# saltwater fly rod and reel



## wiggler (Mar 31, 2005)

which rod and reel?

just getting started and would like to know what the opinions are...... 9'0 8wt is what i have been told so far.... fishing for reds, trout, and if all goes well I may try for a bone, snook or permit

thanks for the help


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## ice-mo (Dec 14, 2008)

Wig,

The 8 wt is a very versatile rod you can do a lot of different types of fishing with. Good choice. As far as which 8 wt, I would recommend going with a reasonbly priced outfit, i.e. Sage Discovery series or Temple Fork Outfitters. If you find out that you enjoy the long rod you can invest a little more coin. I've personally had great luck with Sage as far as customer service goes. Slam one of their rods in your car door, send it back telling them you did so and they send you a new one. Can't beat the lifetime/no matter how you screw it up guarantee! Also, once you become a more proficient caster you can see what type of rod action you prefer (x-fast to med. or whatever) and invest in one that suits your casting style. Good luck on the endeavor and stick with it, it is very rewarding.


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## wiggler (Mar 31, 2005)

thank you ice-mo!!


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## Animal Chris (May 21, 2004)

Wiggler, If you are just getting into the sport, IMO, before you invest in a rod (which is more important that the reel), I would suggest you invest in some casting lessons. This will accomplish a couple of things, 1st, it will help you break bad casting habits before you learn them and secondly, it will help you know what you are looking for when you go to buy a rod. 

There are a lot of different rods actions out there, some super fast, some a little less so and some are very slow. For the beginner, I would steer away from the super fast actions due to the fact that they are unforgiving and will magnify the imperfections in your cast. I have seen a lot of in-experienced fly fishermen go this route and have great difficulty in producing a consistantly accurate cast, and they then will lay blame on the rod. 
One good way to get some good and, usually, inexpensive casting lessons is to join a club. My club, the Texas Flyfishers of Houston, offer casting classes, at different levels, several times a year. Our instructors are FFF certified and the best part is that the lessons are usually free to our members (Membership is $24.00 / year, about what 20 minutes of instruction would cost). This would also allow the opportunity to try out seveal different brands of rods. If you live in the Houston area, come to one of our meetings or, if you are around on Saturday, Feb. 7th, check out our annual Fly Tying Festival (info at the top fo the forum). We'll have several manufacturers with rods on display for you to try. 

Tight lines, Chris


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## davidb (May 10, 2006)

Two other Rods that don't seem to get as much press are the Reddington CPS, and the Sage Fli.

Both might be available at a big discount, I am not sure if the Reddington is still in production. If it is not it doesn't surprise me because it competes with some of the Sage rods that are twice as expensive.

Get a decent rod as the real low end rods just won't perform in the wind as well and will either slow down your learning curve or frustrate you to the point you quit before you get proficient.


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## Gottagofishin (Dec 17, 2005)

I have a Sage Launch series 8wt that I started with and found it to be a decent first rod. 

I've got a Sage z-axis 7wt coming since I'm ready to upgrade.


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## wiggler (Mar 31, 2005)

thanks for the advise everyone.... lessons sound like a good idea


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## bartfromcorpus (Oct 29, 2008)

*Put your money in the reel*

i have always put a lot more money into the reel than the rod - there are plenty of good rods on the market today - you can find plenty of used ones, or spend $250 on a newTFO, or whatever

if you want something to fish for reds, trout or whatever with on the texas coast then in many cases you might be able to get away with a less expensive rod - think about it this way: most sightcasting in texas for redfish is done at fairly close distances - you don't have to cast 60 feet in a cross wind to hit a redfish - but once you've hooked up then what? any rod bends and puts enough resistance against the fish to land it - it's the reel, man that does all the work

a good reel has no start up friction, good sealed drags, good components, and are large arbor - crappy cabelas reels have the potential of burned up drags, and although they're affordable, you get what you pay for - if you stick a large redfish in shallow enough water you're going to see the differences that a solid drag will make

plus, you're talking about a permit or bonefish in your future...you better have a solid, smooth drag

go to youtube - search for "fly reel tests" and see the different tests that guys have put on there where they simulate a fish taking off on its first run - you'll see some reels that perform flawlessly, and others that literally smoke and burn up - this will give you a great idea of what i'm talking about

i have been using the same Bauer & Lamson reels for years, I have one Bauer M4 that I have honestly been using for 8 years, and they have withstood the Texas salt and never let me down - I have had some problems with some of the Ross reels, but do still like them and have a couple of their Big Games on my 12 and 14 weights

by the way, the TFO large arbors do seem to be a good alternative - i recently put one on a back up 10 weight and ended up using it for sharks about a month ago - the drag was smooth and quiet and I was impressed

my point is, if you worry too much about saving money, you might end up with gear that causes problems or leaves you frustrated

and, like was mentioned below, take lessons, and I would even suggest hiring a PATIENT guide for a day - worry less about the landing of fish and more about what they suggest to correct and you'll learn more in one day that you would in a summer of teaching yourself


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## THE JAMMER (Aug 1, 2005)

I agree with everything you say about what makes a good reel good,etc. I do, however, have to offer a different opinion regarding: "put more money into the reel than the rod." At least as far as reds and specks are concerned. My opinion is that for the vast majority of the specks and reds we catch on the Texas coast, the reel is simply a place to store the line. All you really need is a clicker, and the ability to palm the reel. The runs are usually not that strong, and are short lived. I would much rather have a good quality rod that enables me to make that 60-70' cast into the wind. If you can't get the fly to the fish, it really doesn't matter how good your reel is.

