Best fishing rods for Alaska fishing come in a variety of lengths and actions tailored to target different species and techniques. Whether you’re casting for salmon in freshwater streams or jigging for halibut in the deep ocean, there’s a rod designed to meet your needs in Alaska’s diverse waters and these are our favorites at Fish Alaska.
Best Fishing Rods
Batson Rainshadow RCKJB600-210-TC Saltwater Jigging Rod
Publisher Marcus Weiner and Editor George Krumm built this rod on the RCKJB600-210-TC blank and Marcus has been fishing it. It feels great in the hand, is lightweight, responsive and balances nicely with a Daiwa Lexa 400 baitcasting reel. We built this rod using the simple-spiral technique and Batson ALPS components and Marcus reports that the rod really handles big fish well. The blank is rated for 25- to 45-pound-test and is capable of landing fish that are approaching 100 pounds. Marcus fished 8- to 12-ounce jigs with this rod and used it to catch halibut and lingcod out of Homer and Kodiak in 2023.
St Croix ES66MF2 Legend Elite Spinning Rod
We used this rod to troll small spinners for cutthroat trout and we landed quality fish to 18 inches. Some leapt 5 feet in the air after smashing the lure. The rod is made from a fast-action, highly responsive carbon blank, which transmits even the mildest disturbance of the line or lure. This model is rated for 6- to 12-pound-test line, and lures from 3/16- to 5/8-ounce. We can see using this rod to throw hardware to a wide range of resident species like rainbow trout, lake trout, Dolly Varden, and northern pike. It would also work for fishing coho, pink, or sockeye salmon, with a caveat to take it slow and use a light drag so that a big, angry sockeye or coho doesn’t decide to test the capacity of the rod. Many other rods are available in this series; 24 are listed on St. Croix’s website.
Big Ray’s Uganik Series Fly Rod, 8-weight
We fished this 9-foot, 8-weight fly rod in 2023 and liked it. It was equally at home nymphing beads on the Kulik as it was swinging streamers on the Naknek. The four-piece construction makes traveling with this rod a snap, allowing it to fit on any bird that flies, and eliminating the need for an extra piece of checked luggage on commercial flights. The IM7 fast-action, graphite blank is responsive and there’s enough power in the lower half to tangle with most of Alaska’s freshwater fish. The rod comes with a spare tip, rod tube and 2-year warranty. We think this is a good rod at a good value.
Santiam Kokanee/Trout Jig Rod SFC-602J
We asked Jay Kendrick of Santiam Fishing Rods for a rod that could be used to jig for kokanee and trout, and he delivered. This 6-foot, 2-piece model is light, responsive and fun to fish with. So far, we’ve used it to catch shad on jigs (for Dungeness crab bait), and to vertically jig for black rockfish. It’s performed well in both scenarios. The rod is rated for 6- to 10-pound-test line and for lures from 1/4- to 1-ounce.
It’s soft in the top half, which aids in allowing a fish to slurp up the jig without feeling much resistance, and then stiffens up in the butt end so that you can battle some bigger fish. We landed black rockfish to 5 pounds on the rod and it did the job admirably, while allowing us to enjoy fighting the fish. The rod combines a fast-action, carbon-fiber blank, graphite reel seat, X-flock grip, and aluminum-oxide guides. It’s a well-built stick offered at a fair price and backed with a 5-year warranty.
St. Croix Rods Rift Salt Conventional RIFSC70HF
St. Croix has been making fishing rods for over seventy years. Those decades of experience show in the combination of technical details and pride in workmanship. We tested the 7-foot, heavy-power, fast-action, conventional rod rated for 50- to 100-pound-test line. The one-piece rod is a solid choice for either a bait or jig fisherman targeting big halibut and lingcod. There are 7 models in the series, giving anglers a solid range of choices.
Stryker Composite Trolling Rod CT944C-2
This 9’4” medium-heavy, parabolic-action, composite salmon rod was designed to be versatile and durable. After using it for a year, Editor George Krumm agrees it is both. It’s rated for 15- to 30-pound-test and 1- to 8 ounces of lead. Applications include 360 flashers, downrigger, backtrolling, and it also performs well mooching. It has no problem handling a 12-ounce lead and a Pro-Troll flasher in trolling applications. The Batson ALPS components in blue make this rod as attractive as it is effective. This is a great all-around saltwater trolling or mooching salmon rod and is made in Oregon.
Batson Rainshadow 9’6” BP1147F-M blank
This 9’6” blank in the Rainshadow RX4 “Bullet Proof” (BP) line was designed for downrigger fishing, but is also capable of heavy-lead, 360-flasher trolling, backtrolling for Chinook, and is a great heavy mooching rod. The blank is a composite of RX4 graphite and E-glass, is rated for 15- to 35-pound-test line, and 1- to 4 ounces of weight (for casting). Editor George Krumm built this rod using a simple spiral wrap.
This rod performs well while trolling with 16 ounces of lead and a Pro-Troll Flasher. The relatively soft tip transmits the thump of the flasher, and the rod tapers into a stout butt section—needed to help set the hook and help you pull salmon towards the net. We landed numerous Chinook last summer while Pro-Trolling (trolling 360 flashers with heavy lead) with this rod. George says that for Pro-Trolling, downrigger fishing, or mooching, he’d be perfectly happy to have five more BP1147s on the boat. In fact, he hopes to build them this winter.
Eagle Claw C2.5 Travel Rod
This handy travel spinning rod is built on a three-piece blank, which makes it a perfect size to fit into the overhead bin or in your backpack. We tested the 7’6” version which is built on a 24-ton graphite blank and rated for 8- to 17-pound-test line. We fished for rockfish and lingcod with it and had a blast. It’s well suited for rockfish and smaller lingcod; you’ll have your hands full if a big sea dragon comes along. You can also use this rod to toss hardware to silvers, throw topwater lures to pike, side-drift for rainbows…It’s a versatile stick to add to your arsenal when you are traveling to fish for multiple species.
Stryker Alaska Salmon Rod AK866C-2
8’6” long, rated for 12- to 25-pound-test and weights from 1- to 5 ounces, this rod is designed to be a versatile salmon stick. The blank is a composite of IM7 graphite and fiberglass, a durable combination. If you’re looking for one rod that works well in a lot of salmon fisheries, this is it. Mooching, backtrolling, forward trolling, downrigger trolling, drift fishing, bobber and eggs—this rod can be used for all of these techniques. It is lighter and more sensitive than the aforementioned CT-944C-2, so it doesn’t shine in the heavy-lead trolling arena (8- to 16 ounces), but it’s lighter in hand and works better than the CT-944C-2 for any application in which you’re holding the rod in your hand: bobber fishing, backbouncing, tossing hardware, drift fishing, dragging, and mooching. Made in Oregon.
