Would appreciate thoughts and suggestions for a rod to be used primarily in the RI waters – Narragansett Bay. Mostly from a boat but some surf possible. Thanks Dave
9 ft. 9 wt. intermediate line. i’m partial to the clear intermediat. if you are looking for a specific brand of rod I’ve been fishing the albright xx and i love it. great rod for casting weighted lines.
A 9 wt is the standard, 9’ long. Some like longer for surf casting. Some like lighter or heavier than a 9 wt, but thats a middle weight for the salt. Longer than 9’ usually is not helpful on a boat and can make landing a fish more difficult.
Popular rods are
TFO (Temple Forks)
Albright
Redington for rods in the under $200 range.
My personal preference is the Elkhorn rods. At the Marlboro (MA) show each January they usually have a rod and reel special for $160. You can pick the rod and reel from most of their product line. The rod and reel alone cost over $160 each, so its a good deal. Seeing as how most of the RI fishing is done for the until spring I suggest going tot he show and casting the rods there for a bit to see which one fits your style.
jed
Yes, (what Micus said) the intermediate line is a good standard. SA has a nice line for Stripers ands the Royal Wulff Triangle Taper is good as well.
Spike, I see your from Michigan. Do you make the trip to RI regularly??
jed
Jed
Yes try to get out once or twicw a year. Dave
9’ 9wt like Dave and Jed say. That being said don’t be afraid to go with an 8wt if you already have one.
If you are going to boat fish I would recommend adding a grain line to your arsenal. It helps to get down a bit now and again.
Are you moving to RI?
FYI,
I use an 8 wt and wish that I found the fish it would not be able to pull in. I am looking into a 10 wt. for those large flies and windy days. That is why I think the 9wt is the perfect choice. I have 3 lines for my rod. Float, intermediate and sink. The intermediate is most common, the sink I use on a boat when I am trying to get down deep and I rarely use the float in the NE. It is more common for me to use it fishing the Fla. flats. The intermediate is the only line that can get under the water and fish poppers hence it is my first choice. If I had to get only one other line it would be the sink because there are days that you need to get deeper than the intermediate will go, but if you cast the intermediate and immediately begin your retrieve then it will not sink very much and you can get away with it fishing top water.
jed
Eponymous
Lived there in the early seventies and might return.
Dave
Great place. Grew up there and wish I could go back permanantly. I live in Massachusetts but probably do more fishing in Rhody than MA.
I like the 9 with the intermediate also for most of my RI salt. The floating line is okay for back water but sucks with swells and breakers. I am thinking about possibly getting a 10 or 11 for next season. Trying to push a heavy bunny diver into the wind in the surf is not fun and I am finding pretty dangerous with a 9 wt.
An 8 wt. will give you more hits than a 10 wt. on a windy day.
That is if you count hits on your noggin by that clouser at the end of your line.
jed
Jed my friend. You need to muscle up and act like a man. 
I almost suggested that spike grab a 7 but figured I’d really get ridiculed.
A man doesn’t carry a woman’s rod
Who has time for stress when there are fish to catch.
Nick
nick, epo was referring to trout fishing, i think… 
Jed;
In the wind I get hit a lot by my clousers. I think that is why the Dude cast backwards in the wind. But anyway I wear a hat that I put a little padding in so it did not hurt so bad when one of those 2/0 clousers hit me at 50 mph.
I have always told people that when I get hit in the head it is just my mom smacking me to get my attention. (it works for me)
Harold
I would use a 10 wt. but I’m not man enough to lift it. Besides, when I make those long 20’ casts I’m not sure I have the strength to reel in all that fat line if I used such a big rod.
jed
Micro:
How’s that 3 weight treating you?
e
The 3 wt only comes out when fishing for guppies. Someone suggested a 1 wt for that but I considered it way under geared
Who has time for stress when there are fish to catch.
Nick