I've have recently become a fan of casting spinners and spoons for steelhead. I'm in the Great Lakes region and my home stretch of water is a small to medium size river.

I was going to try using a 9 foot, 9 weight fast action blank for a casting rod. I have been using fly and switch rod blanks for steelhead rods recently and like how they are light weight and pack down small in comparison to most steelhead blanks. But I am not sure if this blank would be suited to casting spinners (3/16-1/4 Blue Fox + 1/6 - 1/4 Mepps Aglia) and spoons (1/6-1/4 Little Cleo).

If anyone has any input on whether this would, or would not, work please chime in.

thanks,
Tom.

Forgot to mention the reel for the casting rod would be either a Shimano Curado 51E or a Calcutta 101, and I'd be using 10 pound mono.

It will work great. You'll want a fast action fly blank for sure. In fact, for those light lures, you could go 8 wt.

I built and took to Alaska this year a 4 piece, fast action 9wt built into a spinning rod and it was great for coho salmon. The lures were a bit heavier than yours but in the ballpark.

Choose your blank carefully, though, because even a fast action fly rod will be a moderate action spinning rod. I also shortened the handle from 12 inches to 9

Hard to go wrong with something like a Batson Rx8.

Good luck. I'm a believer in rods that break down for travel.

Drew

If a major part of your requirement is portability, like having a 4 piece rod, then go for the fastest action fly rod blank you can find. If a 2 piece 8 1/2 foot blank that will build into a wonderful casting rod for spoons will do, then the Batson XST1024F is as good as it gets.

If you are going to use spinners and spoons, you don't need a really fast rod as you would e.g. for jigs. A fast fly blank will do a wonderful job. I've been using them for years before falling for the fly bug.
If you know how to play a fish, you don't need to go over gunned. A modern 7wt would already handle anything except the biggest fish, and an 8wt will be just perfect. Precisely because it's long and not that fast, it will cast a 1/8 spoon a mile away.
at AA=70, the MHX F908-4 will give you a splendid rod, for a very reasonable price.

do you consider a spiral wrap ?

_______________________________________________
If I'm not going to catch anything, then I'd rather not catch anything on flies.

Prostaff Rodhouse
[www.rodhouse.fr]

Most modern fly rod blanks cast better when over-lined by one or two line weights. All rods are rated by the weight they cast best. Here are some conversions from the weight fly rods are supposed to cast best. Keep in mind blanks may well work better casting more weight.

#6 fly rod blank --- maximum weight #6 fly line ---- 168gr. = .38 oz.

#7 fly rod blank --- maximum weight #7 fly line ---- 193 gr. = .44 oz

#8 fly rod blank --- maximum weight #8 fly line ---- 218 gr. = .50 oz.

#9 fly rod blank --- maximum weight #9 fly line ---- 250 gr. = .57 oz.

#10 fly rod blank -- maximum weight #10 fly line --- 290 gr. = .64 oz.

Hello all,

Thanks for all of the input.

I was initially considering a Pacific Bay Quickline - now in 8 weight - which has an AA= 67 but will now take a look at the suggested blanks.

Thanks again,
Tom.

I used a St.Croix sc2 9' 8wt as a sprial wrapped baitcaster for years and it was a great rod. It had a slightly slower action at moderate-fast, but I like that better personally.

The rod cast great with spoons and spinners in the 1/2 oz range.

I used up to 14lb test on it, 10 and 12lb were the sweet spot in my opinion.

You will like what you end up with.

I build a lot of custom multipiece rods for steelhead and salmon fishing and have tried to find a fast enough rod to make an adequate medium power rod with no success. The problem is always the action that even the fastest fly rods have. A fly rod with an ex-fast action is slow or moderate (depending on the blank supplier) for a casting rod. If you shop for a slow or moderate casting rods you probably wont find any, or I would say none designed for casting weight. You will find them for downrigger rods, kokanee trolling rods, and stuff like that. Slow and moderate rods do not perform well with bait casters when trying to apply any power to a cast for distance. The mechanics of the cast and the line speed coming off the spool creates rats nests almost every cast. They will work if you make a long slow cast without any power behind it. Such as lobbing. I believe its because a fly rod is just like a spinning noodle rod in its design. I have always believed, and have been told by two rod manufacturers that there noodle rods are in fact converted fly rod blanks in two piece.

A 7WT fast action four piece fly rod converted to a spinning rod will cast 12lb mono and a 5/8oz spoon or drift rig 200 feet all day long. For a casting rod I would recommend Talon Rods 8'6" four piece medium action blank sold by Talon or Anglers Workshop.

A 12 WT ex-fast fly rod blank would just be getting by if you had to. Its frustrating that there are no quality options designed for a well performing 4 piece 9' Med or MH 6-12 or 8-17lb casting rod.

If you read other threads you will find I am not the only one who mentions the lack of performance and the adjustment in casting mechanics needed to use fly rods as casting rods.

Now for the second part. I caught a 21lb Springer on the Kalama river on a 7WT four piece spinning conversion and well it landed the fish. I guess one could say it works. I felt a couple of times on the long hard runs that it sure would be nice to have a 9 or 10 WT. My input here would be bigger is better. The 7WT was bent right to the forgrip and the upper 2/3 of the rod was straight at the fish I had no more power left in the rod and frankly am suprised it didnt break.

Good luck on whatever you decide to do.