whats a good fly rod weight for striper fishing?

[Anthony]

wel i plan on getting into fly fishin salt water for da blues and da stripers. where should i start?? fly weight ??? , rod ??? , reel ??? , flies ??? , i need everything to get started for fly fishing in salt water except for i got my waders . any help would be much appreciated. i am looking in the $100 - $150 for the rod and reel together.

Anthony

[Mike P]

Ok---first off, right up front, I don't flyfish. My buddy Brad tried to teach me to cast, and he continually bribes me with free plugs to keep me from advertising that fact I'm a certified menace---mostly to myself---with a fly rod in my hands. But, I have a few friends that are good fly fishermen.

You will see guys using rods from 8 wt to 11 wt, with a 9 or 10 being the most versatile. Cortland used to have a pretty decent fly rod for the buck, but that was 10 years ago and I don't know what their quality is now. I think the reel that gives you the best bang for the buck is the Sci Angler, at around $200. But, since you set your range for the outfit at less than that figure, I would say, the only one worth mentioning is the Pflueger Medalist. 1495/1595 or 1498/1598. The difference between the "14"'s and "15"'s is the 15s have an exposed rim that's easier to palm for a little added drag. The Medalists have a mechanical clicker-type drag, mediocre at best. I had a 1495 for about 3 weeks before it and the Cortland rod it was on were "liberated" from the roof of my Trooper while I was getting a coffee in Cumberland Farms. This was at the Vineyard, so why they took that instead of the custom Lami graphite with a Newell 235 on it made sense at the time---someone over there once asked me, when they saw the Newell, if I couldn't afford a "modern reel".

Lines? No clue. My friends usually carry a spare spool--they'll carry both a floating and intermediate sinking line. Backing is usually some sort of Spectra braid these days.

I'll leave the rest to the guys who know what they're talking about, except to say, if you're going to fish from the surf or in current, you'll live to regret it if you think you can get by without a stripping basket.

[Patrick]

Most guys opt for a 10 weight. Anyways, that's what I was suggested.

One of the important things about picking out the flyline is getting the right weight of course and getting the right line for the water you fish. Some lines, if used in a cold enviroment will coil up and distort a bit. This will result in hard casting and hard fishing. Pick your line carefully.

Unfortunately, you have entered a world of expensive gear but don't be afraid, there is a lot of gear out there. I would try the fly shop that is advertised on this board. You get a discount because you are a member of this board.

Another thing you are going to want to look into is stripping baskets. These are very important. It basically holds the line in a nice coil in the basket so once you finish stripping your fly in, you can make a nice cast out without any knots in the line. It also keeps your stripped line out of the water where it can get tangled with the line out there already. Another thing it does is keeps your expensive fly line out of the rocks where it can get chewed up.

[Jaiem]

Patrick - You never saltwater flyfished. So how can you possibly give advise?! That really irks me.

Anthony - The topic of equipment selection can fill a book! But here's some thgoughts:

Each person has his/her own comfortable weight fly rod, usually from 8wt to 10 wt. My favorite is a 9 wt. I can cast it all night and not be worn out. But it also depends what the conditions are, the size flies you're casting, surface or deep fishing, etc etc. As a new caster you'll probably find a 9 or 10wt rod easier to use. And you can split the difference and get a 9/10wt rod that allows you to use eitehr weight line. As for brands, no need to get a $600 rod yet. Redington makes some good rods though a little above the price you're talking about but well worth it. Definately go to a shop or a flyfishing club meeting and try several rod/reel combos before buying.

Coming to lines, there are more styles and kinds than every these days. IMO get a good quality floating line and intermediate line. Don't worry about specialty lines right now. A good quality saltwater weight-forward line will do. Between a floating and intermediate line you'll have 90% of the bases covered. And don't go for shooting heads just yet. Learn to cast a full line well first.

Mike's right about the Pfleuger. It's an awsome reel, just not nearly as "sexy" as other brands. But many more saltwater flyrod sharpies use a Medalist than the other fancier reels. Go for a 1498. The rim control reels (the 1500 series) aren't as well made for some reason. You can load 100 yds of 30# micron backing and a 9 or 10wt full line. Also but extra spools. They're cheap and it's much easier to change spools to switch lines than it is to change the lines itself.

Speaking of backing, 100-150 yards of 30# is more than enough for most conditions we encounter around the Northeast. Bass and blues just don't run like tarpon. Even albies don't run that far. Micron is easy to work with and inexpensive.

For flies, start with the basics: Deceivers, Clousers and streamers in standard colors (white, yellow, black). Don't worry about getting fancy just yet. Many a big fish has been taken on a plain white or black fly. Later as you get more experience and start taking fish you can experiment with other colors and combinations.

One other point: Make yourself a stripping basket from a Rubbermaid wash tub and a bungee cord. No need to spend $30 or $40 on a brand name basket. They don't last any longer. Be sure to put a good basket insert in the bottom to help prevent tangels. It's well worth it.

Good luck! You'll love it!

[SeaWolf]

Anthony, I have to agree with Jaiem on this one. You really don't need to spend a lot right away until you get an idea what you really like, and then maybe up the quality of your fly fishing arsenal a bit.

