New Salmon pole recommendations please

[Go Aweigh2452]

OK, I broke the last eye out of one of my Ugly Sticks I use for salmon fishing with another eye soon to follow and was wondering what everyone thought of which brand to replace two of them with. These poles have earned retirement and they look it.

I would like two downrigger poles. I am leaning toward Ugly Sticks since they bend so well and have nice action to them but am open to any other thoughts.

I have several nice reels so combos are not wanted. Any brand names, length, action you'd recommend over others? I have Penn, Shimano and Daiwa boat poles; Ugly sticks for general medium/light use (these are the ones to be replaced)... but with the exception of the Ugly Sticks, these are all east coast boat poles (read that heavy action) for big fish like halibut and shark fishing.

thanks...

[SomeSailor]

I use Shimano TDR-90's but mainly because they're cheap. :) I've worn two out and broke one in half... but they're only $29.00 or so.

Finwick, Lamiglas and G Loomis make some beautiful rods, but I figure since most of their wear and tear is coming from being in tension all day long... why kill a nice rod on a downrigger.

For the rivers or casting... that's a different story. I can't wait until October when Greg (Greg's Custom Rods) starts up his rod-building class. I want to build myself a nice limber 9' G Loomis.

[Go Aweigh2452]

Mike, if I were you, I'd go over to the rod factory on Bainbridge and pick your own...http://www.sageflyfish.com/about_sage/howToFindUs.shtml

Saw them on Made in America TV show... really cool... they'll give you a tour an all...

maybe we ought to arrange for an IBoatNW tour???? We can tie up in Winslow and walk the four blocks to the factory???

[SomeSailor]

Sounds like fun. Greg here in Lake Stevens is world renowned for his custom fly rods. He offers a class when things slow down a bit on how to build your own. He has all the Lamiglas, G-Loomis and Fenwick blanks and you can build them as customized as you want.

Some of his fly rods go for $1500-$2000 if you can imagine :)

Nice thing is he's a couple of blocks from here and a great guy.

GREG'S CUSTOM RODS (http://www.gregscustomrods.com)

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[Go Aweigh2452]

Got a couple of really nice Daiwa downrigger poles today from the tent sale at Sportco in Fife. The sales rep was very informative and I got a 25% discount on top of a great price to boot. You guys in the area ought to check them out. Besides fishing, they do camping, clothing and hunting stuff too. Their hotspot flashers were also on sale for $5.95 each for the big ones and I think $3.95 for the smaller ones (with or without e-chips)...

I (I mean the Admiral) also bought a super vacuum packing food saver for $79 (regularly $189)... had to buy a couple of deck chairs too since my old ones were rusting away... Now I won't have to carry the Costco double seat anymore... yeah baby!!!

[mkronmal]

Missed you there today. Was there right before close. Picked up a prawn pot, some terminal tackle, and a Shimano TEK600LC.

[Pegasis]

I hear you can get fishing poles fairly inexpensively by visiting your neighbor who has a patch of bamboo. Tie the line to the tip and you're ready to go, no need for those expensive reels either. :)

If you're looking for a good downrigger rod, I like the ones constructed using a fiberglass main with a graphite wrap. This gives the tip of the rod the flexibility of fiberglass and the backbone of graphite. The first rod constructed this way that I was introduced to is a Lamiglas Flame-Tip. Unfortunately it is no longer manufactured. Shimano currently manufactures a rod with a blank of similar construction named Talora. Haven't had an opportunity to try the new rod from Shimano.

[Numbknots]

Last year I ordered an EZ steer for my Trophy boat (still for sale) from the guys at Sportco, they took the order over the phone, packaged and shipped UPS ground and I had it the next day! Good folks to deal with

Tim