This is "Part 2" of a three part product review on the new G. Loomis Steelhead Series rods.

Before testing the first rod, just inspecting them was very satisfying. Extremely light and very well balanced. I can't wait to hit the water.

The Rod: STR1163s - 9' 8" rated for 6 - 12lbs. As stated in "Part 1" the claim is this rod can handle bigger water with modern techniques for steelhead, but is also great for coho, chum, and even chinook. I was able to fish for all four species and put this rod to the most rigorous of testing, exposed it to the elements, and by many accounts simply abused this rod. The following are the results.

Species: Coho   Where: Skagit River   When: November 1, 2007   Technique: Spinners

I paired the STR1163s with a Shimano Symetre 2500 loaded with 12lb test hi-vis Izorline.

We started out fishing the mighty Skagit river tossing #5 Vibrax spinners into area's that had lots of wood. Right away it was apparent that I was going to like this rod. Accurate casts were a must as we were hitting small pockets surrounded by lots of grabby wood. An "off" cast would surely be cause to tie on a new spinner. The 9' 8" length was a definite plus as cast after cast hit it's target. There was no wobble effect after the spinner hit the water and it felt good in my hand.

Retrieving the spinner it was amazing to feel just how sensitive these rods are. You can actually feel every turn of the blade as I slowly wound the spinner in waiting for a mammoth strike.

When the strike did come, I reefed back to set the hook and it was solid. The rod had plenty of backbone and you could feel the sure tell sign of a coho as it was twisting and shaking it's head fiercely trying to get loose.

Most of the coho we hooked on this trip were 4 to 8lbs and the rod handled these with ease.

Coho - Check!

Species: Coho, Chinook   Where: Humptulips River   When: November 6, 2007   Technique: Float and Eggs

Now came the real test... Chinook! And I'm not talking about 12 to 15lb Chinook, I'm talking Humptulips River Chinook where the average is around 20lbs and there are many in the 30 - 40lb class.

Before setting off, I called Mike Perusse of Loomis and said, "Mike, are you really sure you want me to use the 1163 for Chinook?"

"Absolutely" said Perusse, "We really want you to put it to the test and let us know what you think".

Well, if the boss says to do it, let's do it!

My first obstacle was convincing Phil Stephens of Mystical Legends Guide Service to let me use this rod. Upon feeling how light the rod was, he looked at me, smiled, and said "you can go ahead and put that rod away".

So we started off fishing with the normal setup of rods rated 10 - 20lbs, baitcasters loaded with 40lb Power Pro and 30lb mono leader.

After a while we got into a "mess" of chrome bright fish, both coho and chinook. Just after landing a double header of extremely nice coho that were 10 - 12lbs, Phil said, "Hey, where's that steelhead rod?".

I had it paired with the same Shimano Symetre as mentioned above, but switched to 20lb Power Pro with 15lb mono leader.

After a couple misses, all of a sudden I hear "Oh, Sh*t!".

This was no coho, it was a big ol' fat chinook that wanted to stick to the bottom.

What a hoot! I've never seen Phil laugh so hard as it was back and forth with this fish for several minutes. Phil would gain on it then back down to the bottom of the hole with the drag screaming on the reel. The whole time though the rod was doing it's job.

The gorgeous fish finally knew it lost the battle and came to shore. A quick release, a little revival in the current and he was on his way. A solid 25lb plus fish that will continue it's journey to spawn.

Now if that wasn't a true test of the rod I don't know what is. Phil flat out "puts the wood" to the fish and he didn't give this rod a break at all. The drag on the reel was tightened down and several times he had to "cup" the reel to help slow the fish down. The rod performed flawlessly! Talking about backbone!

So after this nice display and a few high fives it was time to put the rod back away, right? Heck no... he did it again on the very next cast! Again a chinook, again laughing the whole time, again he won.

We ended up catching two chinook and a couple coho up to 15lbs with this rod on another spectacular day fishing the Humptulips.

Chinook - Check!

Species: Chum   Where: Green River (King County)   When: November 17 & 24, 2007   Technique: Drift Fishing

One of my favorite fisheries to just flat out catch fish until your arms are sore. For those of you that have fished for chum, you know they are one of the nastiest fighting, pound for pound toughest fish in the river. When they're in it's usually multiple hookups and massive rod bending drag peeling fights! Speaking of rod bending, look at the pic below. This test was so much fun I had to fish for them again the following weekend.

For this test I leave the same reel setup as used for chinook above but drift fishing instead of bobber and eggs.

Using pencil lead, I could feel every little tick on the bottom as my presentation gently swept through the hole. When a fish grabbed it, there was no doubt and I set the hook to let him know he'd been hooked.

I started out using a Dick Nite spoon and after a few cast's I'm quick to hook up. Fishing with Ron Harrington, after landing the first of what would be many, he said "Well, that rod had no problems with that fish, that's for sure".

And throughout the day it was the same way. Whether with the Dick Nite or when we switched to corky and yarn, we both had plenty of fish and I was able to handle all the chum that picked a fight.

Oh, the reel was singing and the rod was a bending, but I never felt that I had a rod that couldn't handle the job. What a blast!

The next weekend we were back at it, this time in the pontoon boats so we could get to some holes and have them to ourselves. Again the rod performed flawlessly and showed ultra sensitivity and massive power when needed to turn one of these bad boys around.

Chum - Check!

Species: Steelhead   Where: Snoqualmie River   When: November 25, 2007   Technique: Float and Jig

Ah steelhead... that's what it's all about anyway isn't it? We hit the Snoqualmie River to put the STR 1163s to it's final test on this little journey. The question wasn't whether the rod could handle a steelhead having already tackled three other species, the question was could we make it four species on the same rod all within a month?

The river was running low and clear so I figured our best bet was to go with my favorite technique for steelhead, float and jig. Now G. Loomis states that the 1163 is a good "big water" steelhead rod, but you can drop down to lighter baits and spinners. We'll, we're dropping down to a 1/8oz jig and a Thill 1/8oz float. I can't get much lighter than that.

The morning started out fantastic! First cast and bobber down. It was a hatchery fish but both my fishing partner and myself noticed it had a little color to it. We're thinking this is a really late summer run and it's on it's way after a quick pic (above).

What I noticed first about the rod in this situation was the ability to cast such a light presentation with ease. It took an accurate cast to hit the very skinny slot I was aiming for and it didn't let me down. Fighting the fish was a blast as always. Although this rod carries with it a great backbone, it's also super light and sensitive and I could feel the fishes every move to try and avoid coming to shore.

I generally fish a 10' 6" rod when using this technique, but the 9' 8" stature of this rod was more than ample for the conditions we were in, and casting to small pockets of water proved to be a good fit for this rod.

We fished for the next few hours with nothing to show. We're there I'd say a week early or another good rain, but there are a few fish and even some coho still coming through.

My buddy gets a good takedown but it doesn't stick. I follow through the same hole with my jig presentation and manage to hook up again. A nice hatchery brat that we decided to go ahead and take home although it also had the rosy cheeks and a little color. Another week and the chromers are sure to arrive.

Steelhead - Check!

As you can tell by the reports above, I thoroughly tested, used and abused this rod and it not only met the challenge but exceeded my expectations by a long shot. If you're looking for an "all around" great rod for multiple species and using multiple techniques you cannot go wrong with the STR 1163s. It's super light, super sensitive, and super powerful. What a rod!

Part 1 | Part 3