UPDATED: Caught me a Steelhead on the Centerpin (Vid/Pic)

[MuskieBait]

Spinning rod + spinning reel can work just as well. There is certain advantage with a longer rod (>10') compared to the typical 6-7' rod though. A longer rod allows you to control your drift much more effectively, and it allows you to extend your drift much further WITH CONTROL.

Often times, it is not the gear. Rather, you can pick the spot that most fit your gear, and then it is how you read the current and seams, how you set your shot patterns and rig, and how your control the drift and cover the area. People often say you need a natural presentation, a drag free drift...etc...but it's not as simple as that.

You often don't need 70 feet long drifts...despite what everyone seems to say and think. The only real advantage for float reels is in a really slow long pool or if you need to drift your rig across complicated current areas on the far side of the bank into complicated structure like log jams or undercut bank.

Just ask Michael whether my float rod + spinning reel was less advantageous than his float rod + centerpin We were fishing head to head in the same stream in the same pool. I even had him fished a spot for a while without hooking up...and once he gave up, I made some drifts and caught a few from the same pool.