Do I need another (more expensive) trout rod?

[MDRookie]

I have really become addicted to trout fishing. I have a couple of trout rods... one being a two piece 5'6 Browning Air Stream and the other being a four piece 5'6 St Croix travel rod. Both are paired with Shimano Sedona reels. 

 

I'm wondering if I am missing anything by not having a more expensive rod or by not having a one piece rod... Or maybe even moving up to a 6' or larger ultralight rod? 

 

In my searches for other rods.. I have come across many rods that cost much more than I have invested. For example.. G Loomis in the $200-500 range or Shimano Cardiff in $700 range and Daiwa Presso for $500+ to name a few. My question is... how much better is a rod that cost 5-10 times what I currently have? 

 

What should I look for in a better rod than I currently have?

 

Your thoughts....?

[QUAKEnSHAKE]

Ive trout fished with UL Ugly Stik, St Croix Avid 8' 2pc and Loomis GLX 801TSR. The fish I caught wouldnt strain any of the rods and the trout didnt seem to care what rod thew the lure they bit on. Now these were stocked trout in a pond/lake not real trout fishing in a stream. I will say the longer 8' Avid was my favorite to cast. The Ugly was very short 4'9" so seemed too short fishing them side by side. The rod expense really didnt change/add anything but the form/length/power/action sure made a difference.

[mrmacwvu1]

If you do get another rod you might want to look into an 8 or 7 foot rod

 

look up dapping

 

a long rod is essential to that

 

many of trout are caught using this technique

[Red Bear]

the "reel" problem is those shimano reels, throw them in the trash and replace with Pfluegers

 

on a more serious note, i dont think the cost of the rod matters at all, as said above the length/action/power etc of the rod would probably make more difference.

[dwh4784]

I wouldn't say you need to spend a bunch more, a Berkley Lightning Rod can be had for <$50 and are great. I'd add a Medium power in at least 6'6" to open up float-n-fly to your arsenal. This can really slay trout, but with a short UL rod not practical to cast.

[fishwizzard]

If you are fishing northern MD, then spend some time looking up the next time you are out trout fishing.  There is so much overhanging growth that my attempts to use a 7'6" rod were super frustrating.  I don't know how the fly guys do it around here, other then having to pass over a lot of water to find a spot with enough head room.  

 

I picked up a MajorCraft Trapara 6'6' UL this fall, but have not had much chance to fish it yet. But I am liking what I have seen of it so far, it is way easier to handle then my longer rod, but does throw light lures far better then my 5' St Croix.  

[Angry John]

Once you get away from ugly sticks and into decent rods you should be just fine.  I see a lot of people use fly rods with spinning reels to float baits, but it depends on the water your dealing with and the techniques your using.  I had a fenwick elite tech small mouth that was a 6'3" and it was my favorite river rod.  I could cast right under trees and into small pockets on laydowns and i loved it.  I think the presso rods are beautiful but are very expensive even for my taste.  Your st croix should do you right but you may want a little longer rod?  if you are bank fishing 6' ish work for me the best.

[Red Bear]

1 hour ago, Angry John said:

Once you get away from ugly sticks and into decent rods you should be just fine.  I see a lot of people use fly rods with spinning reels to float baits, but it depends on the water your dealing with and the techniques your using.  I had a fenwick elite tech small mouth that was a 6'3" and it was my favorite river rod.  I could cast right under trees and into small pockets on laydowns and i loved it.  I think the presso rods are beautiful but are very expensive even for my taste.  Your st croix should do you right but you may want a little longer rod?  if you are bank fishing 6' ish work for me the best.

 

there is nothing wrong with Ugly Stiks, they are decent rods. you dont have to like them but they are decent whether you want to admit it or not. my trout rod is a 5'6 Light Ugly Stik Lite-Pro. Works just fine thank you, I've also caught bass up to 5lbs on it, catfish over 6lbs, and hundreds of pan fish.

[J Francho]

The "trout" I fish for are generally five to six times the size of the typical bass.  I don't get too extravagant with my gear, but I'm not a cheapo, either.  I use a 10' Shimano Convergence most often, in the smaller stream, and a 12' Browning in medium streams.  I do have 15' Avid float rod for the big river, and the kings, and it did cost me a bit.  Not as much as G.Loomis (maybe 1/3 as much), but at that length, the lighter weight is a huge gain.  Those first two rods are around $80-120.  I'm not recommending you use these lengths (these are for northern centerpin reels, and float techniques), but what I'm saying is you're usually using a rig with a strike indicator (drift/float rigs) or a moving bait, where it will be clear when you illicit a strike.  I'm thinking a 6-7.5 foot, ML, mod. action rod would do.  Depensing on the line size and size of the trout, I might go down to a L power.