Now, as you said, and I totally agree, when you move into the permit/bonefish/kingfish/cobia realm, you MUST have a quality reel with a perfect, smooth, drag system. They will smoke a cheap reel.

I logged into that youtube sight, and it was interesting, but I think there was a major flaw in his data. Basically he divided reels into 3 categories: trout 4-5-6, bonefish 8-9, and unlimited larger fish reels. He tied the line to a motocycle, and for the trout reels they accelerated to about 9 mph; for the bonefish reels they accelerated to 23 mph; and for the unlimited they went to 50mph. The main problem I saw with his data, is that he didn't set the drags to the same number of pounds for each reel in a category. Obviously an 8 weight reel set at 1# of drag will pull out more smoothly than one set at 5#. It was interesting to watch, however.

Bottom line I don't think that specks and reds hit that 23mph figure he used for bonefish and the 8-9 wgt reels we fish for them with.

INHO,

THE JAMMER


bartfromcorpus said:


> i have always put a lot more money into the reel than the rod - there are plenty of good rods on the market today - you can find plenty of used ones, or spend $250 on a newTFO, or whatever
> 
> if you want something to fish for reds, trout or whatever with on the texas coast then in many cases you might be able to get away with a less expensive rod - think about it this way: most sightcasting in texas for redfish is done at fairly close distances - you don't have to cast 60 feet in a cross wind to hit a redfish - but once you've hooked up then what? any rod bends and puts enough resistance against the fish to land it - it's the reel, man that does all the work
> 
> ...


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## CoastalOutfitters (Aug 20, 2004)

buy the larger gold G Loomis reel

it is made by Shimano and is $100

you can't beat it, excellent drag too

buy good line also, 8wt . wt forward floating


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## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

wiggler said:


> which rod and reel?
> 
> just getting started and would like to know what the opinions are...... 9'0 8wt is what i have been told so far.... fishing for reds, trout, and if all goes well I may try for a bone, snook or permit
> 
> thanks for the help


The problem with your question is that it implies one rod for all the species mentioned. I can tell you flat out an 8 wt rod is not suitable for Permit fishing, is very marginal on most days for Bonefish (due to winds) and can be marginal for certain snook situations.

If you want one rod for all those situations, you will be much better off with a 9 wt. I've used the 9 wt for Tarpon to 30 pounds also caught while Permit fishing...don't try that with an 8 weight.

A better solution, perhaps might be to start out with an 8 wt, assuming your primary fishing will be trout and reds and then if/when you progress to Bones and Permit, use it as a back-up rod and/or low wind conditions rod.....you need a 9 wt for Permit and on most bonefish flats I've been on to combat the ever present winds.

As far as reels go, again it depends on fishing situations...for trout and reds, the reel is just a line holder...but for Permit and Bones and small Tarpon, the real is very important.


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## WestEndAngler (Jan 30, 2007)

My first saltwater fly rod was the Bass Pro Shop combo Gold Cup Series III 8wt 9'0 rod I love it and its a trout catching machine! You can catch them on sale sometimes too.


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## Gottagofishin (Dec 17, 2005)

bartfromcorpus said:


> ...you don't have to cast 60 feet in a cross wind to hit a redfish ...


I don't know where you fish, but that's pretty much what I have to do on a good weather day where I fish.

If we're talking trout and reds, the reel needs to be decent but if you are on a budget, put your money into the rod and the line.


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## dsim3240 (Nov 12, 2008)

I agree with the 9ft. 8wt rod. I have an Orvis 
T-3 that I love. It has the flex that suits my casting technique. The Orvis Power matrix is also real nice. Any of the mid range Sage rods will also do you well. I would also encourage you to take a lesson or two. You will get to try different rods and learn how the rods are suppost to be used. Then go to a fly shop and demo some of their rods. Casting in the parking lot isn't the same as on the water, but you will get an idea of how the rod works with your casting. Both Orvis and Sage have life time warrenties so if you damage the rod they will fits it without a problem.
AS far as reels go put your money in the ROD. Any reel that has a disc drag "not clicker" is adequate for Texas fishing. You can always upgrade the reel if you have an oppertunity for more exotic fish. Expect to pay $300 for the rod and $150 for the reel. 
Also you may want to check out Ebay I have bought several rods and reels off Ebay at a discount and they have all been in excellent condition. But do your home work first, and know what you want and how much it should cost. Good luck and good hunting.


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