I got a fly vice and started tieing some salt water flies to use as teasers last spring. Now my girl got me a fly rod for my B-day but I realy dont know much about the set up . It's a st. Croix 9.6wt. Will it be any good for the 4" Clousers I tied?? ...4" streamers w/dumbell eyes? Also what is 6wt good for - what is it's breaking strength?
Help! I dont want to return a nice gift! :gf::gf:

I always got the feeling you went that way Bill!:tooth:

6wt?

Schoolies, baby bluefish/bass maybe up to 10lbs?

If its windy you won't have any punch.

Yeah - You were Hopin
know anything about this stuff? they have good instructions on Youtube but I just basicaly want to know if it's big enough to use for salt water.

If I return it, what would I need for keepers? you cant ask the kid at #^&#^&#^&#^&s thats like asking a kid at jiffy lube about your tranny

Great rod......you can use it in the salt..but anything big and you're going to wish you had a heavier rod. Start the fly rod collection....this year for your b-day ask for a 9 or 10 wt. Then you'll be good all season...

When it says 9.6wt that means 9 foot rod 6wt. line right?
sorry to sound ignant but I was searching for info last night and couldnt find what I was looking for.

Go with an 8 weight, not a 9.

good early season schoolie rod. You'll snap that thing on anything over 15 lbs or so.

I agree a 6 wt just isn't going to cut it. I have a 10 and its great. You can still feel a small fish but with that bend you can put a ton of pressure on a fish.

Fly fishing is hard but addictive. I would rather catch a 10 lb bass on the fly than a 15 lb on a surfcasting rod. The tackle is so light too. You bring a set of nail clippers and a small fly wallet and your good. No nasty trebles or gut hooking.

Go with an 8 weight, not a 9.

Bingo, I ve got 4 8wts, Sage, Orvis, Thomas & Thomas and Loomis. If I had to pick one size for Striped bass it would be an 8wt. You can fish for bass, blues in the surf, flats or boat and it's perfect for Albies and Bonito.

My biggest flyrod bass at 32 pounds came on the 8 wt, no problems.

6wt is a tad light, 7 minimum for saltwater is my advice. I love my T&T Emerger series and my new Sage FLi.

I flyfished only for stripers for a decade and an 8 wt is the perfect rod for bass.

8wt is fine for small fish but I can count on two hands, two feet, and at least one of your hands the amount of 8wt rods I've broken fishing for big stripers. Probably the best size starter rod for all-around saltwater use is a 9wt, 10 if your throwing big flies.

I wish I could still flyfish :( I've given tons of this stuff away over the past few years.

I use a 10wt.

I would buy a 9 wt. and use 10 wt. line you can really get the large flies out with that set up. I have had good luck landing 15 # plus Blues with it

A 6 weight is too light for salt water and much to light to cast weighted clouser flies. An 8 or 9 weight is a good all around salt water striper rod and a world of difference from the 6 wght. Try that 6 in the freshwater for trout and largemouth. That's what it's made for.

Probably find that 6wt St. Croix will toss 9wt line just fine, especially if you are just starting out (slows things down a bit and lets you get your stroke/timing down). 9wt. line will probably be fine for most of those flies you are tossing unless they are gettin'towards the bulky side or it gets a bit windy, and then you will need a heavier line and rod. Best thing to do take an hour or so of lessons than practice in some unobstructed grassy place near the house for about 15 minutes or so a day. If you decide to trade in/up, try everything out (rod and reel and line with the flies you intend on using) before you buy. You might be suprised what you can subdue with a 6wt rod. The fly line is still about 35 lb test, and your leader or tippet will be less than that. Worst comes to worst, you have the fish connected directly to the reel. Keep your tip down and use the lower 1/3 of the rod for leverage agains the fish. That last 1/3 can be pretty substantial on a 6. Most important of all, just have fun with it!

I got a 15wt you can learn on :hee:

8wt is fine for small fish but I can count on two hands, two feet, and at least one of your hands the amount of 8wt rods I've broken fishing for big stripers.

Salty, sitting on them doesn't count. From shore, an 8 weight is good for fish up to 30 lbs. Throwing dead chickens from a high gunwaled boat to big fish in deep water with 20 lb tippets and 400 grain Teeny lines is specialty stuff. 95 % of flyfishing for stripers is either sight fishing or blind casting in quiet water for small to medium bass feeding on small baits. For that (as well as bonito, albies, and bonefish) an 8 weight excels. If you're stuck wading Monomoy with the wind in your face, a 9 weight is useful, but not useful enough to make it your only rod when 95% of the fishing you'll do is better done with an 8 (and the other 5% with a 10).

Thanks for all you input guys.I went back to #^&#^&#^&#^&'s in Warwick, all they had left was the 8wt. so that made it an easy decision.
I was tempted to grab one of those prespooled 39 dollar reels too but I figured as soon as I know what I'm doing I wouldnt want the thing so I'll look around some more. Does anyone know of a decent reel for around 100 bucks? line?

