# Fly Tackle Advice?



## tro-trout (Apr 5, 2007)

One or my friends just got a fly rod. I was playing around with it for a little and I loved it. Now I've got a few questions as far as rods/reels i'm looking to get a fairly nice used one. So in the price range of 100-180 on a rod and 100 on a reel what would be good fly rod/reel for galveston bay/surf green lights at night.
Thanks


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## d-donaghue (Oct 30, 2007)

tfo makes a great rod in that price range and okuma has reels under $100


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## tro-trout (Apr 5, 2007)

I'm looking at the Phluger trion any opinions and what size should I get for red's trout?


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## Fishdaze (Nov 16, 2004)

tro-trout said:


> I'm looking at the Phluger trion any opinions and what size should I get for red's trout?


I'm no expert, but for Trout and Reds I would get an 8 Wt.


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## tbuckshot (Jul 17, 2005)

As windy as it is here, I would probably want a 9 wt, but I have done well on as light as 6 wt in S. Tx (reds up to 31", trout to 29"). Reels are over-rated for our fishing locally. The Phlueger mentioned earlier is fine. Heck, a Phlueger Medalist is fine! As long as it has SOME kind of drag, it will do. I caught 6 reds up to 26" last week in high wind on my St. Croix rod and Scientific Angler ree. These are not expensive. None took me to the backing Actually, I have found that the reds and drum seem to fight harder on conventional 12# tackle, which is what I use the most. However, I like to sight-cast and most days the fly is actually a better presentation. The best advice that I can give is buy whatever rod/reel set you can afford and get really good with it. If you like it or wear it out, you will be ready to book a trip to Los Roques or Casa Maya anyway, so you'll need something better!


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## rloveless (Sep 5, 2007)

This sport is very addicting! Even more than chunking tops @ monster trout IMO.

THIS WILL NOT BE THE LAST ROD & REEL YOU BUY, so start small to make sure it is for you

2 yrs ago, I bought an 8wt TFO professional($150) and a GLoomis reel($100) which have worked out perfectly for me to start off with here in Galveston. When it is all said and done, the total cost will be around 400

It takes awhile to build the confidence to go with fly rod instead of the conventional, especially when your buds are still chunking spoons.

My only wish was i had gone with the TFO TiCr X for the extra hundo but i was not sure how much i would love it.

Ready for the Sage and the poling skiff,

Ryan


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## Won Mo Kasst (Mar 27, 2008)

where and how are ppl fly fishing in galveston?? im always wading and in the skinny water and have never seen anyone flyfishing


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## redfish bayrat (Feb 17, 2006)

Don't mean to hijack, but after purchasing the rod and reel, what make of fly line would you recommend? I have a reel and an 8-9 wt. rod. Started playing with it the other day after letting it sit in the garage for 10 yrs.


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## davidb (May 10, 2006)

Tro trout another option is the Powell Timax or Rajeff Echo & EXS both good rods on sale at Sierra Trading post. The Reddington CPS is a great rod for a little bit more as are the TFO line, the Teeny Rods are a sleeper.

Lines? Any of the tropical redfish/bonefish lines like RIO, SA, or Cortland. I like the Wulf triangle taper and the Bruce Chard lines. The Scientific Anglers Head Start line is a bargain. Its not as hard as the tropical lines but is front loaded to make casting easier. The Head Start can work in cool or warm weather.


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## tbuckshot (Jul 17, 2005)

*clear tip*



redfish bayrat said:


> Don't mean to hijack, but after purchasing the rod and reel, what make of fly line would you recommend? I have a reel and an 8-9 wt. rod. Started playing with it the other day after letting it sit in the garage for 10 yrs.


Although I haven't used one myself, my buddy has a clear-tip fly line that allows him to have a much shorter leader and does VERY well with it. They are a little more picey, but I'd buy one. Either way, you definitely want a weight forward line that will allow you to double haul or "shoot" the line.


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## Bruce J (Jun 27, 2004)

Here's another thread that may have some good info for you:

http://2coolfishing.com/ttmbforum/showthread.php?p=1583410#post1583410


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## FlySouth (Feb 25, 2009)

For the upper coast, I like an 8wt rod with a fast / med fast action (as most rods are these days)

I have two spools for my reel for two different lines. One is an 8wt Rio Saltwater line. This line is great for calmer days and / or smaller flies and is better suited for distance. 

The other spool has a 9wt bass bug taper. This allows me to "up line" my rod to throw larger flies in windier conditions. Scientific anglers makes a Redfish line that has a similar taper to a bass bug, but also has the special coatings of a saltwater line.

A 9wt rod can get tiring to cast...especially if you are blind casting alot as you would if you were hardware fishing.


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## FishTTU (Feb 20, 2009)

IMO, 8wt is a good all round fly rod in texas. you can handle trout and redfish in the salt, but also bass on the lakes esp. around this time of year.

I have heard that Scott has either stopped producing or is overhauling the A2 which is a great rod for the money and also Sage FLI has dropped in price quite a bit too. The reel will be more important in the salt than for bass, so checkout the Lamson Guru which for an 8 wt is around 220 or the G Loomis Eastfork which goes for around 195. 

Keep in mind flies will add up and fly line and backing will add about 100 bucks to any reel you get. craigslist maybe a good spot to look for used equipment.


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## Ish (Oct 30, 2008)

Search buttons work wonders, but since you're lazy:


Rod - TFO (TiCr) - why buy used when you can get a great new rod for that $$$? 8 wt. for Tejas is your best bet if you've only got 1 rod.

Reel - doesn't matter as long as it'll hold an 8 wt. line, 100 yds of dacron, and won't rust/corrode (read anodized). Dudn't even need a drag.

Line - Rio tarpon taper (8wt. or larger) turns over anything in the wind. Or Cortland 444 Lazerline Tropic Plus. (Full floater) Steer clear of SA.



Enjoy.


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## Fishaholic (Jan 9, 2005)

I started with an 8 wt TFO rod which was a pretty close to your price range. I think they have some around 150. With a sage Reel it was a sweet setup.


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## FlySouth (Feb 25, 2009)

Ish,
What are your experiences with Scientific Anglers?
I have always used their lines and wondered if there was anything better, but been too cheap to experiment around.


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## Ish (Oct 30, 2008)

i've found them to have way too much memory and they get dirtier (which affects shooting) faster. that, and I don't care for their tapers....

i started with them too, but fortunately i was able to try other stuff and see what else was out there early on.

if you like them, keep using them. just not for me.


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