# What weight rod do you use?



## FishinHippie (Jun 19, 2005)

I've been debating and debating... what to buy??

I'm not a starter, but all my flyfishing experience is in the mountians with a 4 wt for dry flies(my favorite) and the occassional 6 wt for streamers and buggers. (I hate nymphs... but the little bastards work too)

But now, I'm ready to start fly fishing the salt. But I cannot decide which rod to get first.

From everyone I have talked to.. they say go with an 8 wt... but my experience tells me to stick with a 6 wt for a more enjoyable fight and also for a lighter set-up. But the 8wt will likely handle bigger flys and for slot reds, might be the better rod. Could the 7wt be an acceptable compromise?

Please, could you post your weight and length and what you prefer to target. 

Thanks!!


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## deebo (May 22, 2004)

dont worry, the 8 wt will still give you plenty of an enjoyable fight on a slot red. with the wind, and size of fly, i would say you need to go with the 8 wt. i am a HUGE fan of light tackle, and i assure you, 8 wt is plenty light for reds. 

On a seperate note, i have a new 3 wt coming in this week for our colorado trip in the next few weeks, and i can hardly wait to get my hands on her!!! its like waiting for Christmas


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## davidb (May 10, 2006)

I use all of the above and more. As you know the fly size determines line weight. I love it when I can use a five or six weight for saltwater fishing.
But this limits when you could use them effectively.

A salt water seven starts to be more versatile and I've used a seven quite a bit. But for all around inshore use the eight is the most usefull.

A 9 or 10 comes in handy for heavy flies and windy days but I consider these as more for permit/jacks to light blue water use.

A soft/slow trout rod will handicap you in the wind regardless of the line weight.


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## Trout Laguna (Aug 31, 2007)

close poll...


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## FishinHippie (Jun 19, 2005)

hey if the shoe fits.... but a single rod is a small investment... I wanna do it right the first time... I consider the rod to be the most important aspect of fly fishing and the line is a close second!

... ya get what you pay for!


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## squidmotion (Apr 5, 2007)

8wt would be the way to go...

i have an 8wt and a 10wt.... all i ever think i will ever need... must say, i really like my TFO 10wt, though it is a bit heavier, and will wear you out faster, though i can really get some distance with that baby and the SA line i use. 

i was told to stay away from a 9wt... 'cuz it's not a 10wt... and it's not an 8 either!!!'

i think for trout and reds, a 7wt might be good. i plan to build one pretty soon.


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## davidb (May 10, 2006)

Post your weight and length? 

Sounds like something froms Craigslist.


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## surfsideperson (Aug 22, 2005)

I have a cheaper 5 wt, for freshwater around here. never had a problem with that in fresh water. i use a 8 wt for trout and reds, pompano, spanish mack, and all other inshore fishing. and i have a 12 wt for offshore action. if i had to have one rod it would be the 8 for all your needs, but, get a fairly fast rod, becuase the wind on the coast is not mountain breeze, it blows hard and to get a full size streamer or popper, to the fish is not as easy as some make it look. i heard 7's are are ok as well, and right now you might be able to get line cheap at ftu , marked down box of flyline. i say go 8 wt. it will pay for itself, the first time you hook a nice red in about8 inches of water.


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## coxhw (Jun 7, 2007)

I've got a Temple Fork TiCrX 8w 9'-0" 4 pc that I 'm real happy with. To me it cast just as good as my Loomis. Lefty Kreh did an outstanding job with this new company. The 8w will definetely do the job on reds. Here is the web site for Temple Fork, and Bass Pro use to handle them.
http://templeforkflyrods.com/index.html


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## THE JAMMER (Aug 1, 2005)

Not sure I agree with "fly size determines line weight." Weight of the line is dictated by the size and weight of the rod. And yes you do need stiffer heavier weight stronger rods to cast larger flies, but that is not to say that you might not cast some very small flies with a #10 rod- small clousers for kingfish for instance. Or size 20-22 blue wing olives for 20" trout on the San Juan with a 5 or 6 weight.

For reds on upper Texas coast the 8 wgt will be the most versatile, not necessarily because of fish size , but because of wind. I would also have a nice 6 wgt for those rare calm days, because a slot red on a 6 wgt is awesome. For offshore, if you do that, best all around is a 10 wgt. I carry about 4-5 10 wgts on my offshore charters, and use them mostly for kings and snapper. We use 6-7 on small dolphin, and have a 12 or two available for those big cobia/puppy dogs when they show up in the wake.

THE JAMMER



davidb said:


> I use all of the above and more. As you know the fly size determines line weight. I love it when I can use a five or six weight for saltwater fishing.
> But this limits when you could use them effectively.
> 
> A salt water seven starts to be more versatile and I've used a seven quite a bit. But for all around inshore use the eight is the most usefull.
> ...


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## Gottagofishin (Dec 17, 2005)

If you are going to have just one rod for inshore and the surf, most people will say 8wt.