If you are budgeting 100.00 bucks for reel and line you could get a Pfluger 1595&1/2 and still have enough for the line. Let the reel soak in a sink or bucket of freshwater after every use in the salt. I like an intermediate line for most of my saltwater flyfishing.

Wow I can definately afford one of those! what do you mean by intermediate line?

Edit: you already got the 8wt.

Look at the Lamson reels.
They're super cheap and super rugged.

ok, I know nothing about fly fishing but just have to say that your title of "Fly-Curious" might be the FUNNIEST thing I have ever read in my life!!! :bgi:

what do you mean by intermediate line?


Fly lines have various sink rates; such as floating, intermediate sink, fast sink and extra fast sink.

Intermediate lines are probably the most popular in the salt as the surface chop from wind has less influence on the line. Floating line is a little easier to learn how to cast but the intermediate is the line of choice for most experienced saltwater fly fisherman.

As far as brands thats a whole other subject.

I haven't had to replace an intermediate line in a while and my favorite was of course discontinued.

I have a 10 ft rod with 11wt intermediate line.
One important factor is maintenance. I wash my line to keep it in top shape.
You can also try your habd at tying your own leaders/tippets as well.
That way you can claim to have done all the prep yourself, and you can guarantee the quality of the workmanship.

Good luck.

8wt is fine for small fish but I can count on two hands, two feet, and at least one of your hands the amount of 8wt rods I've broken fishing for big stripers. Probably the best size starter rod for all-around saltwater use is a 9wt, 10 if your throwing big flies.

I wish I could still flyfish :( I've given tons of this stuff away over the past few years.

Then, my dear Salty, it may be you may have really never truly mastered that one important factor in the fine art of fishing with the "long wand" called "Patience and finesse" it is one of the most important factors in landing big fish on light tackle, fly or spin. The several truly big fish I have hooked and lost on fly tackle were all my fault. Too much pressure breaking rods because of impatience or one memorable fish on the Monomoy Flats that could well have gone to the mid forty range (lbs.) because I stepped stupidly into a loop dropped out of my stripping basket just after setting the hook into her jaw and she was flying away to deeper water.

BTW, I never used anything larger than 12lb test fluoro for tippet for anything while flyfishing.

When wading the beach or flats and you hook into a bigger fish with the fly and are using a light ten or twelve pound tippet, remember to keep the rod down and to your side parralel to the beach. This keeps pressure to the fish from the side not the to the surface and keeps them from coming to the surface where they shake thier little heads and cause more abrasion to the tippet surface wherein the longer you play the fish the more likely to get yourself broken off.

The side maneuver effectively helps to avoid that by keeping the tippet material from coming out at the corner of the basses jaw hinge where the surface is smooth as opposed to the front bottom and top of the jaw where the vomerine teeth and rough surface make short work of light tippets.

BTW, I use my 9 wts for 350 grain shooting heads (Orvis depthcharge was one of the best) and my tens for 450/650 grain heads. These are used primarily from a boat casting back into a beach on the outer cape or rips and deep holes anywhere else.

Hey, BillM - I don't know you but you do know the most difficult part of learning how to fly fish, don't you?

(Okay, Nebe, here it is, a slow meatball right over the plate for ya :rotflmao: )

I'd buy an 8 weight and a great book is Stripers and Streamers by Ray Bonderew (spelling?)
Don't get too carried away with your first rod and reel, it's easy to spend a ton of money. Remember cheap rods today are the equal of expensive ones ten years ago. The pflueger medalist reel will work and so will a temple fork rod.
An 8 wt floating line (yes floating you need to learn how to cast) some 1/0 chartruse and white clousers, some 12 or 15# yozuri hybrid for leader and go stand in an outflow with the rest of the guys and learn how to cast. Watch what the guys who are catching fish are doing. Have fun. Rhode Island has a great fly club.
One "secret" fly that has worked for me is very simple. 1/0 hook, tie on some black saddle hackle, cast in the white water off rocks. Short casts work fine.

OK crafty angler, I've thought it over and I'm gonna say the most difficult part of learning to fly fish would be - gettin that damn fly on the hook : ) I'm right are'nt I ?

OK crafty angler, I've thought it over and I'm gonna say the most difficult part of learning to fly fish would be - gettin that damn fly on the hook : ) I'm right are'nt I ?

Well, not exactly......

C'mon, Nebe, right over the fence :hihi:

In the last few years I've gone from surf casting for stripers (plugs and chunk and etc.) to mostly fly fishing for them off the rocks and in tidal rivers. I love it. Only caught 9 during 2 weeks in Maine this summer on the fly, but I remember each one. They were small, but great fun. Also caught a couple dozen in the surf (on bait) and one day on my buds boat (plugs and bait). A couple of those I will never forget. It's all good...but I'm bitten by the fly fishing.

I have always wanted to try tying flies and finally got a vice,now I have some perfect spots I want to try fishing over here in Warwick, close to home. I would love to start my day fly fishing at first light , maybe hit the gym, and still be home way before noon. Life is good.