all around salt water weight?
Is there such a thing? Im torn between an 8 wt or 9 wt.
Im thinking about picking up a rod that I can use for steelhead and lighter saltwater. When I first started flyfishing I fished with only a 5 wt but as I continued with this passion Ive picked up numerous 3 to 7 wt rods is there a "5wt" for what Im looking for? I would appreciate any feedback.
Fishing the Great Beyond
Possibly CPS REDington; but lots of others out there too. [url=http://flyanglersonline.com/about/redington/:f8f4a]http://flyanglersonline.com/about/redington/[/url:f8f4a]
I guess it would depend on what you fish for mostly but for me,its an 8wt.This rod will handle most of the NE inshore fish and still be comfortable to fish fresh water with.Some say a 9wt is better but an 8wt can be uplined easily if needed.I have an old book by Joe Brooks and he says that the 8wt is the best for saltwater because it doesnt spook as many fish as a 9wt.If I only had one fly rod for all my fishing,it would be the 8wt.
Hi Trout. This might be one of those situations where you might have to decide between whether salt or steelhead is your primary target. Try the saltwater section here at FAOL, and if you are a NE saltwater fan, try stripersurf.com. This is an excellent site with a lot of heavy hitter SW flyfishers. There they will probably push a 10 wgt as the best all around, but if you are going to concentrate on back bays and estuarys on the NE corridor the 9 would probably give you the best balance. Florida might push the 8 a little more. Remember, SW fishing gives a whole new meaning to the word "wind", and you are going to be using some pretty well weighted flys (bring a helmet), so the extra weight could come in handy! LOL.
Good luck with it!
Bob
Good Tying and Good Fishing!
Bob
More than what you fish for, you want a rod that will throw the size flys you plan on using.I guess it would depend on what you fish for mostly but for me,its an 8wt.
A 8wt is fine in many situations, but a 9wt will let you use larger flys.
The wind is a factor in many areas also.
My "5wt" is a 9...sometimes I go down to an 8, more often I use a 10
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"The day after tomorrow is the third day of the rest of your life"
The simpler the outfit, the more skill it takes to manage it, and the more pleasure one gets in his achievements.
--- Horace Kephart
Get a 10wt and be done with the decision making process. The vast majority of our SW fish are neither leader or line shy. A 10 will throw a much larger variety of flies in all but the very worst weather conditions.
My last 25 years have been mostly in the salt and I rarely go below a 9wt and have used up to a 19wt. 10-11wts I classify aa general purpose line weights for the salt.
As stated above, you select the line weight for what and when you will be throwing. I like to be able to throw anything I need to whenever I want to
Trouthead - You say you have a 7 wt. rod and line I assume. Try it out, then when you try larger gear you will appreciate them more. I have fished Puget Sound with a 7 for years, when I went up to 9 wt, I found out what I had been missing.
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I learn more about the world while talking to myself when fishing alone
[This message has been edited by Jonezee (edited 22 April 2006).]
Thx for the various insight. Any info is appreciated. Rod would be used for a future Keys trip and West coast water. One of these days Im going to make it over to the Clearwater and try my hand at Steelheading and I wasnt sure if this rod could be used for that purpose or not.
Personally for the salt I like the 9 wt. When the winds blows, like it always does in the salt, it feels like no rod can be too big. I tried my 8 once and was pretty disgusted with the results after using the 9 for so long. I am looking into a 12 wt for surf casting here in New England. When I think it may be overkill I just take a look at the rods that the surf spin casters use, those things are huge, and it always answers my question that no a 12 wt shouldn't be overkill.
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Who has time for stress when there are fish to catch.
Nick
Your hooks sharp????
Frankly, I've moved away from the heavier rods unless they are needed for a specific quarry like False Albacore.
For the most part, since the fish are typically 24" or shorter, I'm using an 8 wt. Easier to cast all day in the surf and just as capable of landing the fish.
Just depends upon what you're going after...
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