Fly Rod for Steel

i've seen two 5 wts break in the past year, granted one was on a salmon but the other was on elk.
anyway, if you're looking for a rod for erie steel, i would go with a 7 wt. 
if you're looking to buy a rod for steel and salmon, i would go with an 8 wt.
you said you wanted to keep it under 100, that limits your options a smidge.....i would be looking for rods from st croix or fenwick.
simply put those two make some quality rods for the price your willing to pay, not to mention the sweet as$ warranty and customer service st croix boasts.
off the top of my head, PR's has a few for around 110 or so...
 
you mentioned redington and cortland too....you probably couldn't go wrong with either of those two, i've never had an experience with one of their rods but i'm sure they're fine.

Maybe a mod will move it for you.
 
Either way, your rod is fine if you like it.  I have a 4wt that I built and it has lasted so far and I do not fight them for long.  It all depends on the rod and the user wether it is right or wrong.
 
Don't get me wrong I do have heavier rods and I try to ween my self from old faithful once in a while.
 
If you are looking after your budget, I advice to build your own.  You can buy a blank and handle/eye kit for alot cheaper than buying a high dollar rod.  I like the "feel" of landing fish on what I built.
 
my 2 cents

I like a 7wt for steel and usually fish rods between 9 and 10 ft.
One advantage of a 7wt over a 5 or 6 is what you can do with the line, especially when fishing heavily weighted streamers or throwing a line of split shot in fast deep runs. In other words I can roll cast a 7wt. line and a clouser farther and with more ease than I can with my 5wt.

10' 7wt overall is my choice, after owning many 9 ft rods and landing many steel on them from 5wt-8wt, I always wish I bought them in 10 ft.  I just think long is good for the creeks here in Erie, allows for a better controlled drift.  My neighbor, lifelong member of 3CU and lifelong steelheader always told me.  You can pick a berry off a bush, as long as you got a good/correct drift, you will catch fish all day.  Basically a better drift will increase hookups and longer rods tend to help with your drift.  Just my .02

Two of my friends who fish for steelhead use 8'6" 5 weight rods and seem to do just fine with them. I have 3 rods of the same lenght and line weight, but prefer to use a 9' 7 weight that I had built. I believe a 7 weight allows for more options in regard to what flies you throw, plus the 7 weight has a little more beef to it so you can put a little extra pressure on the fish.

If you have any plans on salmon fishing,go with an 8wt. and in the 10' range.It might be fun to fight a steely on a 5wt. but a heavier weight rod will let you get that fish in quicker and if you release it,that much more of a chance of survival.Tip it with some 5lb. Drennon and you can set the brakes on a running fish. Just another opinion.

10 ft 7 wt is great choice  a 5 wt you will stress the fish out to much
FC

Overlining will only help to slow a rod's action down.  It will aid in casting shorter amounts of line, nothing else.  Also, most of the new WF lines have heavier heads on them to work better with the new craze of faster rods.
 
I have not once encountered a situation in Erie where I needed a 7wt to cast the flies I was using.  If anything, I use heavier streamers fishing for trout than I ever do fishing for steel.  My 5wt will cast any steelhead/trout fly that is in any of my boxes.
 
The reason I fish a 7wt is solely for the fighting aspect.  A 7wt will have way more backbone than a 5wt, which helps landing fish more effectively and quicker.  You can put alot more pressure on the fish using a heavier rod.  You will gain no more fighting power from overlining a rod.  When the fish are hot or you are in a crowded situation, a 7wt will be a welcomed addition to your arsenal.  In the dead of winter when they fight like wet rags a 5wt will be plenty.   

ORIGINAL: Cold

So the 6/7s I saw...are they 6 or are they 7 ?

 
It used to be that when a rod had two line designations it meant something like 6 double taper / 7 weight forward.
Nowdays, I dunno.

ORIGINAL: Esox_Hunter

Overlining will only help to slow a rod's action down.  It will aid in casting shorter amounts of line, nothing else.  Also, most of the new WF lines have heavier heads on them to work better with the new craze of faster rods.

I have not once encountered a situation in Erie where I needed a 7wt to cast the flies I was using.  If anything, I use heavier streamers fishing for trout than I ever do fishing for steel.  My 5wt will cast any steelhead/trout fly that is in any of my boxes.

The reason I fish a 7wt is solely for the fighting aspect.  A 7wt will have way more backbone than a 5wt, which helps landing fish more effectively and quicker.  You can put alot more pressure on the fish using a heavier rod.  You will gain no more fighting power from overlining a rod.  When the fish are hot or you are in a crowded situation, a 7wt will be a welcomed addition to your arsenal.  In the dead of winter when they fight like wet rags a 5wt will be plenty.   

