I have used a CG 82 DR primarily for a mooching rod in Northern California for years. I was introduced to this rod by my salmon fishing mentor who was one of the most respected charter boat captains for over 50 years in the Bodega Bay area. It also works well as a downrigger fishing. Keep a relatively loose drag, let the nice parabolic action of the rod do the work and you will get more fish into the cooler. Unfortunately it had to be retired to a Halibut rod due to the closure of any salmon season here in California. Catch em while you can, you never know when it will end.

Thank you David. I'll have to check it out and give it a try.

You live in a great part of CA. I lived there (SoCal) most of my life, until moving to the Seattle area last year.

An Avet SX reel goes nice with this rod. You will need the small foot rather than the one with the clamp. Charkbait in SoCal should be able to get you set up. If you are on a tight budget you can pick up a Penn Squider JR used on Ebay. I was sorry to see that reel go out of production. Good luck.