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[fishseeker]

I believe the Chum season is about to start soon so I have some interest in going after them.  I have heard they are supposed to be relatively easy to catch and, being completely new to Salmon fishing, I figured this is probably a good place to start.

The main problem is I am not sure I have the gear to go after them.  I have a six weight fly rod with a fast sink and floating line setup.

A guy I spoke to at a fly fishing shop assured me that this setup would be perfectly adequate for Chum.  I know I am new to this but I can't help feeling a little skeptical.  According to articles I have read on this site and others Chum are big critters easily topping 15 pounds right?  (I don't know the average size but I am guessing this must be on the high end too).  I am confident my six weight setup could handle anything up to 5 pounds but I am really not sure about anything bigger than that.

Any thoughts or opinions would be much appreciated.  Also, if a six weight setup is adequate - any thoughts on leader strength, size and color of fly etc. ?

I would like to avoid going out and buying a whole lot of new equipment but better that than coming home with my precious fly rod all smashed up 

[kellya]

This pic should answer your question on using 6 wts. Note the portion of rod in my hand. Im pickin a 10wt up this week so i can handle them no prob. an 8wt would work though.

[newsman]

I would not be buying another thing from that tackle seller.

While you could land Chum on your 6wt you run the risk of busting you rod and over stressing the fish. Releasing an over stressed fish is a waste because over stressing causes brain damage and brain damaged fish don't spawn well.

I suggest an 8 or 9wt, perferably the 9 because it can handle springs as well. 

[Fish Assassin]

I personally wouldn't go chum hunting with an 6 wt although it's doable. Most people I know use at least an 8 wt.

[fishforever]

i fish them with a seven wait, works well enough but I do worry about overstressing them, upgrading soon

[Rodney]

Go with an 8 weight Fishseeker. It would be good for you and the fish. Less fighting time translates to better survival of fish when released. Here's an 8wt in action:

http://www.fishingwithrod.com/video/0702.html

[wheresmybobber]

7-8 Weight rod, reel - is the only way to go.

Any set up lighter will just exhaust the fish, see Rod's point, sure you can play it to shore, but its exhausted and typically dies shortly thereafer...

These fish will spool you in a heart beat so go for the large arbour. I used troutlet a good little dotcom with great pricing - Pflueger Trion reel is a sweet deal, typically selling for 140-150 range here in Canada... Match it with Pflueger rod and your good to go... This is my 8 weight set up 2 years ago when I started fly'n for larger Salmon... This set-up will also handle Coho, Stealhead - its served me very well this fall on Pinks, Springs etc...

http://www.troutlet.com/scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=434

[Ed]

Yeah I just recently purchased a z-axis 8 wt 9'6 rod and a loop opti runner reel for the larger sized salmon. Didn't want to tire out the fish before they spawn.

[fishseeker]

Thank you all for your excellent input on this.  I guess this confirms what I suspected and, being a catch and release fisher, most of the time I do want to maximise the survival chances of anything that I put back.

Unfortunately my budget is limited and fly fishing equipment aint cheap so,for now, I might have to make do with what I have or stick with the smaller fish.

I have seen relatively cheap gear int he 8wt range at Canadian Tire but I am leery about that stuff - not sure it casts well and in the long run that may not serve me well.  I have already found, from hard experience, that the cheaper options can be too much of a compromise.  If I can keep everything within 200 bucks I might just be able to pull it off with less flack from my wife Not sure if that is realistic though.

Much as I like fly fishing I am not inflexible about other methods.  I would just as happily go after them with a bait casting setup.

After watching that video and seeing that photograph I feel pretty fired up to give this a go (Kellya, if you got that on a 6 weight you must have had a long battle on your hands).  Any additional thoughts on where I can get half decent equipment at an affordable price would be much appreciated.

[dennyman]

Fish seeker, if you look carefully in that pic you will see that the six weight rod he was using actually broke.  As others have said on here,  tackling a chum with a six weight would be hard on your gear and the fish.  Most chum are going to be in that eight pound and above category,  add to that the current of the river, and you will have your hands full. When you factor in the rod, flyline, and a disc drag fly reel it would be hard to get anything at the retail level for 200 dollars. Keep your eyes on the buy and sell section and maybe someone will post a good eight weight setup.

[kellya]

I was targetting coho near a river mouth but wave after wave of chum came in. If you pressure them hard the fights not that long but 6wts cant take it. 200 bucks should be able to get a used setup no prob.Not high end but gear that will get the job done.

[Ed]

If you have a good sized reel i'm guesing it would be fine if you picked up a 8 wt rod? I know echo rods go for like 180 for their  8 wt.

[kellya]

http://fishbcforum.com/index.php?showtopic=47300&st=0&#entry514939

Perfect pretty good quality chum setup if interested

[fishseeker]

I did not see that Kellya's rod was broken.  Thats just too bad - point taken! 

I will consider looking for a heavier 8wt setup or going after them with a baitcasting rod/reel setup - I guess this fly fishing forum is probably the wrong place to ask about that alternative.

The one question I have left is the choice between an 8 and a 9. Newsman suggested a 9 weight - is this potentially on the heavy side for smaller pinks or Coho's? (Probably irrelevent because I am pretty sure my 6 wt is good for pinks and it may be good enough for Coho or Sockeye. Not sure.  I am a newbie with all of this.)

I would like to have a setup that allows me to cover a decent range of Salmon species without the need to purchase yet another pile of equipment every time I decide to go after something different.

[wheresmybobber]

Hey Fishseeker,

Go to that website troutlet... The reel, rob combo i suggested with shipping/customs and the cndn dollar at par, (no taxes also) you wont drop more than 175 cad... They did a good job shipping and put on backing for me for free. (good tape)...

And i got a rod case with it..

wheresmybobber