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Originally Posted by #^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&
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.