Hi
Looking for suggestions for 1 maybe 2 rods to use in the New England waters -- mainly Narragansett bay. Usually fishing for stripers and blues and fishing from a boat. Thanks in advance for your comments.
Dave
Hi
Looking for suggestions for 1 maybe 2 rods to use in the New England waters -- mainly Narragansett bay. Usually fishing for stripers and blues and fishing from a boat. Thanks in advance for your comments.
Dave
Hi Dave- I live in the area you are looking for info for and use a fly rod for the same species you are interested in although from shore, but I have fished fromm boats in the passed. I would go with an 8wt and a 10 wt for the rod with a floater, an intermediate and something to fish deep. If you want to use only two lines then the floater wih some lead core as the butt section of the leader system looped to the fly line would get you away from needing the intermediate as you would have in essence a sink tip. For the deep line something in a type 4 full sink should do the job. Many use just an intermediate but if you have any freshwater experience with trout you know line control is more important than anything else and a floater gives you this control, especially if you carry a couple of different lengths of lead core to add to the leader. These fish are not leader shy so I use a butt section of 40# mono(30" long) and my tippet (usually 25 or 30# mono 30"-36" long). I also fish two or three flies to represent different bait when targeting stripers, but not when targeting blues.
Hope this helps.
Ron
I fish Narragansett Bay from my kayak and everything rel mentions in his post is right on.
In the kayak, I stick with the 8wt and just vary the lines, pretty much the same as he says. When fishing from shore, I'd have a back-up 10wt. in case the wind is up.
In a boat a 10wt might be handy if you're casting heavy grain lines.
You don't need a fancy reel, just something that won't blow up when the drag is singing.
Summer season is tough. The water is warm and the oxygen level is low. But if you're planning to fish the bay from late August through the fall, plan on fishing the bluefish blitz.
Blues will corral the bait, usually peanut bunker (immature menhaden), pushing them up to trap them on the surface. Then they'll rip through the bait in a feeding frenzy until the bait school breaks up or some numskull in a powerboat puts them down.
Then they'll reform, push the bait, and do it again, usually far enough away that you need to keep an eye open for where they went.
Contrary to popular opinion, bluefish can be very selective due to their excellent eyesight, so you need to push their buttons. They like "fast food". The best way to entice them is to try to play keep away. You can't move that fly fast enough.
You're going to need wire. 4 inches is enough. A heavy mono shock tippet is a waste of time and flies.
Flies should be tied to be tough or you can use old beat-up flies or rejects. Blues will tear them up anyway.
Poppers are the most fun. Gurglers are cheap and easy. Just use superglue at each step when tying them
Last edited by dudley; 07-23-2011 at 05:39 PM.
The simpler the outfit, the more skill it takes to manage it, and the more pleasure one gets in his achievements.
--- Horace Kephart
Gary Borger fly rods now 2/3 off. I got his rods at wholesale and this is less than I paid Gary.
https://catalog.theflyshop.com/produ...oducts_id=7964
Check out his blog. He just got back from Alaska using his rods.
http://www.garyborger.com/
Some comments:
"The Targus Gary Borger Pro ($390), a progressive fast-action rod, and one of the finest I've ever cast"
http://www.reel-time.com/forum/showthread.php?p=256246
"Targus Pro (Gary Borger) series is fantastic rod! I got one as a present from Jason Borger, last year ... really good one!"
http://www.sexyloops.co.uk/cgi-bin/t...=ST;f=3;t=8847
Regards,
Silver
"Discovery consists of seeing what everybody has seen and thinking what nobody has thought"..........Szent-Gyorgy
As a cautionary addendum to Silver Creek's posting above, I also have Targus Pro Gary Borger rods (7-wt and 10-wt), and I love them. They are light in the hand, cast beautifully (if you like fast-action rods), and are very attractive. However, when I recently tried to contact Targus for customer service (a stripping guide on the 10-wt broke), I was unable to get any response from them. When I posted queries about Targus on several ff bulletin boards, I learned that a rep was apparently still attending fishing shows, but Targus was impossible to find by telephone or email. I had the stripping guide replaced at my own cost, and am still using the 10-wt. So be aware that, while the Targus GB rods are really good rods, they likely have no warranty.
Thanks all -- appreciate your input.
Dave
I like Cam Sigler rods and have several of them. A guide I recently fished with described my 10wt as "a hot rod".
Yesterdays fishing report from On the Water sez
Narragansett Bay is chock full of bluefish, large and small.
The simpler the outfit, the more skill it takes to manage it, and the more pleasure one gets in his achievements.
--- Horace Kephart