I was contacted by a guy today that is looking for Down Rigger rods for fishing salmon on the great lakes. I've never fished the great lakes and really have no clue were to start with this. I'm assumeing that the blanks would be constructed from fiberglass. Anyone firmiliar with great lakes rods please chime in with any info. I plan on doing some research, but figured I'd look towards the rod building brotherhood 1st off.

Thanks in advance,
Steve

Steve Bro
(BroCo Custom Rods)

Great Lakes Trolling Rods - RodMaker Volume 8 #1.

Author Tom Kohl recommended glass or composite glass/carbon blanks. Too much information in the article to list here, but he did state that these types are the most popular for this application.

...........

Steve,
our most popular blanks for that fishery are the Lamiglas 8'9" & 9' Glass blanks in the Classic Glass Series.

ICG1052MH 8'9" 15-30 lb. 3/4 - 4 oz. lure
ICG1082DR 9'0" 15-30 lb. 3/4 - 4 oz. lure


Regards,

Todd

Regards,
Todd Vivian
Mud Hole Custom Tackle

todd@mudhole.com

You should find out what he likes. Opinions on these types of rods are vast and numerous! Most like the slow action of a glass rod because once set the rod should be fully-loaded against the rigger ball. The deeper you troll, the more drag against the line and that causes slack and poor hook-ups - so the springy action helps keep the line tight, but also keeps from pulling the release on the ball.

Batson SPG-843 is good for light duty - coho/browns/steelhead and an economical choice. For kings/general purpose a 7'6" - 8'6" in the same or heavier power would be ideal. That is where i would start, as with any build the sky is the limit - however i feel durability and action will trump any weight savings or sensitivity gains by using graphite/composite blanks.

Also, i would try to con him into some type of spiral wrap. I've watched a lot of rods sitting in riggers and they tend to want to flip over under the load. I haven't been able to coax my friend (who takes me salmon fishing) into a spiral yet however. IMHO it would be the perfect setup.

Regards,
-Justin

I would use the Batson "RDR" series blanks.
They give a great combination of a moderate action fibreglass upper section blending into graphite hybrid lower section for more backbone.
The RDR70L is a real sleeper in an extra tough L/UL blank that is extra soft down to a little past midway.
A blastt with 4-10 # line, caught a 40# Striper on 6# test last Dec,
The forgiving upper section acts a little like a "Noodle" rod, but with more power to help control the fish.
For sure do a "Turnover" wrap, we use BUDLG 25 or 20 butt guide, going right into SZ 08, or even sz 07 or 06 if knots and line size allow.
On the RDR70L, I used a BUDLG20, going to BUDLG06 for 2 transition and 1 running, finished with BMKLT05 Mini guides and top

Here is a link to the blanks, towards the bottom of the page;
[www.schneidersrods.com]

Best wishes,
Ron Schneider
Schneider's Rod Shop
Mountain Home, Arkansas
[www.schneidersrods.com]
mtnron40@yahoo.com
870-424-3381

If you can ? Build him two rods. One conventional and one spiral wrapped. Let him become a believer.

Bill - willierods.com

I build a few downrigger rods and would highly recommend the Batson SPG in the line rating he wants.

Rod length is really up to individual tatse, I really don't like anything over 7ft but the long rods do have their fans.
I run 2 sets of downrigger rods. A clean spoon rod SPG783 with 12lb test and a dodger/ fly rod SPG785 with 17lb test.

I would also suggest you build him a spiral and offer to convert to conventional if he doesn't like it, I would say that is a bet you will win.

I would also suggest you build it with a slick but it can be a pain to pull EVA out of the rod holder when you have a fish on.

Thankyou everyone for your input. I like the idea of the spiral wrap. He wants 6 rods over the next year. I'm very excited to enter a new area of rod building. Thanks again.

Steve

Steve Bro
(BroCo Custom Rods)

Hello steve, just about all the rods I have built have been downrigger rods, approx 30, and have bought probably that many or more factory downrigger rods, Batson makes a RDR 86M which is a good downrigger rod for salmon or lake trout, I have also biult on the ICG 8-9 rod todd vivan recomended, its a club, but lamiglas certified pro fiberglass rods are buy far the best downrigger rods I have used especially the 8ft 6in in med,just more expensive, Batson also makes there bullet proof line of rods for downrigger fishing, they are also good downrigger rods with grafite in them, even though I really like lamiglas rods, for the money I think the batsons is the way to go Scotty.IMHO

By far, my best selling downrigger rods are built on SPG845's. Most Lake Michigan salmon guys are using 12-15 pound balls, so the heavier stick will load nicely and set the hooks with authority. The extra lifting power is also a plus when deep water fishing tuna sized fish in August hits. For charter guys, 7' one piece models are the preferred blanks. Longer sticks work fine, but take more care in handling rods when the fish gets to the back of the boat. Having to lift a rod over and around a 8'6" rigger rod can be tough for a shorter person. The longer rod also increases the distance of the line entry into the water from the boat. Eighteen inches in that area is a mile for a king with intentions of bad things for the angler or net man. Todd got me into a couple of the Classic Glass sticks from Lamiglas, very nice, I kept those two for my own collection and will recommend them to customers that are willing to pay a few more bucks for the performance. They're not priced much above the RDR's. I have built on the RDR's, but tend to get spooked by the graphite, probably not warranted though. Salmon fishing is very rough on rods, they are handled rough, fished hard, and take damage as a result, so don't skimp on components. Often overlooked is a quality reel seat. Salmon guys tend to use oversized reels and the constant loading of these rods will wear out standard spinning/casting seats. Todd-those AG22 seats are dynomite at a very good price! They look great, and so far are tough as nails. You may also recommend reel clamps to ease the burden of your reel seats locking rings and threads. Spiral wrap hands down. Having to fumble around turning over a standard rod to crank down on a fish still on the release, will cost your customer lost fish guaranteed. A well thought out rigger rod, can also double as a leadcore rod, so if that is an option, keep the guide size at 8's to accommodate the transition/knot.

I have built a few lighter power downrigger rods, as I personally tend to like to fish lighter stuff for the fight. They are nice and a blast to fish, but on deep water or large fish, they are wanting in power. A 20# king will spool a rigger rod quick with a light action noodle rod. They are fun though! Lots of options, go with what will fit the fishing style of your customer.