What weight rod for red fish from a kayak.

[Bedlam]

I am planning on doing some salt water fishing in LA and the coast of MS, pending the oil spill issue. What weight rod would you recommend for fly fishing brackish water from a kayak. I know redfish will be a primary target, but I want a rod that will cover the most possible situations.

Thanks for the help.

[rockthief]

if the fish are fairly small and there is no wind you could go witha 7 wt. Some folks just pick up their 8wt even a 9wt and hit the water. Lucky you!

[joe cool]

Depends on the wind when you're fishing, the size of the flies you want to throw, and the size of the fish you want to throw to. Anywhere from 7 to 10 works, I'd say if you're only going to have one rod in that range go with the 8 if you're used to casting in the wind, or the 9 if you don't mind casting a little heavier rod all day.

[Thunderthumbs]

I would say at least an 8wt. You can certainly get by with something lighter, but you have to count on the wind blowing and casting big flies, so anything less than an 8wt would be just a bit light...in my humble opinion of course. That's about all I use for my saltwater fishing. Even the small fish pull hard, and you'll need something with a bit more backbone if you do manage to get into a big bull redfish.

Hope this helps,
TT

[GILs_GONE_WILD]

Eight weight!!

[tailingloop]

I really like shorter rods when fishing from kayaks and float tubes. You might consider the Sage Largemouth, Redington Predator 8 or 9wt, or TFO Mini Mag 8-10.

[dunfly]

This is the type of fishing I do 90% of the time. To me, a 9 foot, 8wt is the best all around rod. Any longer, and you have trouble landing the fish and much shorter, you may have trouble keeping the line off the water on backcasts (although this could be overcome with proper technique). I like the shorter bass rods, but not particularly for kayak fishing. You are low on the water and it is already hard enough to generate line speed when casting from this position.

As far as line weight, an 8wt will allow you to cast larger flies in the wind. It also has enough backbone to land a big red in a reasonable time. I often fish a 6wt Scott Heliply from the kayak when there is no wind. For a 6wt this rod has plenty of backbone.

[Max]

Restricted to one rod I would have to go with a 9 WT. This is to handle the wind and the big flies I may use; more than the fish.

Pick what you think is best for you.

[bowfin47]

My son and I have caught a ton of 'em out of our canoes in the Louisiana marsh with 6 wt.s, but lately, we've really enjoyed our 7 and 8 wt.s. We both feel that 9's are just too much...

We like smaller flies, our favorite is a #6 gold spoonfly, like Danny Ayo's Gold Spoon Fly - http://www.flyfishlouisiana.com/flies_knots_leaders.htm.

So, we don't need a heavy rod to cast the fly, but you do need a rod with enough "backbone" to handle 6 - 14 lb (or even heavier) reds. And don't forget that these fish have "heavy shoulders".

Two years ago next week, at the age of 17, my son broke "my" six wt. when he was forced to try to "horse up" a 40+ lb. (i.e. probably world record) red off the bottom (about 4 ft deep), as he, in his single man canoe, had been dragged for 30+ minutes from the edge of the marsh out into an open bay during a black skied, rain storm - full of lightning, heavy winds, and white capping waves. When asked why he had tried to "horse-up" or force the fish from the bottom, he told me, "Daddy, I didn't think being out in the middle of Caminada Bay, holding a graphite rod, in the middle of all that lightning was a good idea..."

At times like that, you'll wish ya' had more than a 6 wt.

By the way, down here we call that a "Cajun" sleigh ride!

Here's hoping that you too get to have such an experience!

Bowfin47

PS

That red was hooked on #6 gold spoon fly, similar to Danny Ayo's ...

[Flyfish Dog]

I have used 6wt to 9wt and I am always reaching for my 7wt more so. But I would have a back up plan with a 8 or 9wt for sure in case of accidents.