Lake Michigan Pier Fishing Rod/Reel rec

Well I made the move from Minneapolis to Milwaukee and I’d like to try out fishing for salmon and trout on the big Lake. I’m stuck on shore and would like a rod/reel recommendation for that. Right now I own a Shimano Sienna 4000 so I think I might be okay on the reel (or not?) to start out. How important is it that I upgrade the drag on that reel ASAP? I also have a 2 piece Cabela’s Tourney Trail 8’6″ Medium/Moderate Fast action rod to go with that reel. What do you guys think of that to start? Under powered? I’d like to keep rod under $150.

Any other words of advice would be awesome.

I think you could make that work, but I haven’t shore fished for salmon in 30 years. We used to catch them on whatever POS stuff we could scratch up back then. You might want a little longer rod but you can certainly fish with what you have.

Sounds like a pretty perfect setup to me for chuckin spoons off the break wall. Medium moderate is actually better than a fast action for that application. Id load that 4000 up with 15lb braid and flourocarbon leader. No need to upgrade until a big king burns it out on you :). You might want a different setup for throwing cranks or jigs or even jigging spoons, but thats another story.Have fun out there, I used to love fishing from that pier. Get down there at like 3am and fish through sunrise. West winds help the bite. Good luck!

Great, thanks guys! Can’t wait to pick up some tackle and give it a go.

I go off McKinley Marina breakwall with my walleye gear…another excuse to upgrade equipment..

LOL

right on diesel, shoot me a pm if you’re ever looking for a partner/want to show someone the ropes

My favorite pier rods are my 12′ Fenwick noodle rods. Slow action, but you can cast a few country miles. Also a heck of a lot less work on your arms if you hook up on back to back chins. Since the fish fights the rod instead of your arm, you can wear them down a lot faster.

Thanks Randy, I’ll keep that in mind for the future.

I went down to McKinley Marina on Saturday morning just to see what the guys down there were using, not to fish. Quickly realized I’d need to pick up a net with at least a 10 ft. handle. Needless to say I didn’t fish there last weekend as I didn’t want to chance hooking up and being with out a proper net.