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## FishinHippie (Jun 19, 2005)

wind.... I didn't really think about that.. I've not done too much fly casting in a 15-20 (there are some places in colorado that were streams running accross valleys that had a pretty stiff wind, I remember cursing my 4wt on those days).... the 8 wt is sounding better now.... 

a longer stick should also help with battling the winds huh? Minimum 9'? Maybe 10'?


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## THE JAMMER (Aug 1, 2005)

NINE FEET PERIOD.


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## BUBAFISH (Jun 10, 2008)

FAST ACTION 8 WEIGHT WITH A 9 WEIGHT SALT WATER TAPER LINE FOR A QUICK CAST
WITH THE LEAST AMOUNT OF FALSE CASTS.


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## bleb (Mar 6, 2008)

ok here goes I have one of each or is it two of some and three of others


most days 8 wt with 8 wt line

windy days 9 wt is easier

calm days maybe a 7 I cant get the distance witha 6 wt that sometimes is needed with the flies I use my bad casting

go with an 8 and you will be in pretty good shape unless its 15 to 20 or more


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## freckledfish (Jun 12, 2005)

When wading, I use a 5 or 6 weight. The 5 is fun from flat calm to about 10. The 6 is my all around gulf coast inshore stick. You can handle large trout and reds on that tackle. I will go up to a 7 if I'm on my bow platform, exposed to the wind and it's really howling. As long as it's not blowing more than 20, I find my 6 works fine.

I would recommend you stick with a weight you believe you can be accurate with. IMHO distance is not as big an issue as some make it out to be on the flats unless you are in Florida fishing pressured bones. Better to be quick & accurate at 40-60', than throw 80' and line the fish.


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## Salty Dog (Jan 29, 2005)

If you are looking for one rod a good 9' 8 wt is tough to beat. I use a 5 wt at times under the lights and had a 7 wt that was a really nice rod to fish when it wasn't too windy. It was light but did fine on redfish. I also have a 9 wt and it's starting to get on the heavy side. It is a meat stick and wears me out too quickly i I am casing a bunch. I have caught jacks, kingfish, tripletail, etc on it and it does well. Day in and day out I go back to a 9' 8wt for reds and trout.


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## davidb (May 10, 2006)

A Nine footer is the standard. You typically only go for a longer rod for special applications, like deep wading, sit down kayak or float tubing, sometimes in the surf.

A longer rod is usually slower casting and can be harder to land a fish with.
It's only when you go to switch and spey rods that the increased distance is noticeable. 

Go to a good shop that will let you try different rods and compare them.


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## FishinHippie (Jun 19, 2005)

thanks for the replys! Very helpfull!!


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## Salty Bum (May 24, 2007)

I love my 8 but this past week in PA I used my 9 because of the wind - you can string an 8 weight up with 9 weight line and get more distance in the wind

Salty Bum
HOOK 'EM HORNS!!!!
<'))))))))*><


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## cheetah (May 30, 2006)

When sight fishing I generally only make limited casts depending on the number of fish I can see and cast to. I rarely blind cast anymore as I found I was spooking fish I had not yet seen . Unless I am in water over knee deep I will not blind cast and if I do it is with a spoon. I have found over the years the wind seems to a problem most of the time. When the winds are predicted to be lighter than 10 mph I will throw an 8 I usually take a nine because as we all know the weatherman is usually right only some of the time. I will take my 9wt out when the wind is over 12-15 and I can sling it in 20mph winds using the wind to my advantage. You will be surprised how the reds will stack on a windward shoreline, and with a9wt you can cast to them.


just my 02 cents


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## drakechaser515 (Apr 6, 2008)

i use a six and an eight dependin on how big the fish and how far the cast


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## seattleman1969 (Jul 17, 2008)

I have three that I use but my general use rod for big waters, rivers, and fishing from a boat is a 10 Ft. 5 Wt. Loomis Streamdance HLS (High Line Speed) that's loaded with a 6 weight multi tip line on a Loop Evotec FW 4-7 reel with 220 Yds. 20 Lb. backing . It is an absolute cannon with most standard flies and some big bugs as well, depending on what tip I am using and the bug profile. 

This rig allows me to use it for almost all fishing including trout, summer steelhead, bass, light salmon, specks, smaller reds, and flounder. It even allows me to do some light Spey casting when loaded with the right head on my line! 

I also have standard 6 wt and 8 wt rigs that I use for other more specific purposes but the Loomis is my go to.


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## the snake (Mar 6, 2006)

*reply*

are you asking so you can get line​


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## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

It is really hard to pick just one rod. However, if I could only have one saltwater fly rod, it would be a 9 weight. I've got a Loomis IMX 9 wt that can go all day on the flats in almost any wind for any species.

An 8 wt would be fine for most conditions, but in the wind and when you need distance and accuracy, I go for the 9 wt. 

Have caught Permit, Bonefish, Tarpon and specs and reds on the 9 wt...very versatile.


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