I have an opportunity to possibly do some inland lake striper fishing. I need a heavier rod and will likely borrow a 9 wt for the first time or two from a buddy.
I want to purchase a heavier rod. I currently have 4wt through 7 wt rods. I was thinking an 8wt but I would also like one that will double as a salt water rod for along the TX coast. One of the 7’s I have is a fast one, the other two 7’s are medium action. I will be doing more LMB fishing this next summer also as a new friend has a boat and wants me to show him how to fly fish. So I’ll be out with him some. The 7 wt will work but an 8 or 9 would likely allow me to cast those deer hair poppers a bit further is needed.
Is a 9 wt the right one for all this? Or would I be better served with a nice fast 8wt?
Is there a good all around, inland lake striper, LMB, salt water rod?
I have to say that the 9wt is the way to go. I use mine almost exclusively for LMB, salmon, and saltwater. It really is a good all-round rod for making sometimes needed longer casts with large flies, and the extra backbone helps when trying to turn a big fish making a strong run. You’d certainly do well with the 8wt, but I think you’ll be better off in the long run with the 9wt.
Be sure to invest in a good quality reel right off the bat. You’ll be very glad you did.
I lean towards an 8wt myself, but use a 9wt. for heavy cover situations and large flies in the wind. Also, since you already have a good 7wt., the 9wt would give you more overall versatility in the salt. Those reds and stripers can get big
I fish a large, deep lake in Upstate South Carolina. We have good populations of LMB, hybrids, and stripers. I use two #9 weights when I’m fishing for the “big guys.” One rod is rigged with a floating line and the other with a density-compensated, fast-sinking line. Since a lot of my hybrids and stripers are hooked in fairly open water, I could probably go lighter but then again, my friend claims to have had his yak towed over a mile by a large striper that he couldn’t muscle to the surface.
My main reason for going with the #9 weights is not so much the size of the fish but rather the size of the flies (lures???) that I throw. I’m a firm believer in the old saying that big bass like big flies. Most of my flies run in the 4-6 inch range and I often have to toss them a long distance. One rule of lake fishing seems to be that the fish always break 20-25 feet outside of your extreme casting distance.
I think a nine weight is a good choice, particularly given the other fish that you intend to target. You could go lighter but…
Hello waynep, I’ll echo the reasons to have a 9wt and I don’t know if they still offer them but I have a Bean Light Line Salt model that I picked up at an outlet store as a second and I’m not looking back. It will fire big hair and feather bugs into the wind with no problem. I’ll also agree with the ‘get a good salt reel’ recommendation.
