i fish a bay that is filled spring through fall with 25 to 28in stripers and 5-10lb bluefish would a rod rated to 1oz be considered light tackle or overkill for these fish.

thanks :grins:

I would think it would be alright as long as you're not fishing around structure such as rocks and other stuff the fish could break you off on.

Light tackle is a blast.

Also, don't high-stick and make sure you let the drag do the work. A 10# blue can pull pretty hard.

-spence

A 10# blue on light tackle???
Good luck..

10# blue on a rod rated for 1 oz? Definitely not overkill.

Lube the drag washers and get the legs in shape, cuz that suckers' gonna take you wherever it wants to go and then some.

10# blue on a rod rated for 1 oz? Definitely not overkill.

Lube the drag washers and get the legs in shape, cuz that suckers' gonna take you wherever it wants to go and then some.

cool man!! :jump:

A 10# blue on light tackle???
Good luck..

I've caught 25lb barracuda on light tackle. Its all about the drag.

it's not so much what you are catching as much as what you are throwing? if it's rated for 1oz, you should throw anything over that 1oz rating, or else you risk blank failure. you also need to think about the possibility of catching a fish larger than you target as it can happen. will your reel, drag, and rod be able to handle that?

A rod rated for 1 oz. measures what is the recommended load/plug for the blank. As for landing a 10 lb. bluefish; your ability to use the rod and the drag of the reel to apply resistance to the fish will be the factors that will enable you to land that fish. Your best shot at landing one of those fish of that size with that set-up will be on a sandy beach with little structure to tangle you or cut you off.

do you think i should maybe go up to a rod rated 2oz for more back bone?

i will be using the rod mainly around a creek mouth during a outgoing tide because of the salt content of the water the blues are few and far in between. there is few places to get snagged besides some small drift wood sticking up under water. i also fish the mouth of this bay with a moderate rip on out/incoming going to drift small plugs and bait. the shore is lined with rocks and a sandy bottom.

I've got a 1 oz. rod that has landed 20+ # BFT in under 5 minutes. Throwing the bait or lure you want to throw is the real challenge, like Seawolf said. 1 oz. really means nothing when it comes to fish fighting ability. A 1 oz rod may be complete overkill, or be just right.

Most of them are short (7ft or so), but check out some of the SJR series from Loomis, especially the IMX. I own both the 843 (rated to 3/4) and the 844 (rated to 1 oz.). I only use the 844 to throw bigger baits, otherwise I rarely use it. Albies, bonito, skippies, blues, and schoolies just don't even have a chance against it. I love the 863 though. Even it can be overkill on small fish, but you'll never run out of power if you hook something bigger either.

You might look for a 2 oz. rod so you can throw a wider range of plugs, but I don't think you'll have any trouble dealing with most fish you catch on a lighter stick.

Reels, rods, and of course line has come a long way. We had several clients take 40+ # stripers last year on the boat with Spheros 4000's and a 2 oz. stick. That's from the boat, but still, it shows what light tackle can do.