Hi John
The 801 would be light for anything that will be eating a herring. I think the 802 would be a great choice for Springer’s if you are not needing to use over 5oz of lead. If you need to use over that the 803 or 903 would be better. The 802 and 803 fishes the Kwickfish better than the 903. But the 903 still does very well.

I have had the 903 for a while and am a little spooked it is too light for big fall salmon. Josh, it sounds like you feel it would be a great fall salmon rod.

On the Nehalem, running between four and 7 ounces, with a shot at a 40# pound fish, would it be a good choice? I've been using my 803s and my 864, but like the 9' length. Should I run the 904?

Sorry I got Springer’s on the mind. For north coast fall fish I would definitely step up to the 904 if you need the length. I think the 903 is closer to a 902 10-20 and makes a great springer rod but does not have quite enough for big fall fish. It is fine in the sound or somewhere that the fish are consistently smaller but down here lacks power.

I was looking at the XCF 904 for trolling Anchovies down in gold beach on the Rogue. Does that rod have a trigger on it for a 6500C3 or is a straight handle? Down here the weights are from 2-4 oz's. When you troll the bay it's primarily for Fall Chinook. Springers don't hold down there.

Steve

No triggers on the 904s I have.