fishing. If it helps, I plan on building another real soon.

I think I might like it better than my IMX, but I’ll need to wait and see.

Great fishing!

Mark, I think you are on the right track as far as fly rod weight. I built a number of Dan Craft Sig V and friends have built others provided by Dan, so I don’t think any of your choices would “under-gun” your friend.
8 - 10 wgt rods are typical. Red Salmon have soft mouths that a hook can easily rip through if you hook-set too hard, and most of the fishing is done in fast water, so a rod with good backbone and a soft or flexible tip would be necessary.
Once you get them hooked, you want to get them landed as quick as possible.

Patrick Vernacchio