reel for sage 8ds2

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hi, i put this question in general and havent recieved any answeres so ill ask it here... im looking at the ross canyon big game number 5 for big fish in alaska.. would you think the 8 weight rod with the bg 5 reel and rio steel head salmon floating line would be good for alaska?.. i will probably get a 9 weight with similar line also, and use the same reel with second spool, for the big big fish like kings.. would this setup work ok?? thanks dave..

[AlaskaRiverAdventures]

Dave -
I'm a big fan of ross reels and have a BG4 on my one of my personal rods - a sage xp 9wt. I have Gunnison 4's on all my client salmon rods - they no longer make that model but they have lasted without repair for something like 10 years now and get over 100 days in the field annually. You can see why I like ross...

The BG 5 will be more than enough for reds, silvers & chums and will be about right for kings.

I like floating lines for reds, silvers & chums as you are most often sight fishing for them in about 5 feet of water. That may also be the case when you fish kings but more likely they will be deep and you'll want a sink tip or even full sink line.

Rio makes great lines but also consider Wulff - my personal favorite.

You'll want to have at least a 20# test leader for any of the salmon (with the exception of pinks) and for kings I'd probably go 30 or 40... especially if you plan to fish from shore for them!

Reds, silvers & chums can break 20# like rotten string so it is still going to require you to play them - you just won't have to completely tire them to exhaustion before you turn them loose. And while you will probably filet & release a limit each day, you'll also be doing plenty of C&R - if you're in the right place at the right time.

Kings will probably just take all the line off your reel and keep going - no matter what you're using. Hopefully you'll have a boat and can chase. There are some rivers in the state where the kings run small - 15 to 25# can be typical; - and on these just use your light set up.

Don't forget that your backing should be at least 2 times as strong as your leader. You'll want a spare fly line in your vest anyway, but this way you probably won't need it. Braided dacron halibut line (80#) is a nice choice for a heavy backing. It is small enough to allow a decent amount of backing, but big enough that you can hand line it if you have to... you want to fight big fish off your reel (remember how much you paid to have a good drag system --- shouldn't you use it?) but every once in a while you'll find yourself stripping line to catch up when they run right at you.

If you ever get a chance to visit us in Cooper Landing, I can show you a couple of tricks...
Tight lines & dry boots,
George Heim