Okay I think the minimum wt fly rod for Striped bass inshore, non surf fishing, is a 9’ 9wt. What’s everyone’s else opinion on this matter?
hmmmm…kind of a loaded question…of course you could catch most stripers with a 7 wt or even a 6, so the minimum is significantly lower than 9. but if you want to land a fish quickly so it will live, and if you want to be prepared if you do get that 40 incher, i agree with the 9 (which is all i fish)
Ive caught stripers on rods from 4wt to 10wt but my go to rod for the salt is an 8wt.It depends on how much backbone a rod has so a good 8wt can put as much pressure on a fish as a 9wt.Just my personal preference.
5 is my minimum - mostly in spring and late fall when I know the wind is low and the fish are small.
Do a lot with a 7. No problem for most fish. Just be carefull to fight from way down in the butt of the rod.
Use the 9 a lot when the wind is up or I am on a boat or casting in surf.
I use a 9 wt. with a butt extension, and a reel with a disc-drag. I use a shooting taper line. Bear in mind that I usually fish for fresh-water stripers, not the marine variety. I don’t know if there is much difference between them as far as size and how they fight. In the tail-races where I Striper-fish, you have to contend with a heavy current, and it can be a problem when a large one gets downstream of you. I’d like to get a 10 wt. with an extension for stripers someday.
Semper Fi!
[This message has been edited by Gigmaster (edited 09 January 2006).]
I’m after the saltwater stripers. The 9wt will double for a pike rod.
If you are talking one rod, all year long, all situations I would say an 8 wt. in sthe minimum. 9 is a bit heavy for small schoolies, 7 is too light for the bigger fish and a 8 will swing both ways. If you asked which rod weight would you buy if you had only one rod I would probably choose a 9. I use an 8 but find it a little underpowered in heavy wind or big fly situations. I am looking to go up to a 9 or 10. Haven’t figured out which one yet.
jed
My striper rod is a 9’ 9wt. I have taken my 8wt out wth me but because I like using heavy weighted bunny divers to get the fly down in the current; it felt underpowered for longer casts, too much flyweight counteracting line weight and speed. An 8wt. could handle most inshore fish but I like the heavier rod because it slings the heavier flies out easier particuarly from sitting in my kayak.
I too am thinking about the next rod being a ten weight for the surf.
Who has time for stress when there are fish to catch.
Nick
I hooked up on a good size striper one night when using an 8wt.
Scared the bejezzies out of me.
Never brought an 8 again.
When I was a kid I would use an old glass 6wt to catch snapper blues. That was fun.
But I never went that low when expecting to catch real fish.
I fish my 10wt most of the time when I fish from shore. Much better in the wind than a 9wt. In the kayak, I like the lighter weight 9.
We find that we gravitate to the 10wt more and more for tossing the stuff we use for stripers and largemouth. For stripers, it easily handles the lines and flies. For largemouth, it does the same PLUS drags the victims thru the poop we toss into. 
…lee s.
You didn’t say where and you didn’t say when…
Chesapeake Bay
Spring breeders, 9 or 10 wt.
Summer schoolies, 6 wt (sometimes 5 wt)
Fall migration, 9 or 10 wt.
I use an 8 wt x 12.5 ft 2-hander in the surf
Spring Chesapeake bay flats, right where the susquehanna dumps in and last week in August in Maine.
spring flats is spawning season, better pull out the big guns. you never know what your gonna hook up with there
roger
princess anne, eastern shore of md.
I think most rods down to a #5 would eventually land a striper. I would make sure the rod blank had a thickish butt section for added fightability.
The main obastacle is the size of fly you want to chuck.
JME
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I live 1/2 mile from the Susquehanna Flats
During the C&R season, use a 9 or 10 wt. These are big C&R fish and we want them to live to spawn!
The past 2 years have been poor due to heavy snow melt in Western NY and PA coupled with heavy spring rains. However; so far this season the snow pack up there is very light. Could be a good spring if this continues.
Ken’s biggest fish to date was a 48"+ striped bass caught 2 years ago. When her head came out of the water it was the size of a basketball. We did NOT take her out of the water to release; but, did bring her alongside the boat to measure against the tape mounted there. She exceeded the length of the 36" tape by quite a bit at both ends!
Bertha!!! Wish we could have photographed her; but, it was too risky. She was pre-spawn.
There’s some big fish in Maine in the summer also.
They’re up there looking for the cooler Gulf of Maine waters.
I’m going for the 9X9. When is a good time to fish the Susquehanna Flats? I’d like to try it this year. SW Ladyfish what type of line do you use most of the time?
you better check the dnr website for updates, there is a rumor about delaying the seasons due to over harvest last year, even the c&r may be delayed i think
roger
princess anne, eastern shore of md.
I have been under the impression that rod weights are less about fighting certain sized fish. The line weights IMO pertain to the rods ability to perform in the wind and or throwing a certain sized fly.
Personally, I’d rather catch a 30" fish on a 8wt than a 13" fish on a 10wt.
Inshore estuary fishing has me chucking thr 8wt. A windy day chucking large flies and the 10wt. comes out.
I just tried yesterday to throw a 5" bunny fly with the 8wt. It worked alright. I would not want to do it all day with the 8wt. 9wt would be better for that.