[Subaqua Adinterim]

If you are catching trout that are 5#s or less, take a look at the Okuma SST trout series.  You can get these from DSG.  These are a great value, very sensitive (IM8 blanks) and run less than $40. I have a 6'6 which I use for trout as well as panfish and have also caught some large pike up in the Adirondacks when playing around with Panther Martin lures in the lakes up there catching perch and sunfish. 

 

I just use spinning reels when pursuing trout, and usually use 6 to 8# mono line with a lighter floro leader.

 

You may also consider the Pinnacle Vertex rods which come in 8' - 10' lengths and can be purchased from FishUSA for $30.  

 

I use a St.Croix Triumph, light in 9' length that I love and it is moderately priced.

 

When fishing the rivers of upstate NY for Salmon, I use an Ugly Stick rod that is light action and is about 9.5' long. This rod was a downrigger rod so it has extra guides and helps me feel the bottom better in the rivers, while at the same time stout enough to handle really big fish.  Definitely not the most sensitive rod by a long shot, but it is durable and gets the job done every time.  In November, The biggest salmon I caught on this rig with 15# trilene XT was a 28#er.

 

There are plenty of options and you can spend as much as you want, however, I think you will find great value in an Okuma SST trout series or St.Croix Triumph rod.

 

Best of luck.

[MDRookie]

Appreciate all the replies...

 

I'm not sure what I'm looking for or want in another trout rod. I just started trout fishing a few months ago and frequent only two places locally and what I currently have is sufficient. The trout are mostly dinks but I enjoy hiking up and down the river fishing for them. I fish with spinners pretty much exclusively. I've tried some jigs, rapala minnow type lures and trout magnets with no luck. I want to explore other waters outside Maryland..... like PA, NY, WV, CT, etc... and would like to be prepared for larger bodies of water and hopefully bigger fish. 

 

I have a 6' Fenwick Eagle light rod that I have no idea what to do with... would this be an okay rod to trout fish with? 

 

I'm going to search for something in the 7' range. I'd prefer a 2 piece for ease of travel. I'm going to try to set my budget to $150 max.....

 

 

 

[Subaqua Adinterim]

From your description, it seems like you are well equipped for the area you are presently fishing.

A longer rod will benefit you in a few ways if you decide to venture into larger rivers or lakes.  It will allow you to whip your lure out further with less effort and it will also help you to gain leverage when fighting the fish. Additionally, if you use a barrel swivel to attach your leader, a longer rod will allow for a longer leader.

I don't think you can go wrong with the Okuma SST Trout rod in the 7' ultralight.  You can see it on the DSG web site for $50.  You can pair it with the reel you are using or get a Plueger President for about $50 and you will be all set. DSG has discount coupons all the time which may reduce your price by $5 or $10.

If you want to spend more $ then look at the St.Croix Triumph series of rods which can be bought for a little more but still well below your budget.

I enjoy trout fishing and find that fighting the fish and letting the rod and reel (setting the drag so you don't get broken off) do their jobs is what makes it fun and challenging.

I like to use Panther Martin spinners, but have had great success using worms.  The key to using worms is to use the small wriggler size on a small #12 hook and make sure that you use a light floro leader, say 4# or less.  You can tie the leader to a small barrel swivel about 3 feet from your mainline.  Attach split shot sinkers to the tag end (leave about 4 to 6 ") of your main line that is tied to the barrel swivel.  That way, if your sinkers get hung up on the bottom, they will slide off and you will only lose a few split shots and will not need to retie everything.

Again, good luck in whatever you decide to do.  

[Crestliner2008]

I've taken a lot of trout and crappie (as well as many other species) on the B n' M SHSS (Sam Heaton Super Sensitive) rods. I have several. For trout fishing, it would be hard to improve upon the 7' model, although I now prefer the 9' rods for either trout or crappie. I've caught some pretty decent bass and northern pike on these rods as well. Great quality and durability. Best part is you can get them for around $50.00 (Grizzly Jig Co.) which I won't ever complain about!

 

I've now matched them all with Pflueger's Prsident reels (6920 model). Fine drag system and relatively bullet proof. Again, very cost effective at another $50.00. You could do a lot worse.

[Jagg]

Stick with the St Croix and get yourself a rod from the St Croix Trout Series.

[MDRookie]

I found a 6'6LF St Croix Triumph for $60.. so I bought it. Hopefully this will do for now. I'm going to try to find a Stradic 1000MgFB at a decent price to pair it with!

 

I really appreciate all the feedback!