I have a 10 wt rod w/ a 9/10 reel. I went about mid-or-the-line when I bought my outfit. I chose a 10 wt because I mainly wanted an outift I could easily battle a 30lb plus striper. Am I happy with my choice, yes, but I would prefer a 9 wt for 75% of my fly fishing. I've casted and borrowed some friend's 9 wt's and they are less of a strain to fish for an extended period. But, all this depends on what you plan on catching. If you are targeting schoolies and fish under 15 lbs, you probably could get away with a 8 wt. If you are targeting larger stripers and blues, with the possibility of fishing for falsies and bonito, you may want that 9 wt. If you are after the cows, a 10 wt may be the best choice. Again, it's all your preference. I second the Reddington's. Nice outift and guarenteed for life. They make a inexpensive combo too, I believe.

As for reels, you don't need to spend a lot. Plueger makes a nice, inexpensive reel If you want a better reel, which i would suggest for the bonito and larger stripers, you may want one with a disc drag. Personally, my number one line is an intermidiate shooting head, but I would suggest a standard weight forward intermediate as my first line and a weight forward sinking as my second line. I personally think you have limited area for a floating, but again, my opinion. Your ideal set-up will have at least 200 yards of 20# or 30# backing. With some of the new brids out, you can get even more on if you use them over dacron/micron.

Flys - You can't go wrong with various sized deceivers. Clousers work great as well. After that, you could go crazy. Buy a few different imitations of various epozy sand eels, poppers, crabs, squid, shrimp, etc.

Basket - Yes, make your own. Just buy the cone inserts and glue it in your basket. It keeps your fly line from tangling.

So, as you can see, you can go in several directions initially. You best bet may be a 9 wt. You'll always use it and you can always jump up to a 10 wt one day or go down to an 8 wt, but still use the 9 wt the most.

Good luck.

[Saltheart]

Hate to say it Anthony but unless you can get something used , its going to be aweful hard to get into the saltwater flyfishing game for $100-$150.
The "Fishing Factory Outlet" has lots of closeouts on stuff and if you watch closely , you may be able to hit on a decent bargain http://www.ffo-tackle.com/index.cfm I would go 10 weight.

[Patrick]

Jaiem,

I have saltwater flyfished. I have used my freshwater fly gear on shad and small schoolies. Mostly shad though. I've also used my friend's gear a number of times.

[Jaiem]

Patrick (06-12-2001 05:24):
I have saltwater flyfished. I have used my freshwater fly gear on shad and small schoolies. Mostly shad though. I've also used my friend's gear a number of times.

Since when?! Up to this moment you've always said many times in many forums that you never saltwater flyfishied but felt your limited freshwater experience with trout was good enough to give saltwater advise (just like you do for all your other advise).

And even if so, hardly a basis for an informed opinion. You know how much this gets under my skin.

[Ed J]

I've been lurkin over here for a while, mostly just to see what Patrick is up to. And i see he's up to the same stuff.

Getting under yer skin, huh Jaeim? Can't see how, he's just trin to help

[Ed J]

OK that looks more "Normal"

[Patrick]

Jaiem,

Okay, here is the honest to God truth. I've been saltwater fishing a few times each season. Usually when the fish are around steadily. Let's face it, casting is a lot of work.

The reason why I have denied my saltwater flyfishing career is because I didn't want to open myself up to any more bashings. You know how some of these (not on this site, the internet in general) guys are. But now, the cat is out of the bag and I really don't care if they bash me. So yes, I have LIMITED saltwater flyfishing experience.

[Jaiem]

Patrick,

Serious question:

You're 19, not in school, not preparing for college or tech school, and not working. Most of your messages here and on other forums have time stamps around midnight-1am or 4-5am.

Just out of curiosity, what do you do with your days?

[Patrick]

Stuff.

[Saltheart]

Ok guys , Anthony wants to get into fly fishing and has asked for advice. Maybe we can get back on the subject. Does anyone know about anywhere that might do a reasonable amount of buying and selling used flyfishing stuff?

[Jaiem]

Pardon me Saltheart.

How about looking on Ebay?

[Patrick]

I would check with the SaltyDog guy from this site. 30% off for Striped-bass.com members. I'm sure he can rustle up gear. I bet he comes across used gear all the time.

[JohnR]

Hehehe...

Well Patrick, While Rich gives our people a great discount, it is 20% and not 30% (must turn SOME profit, ya know)...

Anthony, I do recommend that you give Saltydog a call as always says that he wants to take care of our people here. He's at http://www.flyrodreeloutfitters.com

Later,

John

[Saltheart]

20% off is an excellent discount anyway!

[MikeF]

Anthony,
First off you will need some sort of a stripping basket. A RubberMaid dishpan and a bungee cord will fill the bill.
There are several brands of relativelyt low cost outfits. Redington RedStart is good.
St. Croix makes some excellent rods at resonable prices. They probably give you the most bang for the buck.
The Medalist is probably the most cost effective reel. SA has a new large arbor graphite reel for $65 ... it looks pretty good ... although I haven't tried one. A Teton TIoga might just be the best for the money.
The most often used line is a full length intemediate. The Cortland 444 is a good line at a reasonable price. Airflo is good but more expensive. I personally use shooting heads most of the time. A beginner, however, would probably be better off with a full line.
For backing I'd go with 30# Dacron. Spectra is pricey, knot sensitive and will cut.
Once you get all your stuff, the most important part starts ... learning to cast. I see lots of guys flyfishing the beaches now ... maybe one in five can cast with some degree of proficiency. Stripers often hit right in the wash ... but how far did they track the fly before hitting? I can castg a lotg further than most guys I fish with ... I also usaully catch a lot more and bigger fish than they do. A few minutes instruction from a qualified teacher will do wonders for your learning curve. Many fly shops will give you free lessons ... good reason to pay a few bucks more instead of ordering mail order!
Good luck and have fun!