 
 
Essox,
 
Only one point of clarification.  Overlining does NOT change the action of the rod.  The action of the rod is inherent to the design.  It is defined as the flexing pattern (where the rod bends and with how much force).  Changing the amount of force used (the weight of the line) doesn't change the action.  What it does change is the response rate of the rod.  It slows down the recovery from a flexed position.  Also, for the same length of line it will make the rod flex deeper into its action curve.  The biggest advantages to overlining are fully loading the rod with shorter amounts of line and being able to throw heavier flies while maintaining good turnover.
 
Thanks,
Rick

Thanks, Mod!

So as of now, I'm thinking 7 wt rod, mod-fast, with 8 wt. line.  I'll probably pony up for the fancy gel spun backing or whatever its called, because 7-8wt is the top end of what my reel is designed to handle, and that will limit my backing capacity.

ORIGINAL: Esox_Hunter

Thanks for clearing that up, I always thought overlining a rod would change the internal composition of the rod. 

Overlining a rod effectively slows down a rods action, put it anyway you like it, it all amounts to the same thing.  All the results of overlining you stated above are exactly the same results that will be acheived by using slower rod. 

 
 
 
Esox,
 
No, it doesn't have the same effect.  The proportion of what part of the rod is bending will have a higher porportion of bending in the bottom end of the rod for a slower actioned rod.  A faster actioned rod will primarily bend in the tip section and little of the butt will flex.  Overlining a faster actioned rod will cause it to flex deeper overall, but the proportion of bending will still be tip oriented.  A slower rod will provide more bending in the middle of the rod with less bending in the tip.  This will be true no matter how much extra line (or weight) you put on the rod.
 
This is the same as putting more and heavier guides on a rod to 'slow down the action'.  That doesn't happen.  You've changed the response rate of the rod.  A good analogy is taking a porche 911 and putting a few bags of sand in the trunk.  You didn't change the inherent ability of the car (the action of the rod).  The car can still do 0-60 in about 4.5 seconds.  You've weighed it down though and it won't be as responsive to throttle and braking (response rate of the rod).
 
Thanks,
Rick

Anchke,
 I completely understand what you're saying about overlining, though its still tough to get a true feel of the rod loading  with todays graphite rods ujnless you have a lot of line out.
 I also have a 4wt St. Croix rod. An 8ft UL that seems to like a heavier line better than the 4wt the mfg called for. I think the rod is a true 5wt.
 It probably goes back to what Cast-by says. "One manufacturer's 6 wt has the same power as another manufacturer's 8 wt."
 

You say that overlining a rod makes a tip-flex rod bend deeper into the rod, which is exactly the definition of a slower rod.  I agree that the proportions remain the same for a respective action rod to an extent.  My point is that you are accomplishing basically the same thing by overlining a rod, as you would be by using a slower rod in that same weight (and manufacturer of course). 
 
For your Porche, adding dead weight will slow the car down!!  It will change handling characteristics, acceleration, top speed, ect.  Yes it is still the same car underneath, but the added weight can and will alter the performance.  Same for overlining a rod, yes it is still the same rod underneath, but what does that matter when it acts totally different?   
 
  

ORIGINAL: dano

Anchke,
I completely understand what you're saying about overlining, though its still tough to get a true feel of the rod loading  with todays graphite rods ujnless you have a lot of line out.
I also have a 4wt St. Croix rod. An 8ft UL that seems to like a heavier line better than the 4wt the mfg called for. I think the rod is a true 5wt.
It probably goes back to what Cast-by says. "One manufacturer's 6 wt has the same power as another manufacturer's 8 wt."

 
 
Dano,
 
If you don't like the feel of the rod until you get a lot of line out then you're not fishing a heavy enough line.  Your 4 wt St Croix is a good example of how different manufacturers will rate rods differently.  I love St Croix's rods and tapers.  The SCIV is the action and recovery that best fits my casting stroke.  When I was working in shops I had the opportunity to cast almost every single SCIV that was made at the time (plus a whole ton of other rods).  Each one is designed differently and St Croix assume an intended use for each rod.  It isn't enough for them to say that the 8' 4 wt is a trout rod, they will say that the 8' 4 wt is a rod that they expect trout fishermen to use on small streams fishing short to medium length lines primarily with dry flies.  The 9' 5 and 6 wt rods are assumed to be used for medium to large streams throwing big dries, nymphing rigs, and streamers.  Once they assume a use, they design that rod for that use using the rated line.  In the case of the 9' rod they will use a full 30' of line plus a fair sized bug and try casting from 20-50'.  For the shorter rod they will work it at 10-40'.  Technically the AFTMA guide is that the rod should load with 30' through the guides to be called that particular line weight.  In practice different manufacturers do things differently.  If you measure a Winston trout rod you'll find that they are over rated by a line weight or two.  They will talk about classic winston feel, when in reality they are overlining their rods.  They get away with it though because they use pretty light and stiff graphite for good responsiveness.  Like I said above, one manufacturer's 8 wt is another's 6.  Often manufacturer's will say that they are selling you an extra fast actioned 8 wt.  In reality they are selling you a moderate to moderate fast 10 wt that doesn't load enough.
 
Thanks,
Rick