Eagle Claw Featherlight Kokanee/Casting rods are here!

[Sideburns]

Okuma has the ME-15DXT-T reel with line counter you can find for under $40. Can spool 290 yards of 12lb line. I find it a perfect level wind for trolling Kokanee and Trout. Drag setting isn't the most fluid, but paired with a kokanee rod, drag doesn't come into play as much as the rod itself. So far, based on it's performance and price, I am very happy with it.[/quote]

I have the same reel, but left hand. Is yours as slow as mine is to free spool line out? Curious if mine has an issue or if they're all as tight as mine? It will barely let line out in free spool, I have to pull it out even with a dodger/lure combo at 1.5mph.

[branweeds]

My dad has one that is a fly/spin combo, in a 4 piece travel case. He has used it for 30 years!

[TrackerPro16]

I have one of those. I presumed you set it up for the weight you have on it? I have switched out gear and forgot to adjust it. Did not work correctly...

[Mike Carey]

I ran the okuma line counter reel mentioned (on sale at Amazon for $38) with my $18 eagle claw kokanee rod. I got this set up to run leaded line and it worked great. The rod is just the right action but it is heavier than the high end kokanee rods out there, and the guides are simple metal loops. The okuma has a very marginal drag, not very sensitive at all. That said, for the application I'm using it for I think it will be fine.

[Sideburns]

Mine always drags, even with the "free spool tension" knob spun all the way off. (knob falls off at that point)

[spokey9]

I picked up the 8ft one. I got mine to do some summer run drift fishing with and as a fun rod for pinks & chums. It'll be fun fishing a yellow eagle claw again lol, all my favorite rods as a kid were those ugly yellow & blue sticks.

[hewesfisher]

My dad has one that is a fly/spin combo, in a 4 piece travel case. He has used it for 30 years!

Bought mine in the 70s, came in a metal carry tube with a 2-chamber cloth liner, one for the butt piece and the other for the 3 upper rod sections. Paired it with a Zebco XRL-40 spinning reel and caught a ton of fish with it. Though I never used it as a fly rod, I have set it up as a fly rod but with a spinning reel. Caught some monster trout at the horseshoe lake in Grand Coulee with it set up that about 25yrs ago and it was a real blast.

Don't think I've used that rod in the last 20yrs, but it sure is a good one.

[Sideburns]

For as much time as Ive spent trying to track one of these eagle claw rods down, I was surprised to stumble across one for sale locally, 24.99! I grabbed the 8 footer, and have trolled it around a few times now for trout. Nice build quality, but a little on the stiff side for a Kokanee rod? I'm still happy with it, but I think its place will be somewhere between my super limber koke rods and a salmon downrigger rod. Great rod for Kokanee fishing somewhere where Kokanee get bigger than the west side kokes or where larger species might be in the mix.... Perfect sockeye rod too, looking forwards to loading it up in the downrigger!

[Mike Carey]

I just got back from our Chelan B-Q event where I ran two of these rods for long lining leaded line. They worked great! I was very pleased and I thought they were limber enough. Plus I think they will be good choices for sockeye.

Super deal for the money! I got mine at that blow out price of $17.99 last winter. Hope to find more at that price.

[Sideburns]

24 bucks in enumclaw. I'm gonna grab a few more too.

[salmonkiller]

Just to bump this thread.. these rods are on sale at the sportco tent sale for $18.88

[Sideburns]

Crazy!.... looking at my previous posts, that was only a year ago I bought my two 7'6" and 8' kokanee eagle claws. They have since then become my go-to rods for most of the trolling I do. Downriggers or long lining. I usually hand my much more expensive and noodlier kokanee/ trout trolling rods off to whoever's fishing with me. Maybe it's because I'm so accustomed to fishing with junk for so long!? Ive actually grown a preference for cheap, slow, glass rods.

[salmonkiller]

I picked up a 8 footer... it's a bit heavy.. more heavy duty (back-bone) than a white or red lamaglass kokanee rod.
Very sensative and seems like it will work great.

I think it would be the perfect size for lake Wenatchee sockeye, Lake Roosevelt Kokanee......

I'm bringing it to Baker Lake this summer....

I'm going to try it for local kokanee on American lake and Merwin and cutthroat on lake Washington and Samamish...

The only thing i dont like are they eye's..... they are not ceramic.

I will probably pick another one up before the sale is over.

[Mike Carey]

darn, I was out of town and missed that sale price. Well, I have 6 of them, why do I need more (question all rod collectors ask themselves...). I don't mind the lack of ceramic eyes - one less thing to break. If they get nicked that would be a problem.

[spokey9]

I've used mine a lot but not on jokes. The 8ft handles chums well and is a blast. Also put in the salt flounder fishing, took out for channels and bullhead cats, and I use it dragging pop gear for trout. I need to pick up another because these are really versatile rods that can handle my kind of abuse lol

[clarkbre]

Just to kick this thread back up, I recently went salmon fishing out of Astoria and now my kids are interested in fishing for kokes and trout on Lake Stevens (eventually Baker). That being said, I like the Eagle Claw 7'6" but am looking for a reel.

Any thoughts on the Okuma New Magda Linecounter Reel or the Shakespeare ATS Line Counter Reel. Both come in 15 and 20 wt.

Recommendations to get my 8 & 5 year old guys on the water?

Also we will be flatlining and using the Scotty Lake troller down riggers for the rods/reels.

[Mike Carey]

I have the Okuma magda linecounter paired up with the Eagle Claws. The good - they are inexpensive and stand up to casual guest anglers that don't fish on a regular basis. The bad - the drags are not very smooth or responsive. Not a problem for kokanee since the rod is what fights the fish, not the drag. That said, a bigger fish I'd have my doubts as to how well the drag would get the job done. But for kokanee, not an issue. The reels are also bigger and heavier than a quality reel. Again, not a big deal but definitely noticeable. Okumas also have a tendency to stick when you turn the lever to free strip line off the reel. It's an annoying qwirk. I have a set of four eagle claws with okumas, and four Tica rods with shimano reels. Honestly there are days I prefer the eagle claw set ups. The rods are pretty durable so far.

[Sideburns]

Its been a while since i actually gave my kokanee rods a good work out with a bunch of kokanee, until this last week at loon lake. Those little 11-14 inch kokanee are some of the most explosive and violent fighting kokes i've ever fought! Unfortunately, I had a hard time landing them with the eagle claws. Jigging just off the bottom, i grabbed the eagle claw line counter set-ups, to drop to a specific depth. Loosing fish after fish, I switched to a very limber shimano glass rod and then eventually to a 9'6" ultralight spinning rod. The 9'6" ultralight fast action carbon fiber spinning rod landed 9 out of 10, and the eagle claw glass rods seemed to loose 9 out of 10. Maybe just a fluke, but I definitely am starting to rethink my go-to kokanee rod preference.

[Mike Carey]

I don't jig kokanee but can imagine they would be too limber and heavy for a night of jigging.

[salmonkiller]

I used mine up at Baker... caught lots of fish.. our biggest sockeye (7.7lbs) was caught on the banana rod..... It was paired up with a Tica kokane reel and 16 pound main line...

Swapped out the 16 pound line with 10 and now we are on our way to try for Kokanee on Lake Cavanaugh this weekend..