# Need help getting started



## Postman (Oct 11, 2015)

Was gifted an 8.5 ft. fiberglass fly rod. Would like to get it rigged up in time for Nueces white bass run. Thanks in advance.


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## karstopo (Jun 29, 2009)

Love fiberglass rods, what line weight rating is your Orvis rod? 

Iâ€™ve never fished a white bass run, but Iâ€™ve heard a fly rod is deadly. There are a couple of folks at least that post about white bass and fly fishing on TFF if no one chimes in here.


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## Muddskipper (Dec 29, 2004)

And where your locacted will help us to know where to send you


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## Postman (Oct 11, 2015)

I'm in Victoria, or between Victoria and Goliad actually.


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## Postman (Oct 11, 2015)

karstopo said:


> Love fiberglass rods, what line weight rating is your Orvis rod?
> 
> Iâ€™ve never fished a white bass run, but Iâ€™ve heard a fly rod is deadly. There are a couple of folks at least that post about white bass and fly fishing on TFF if no one chimes in here.


Thinking it says #8 line. Means nothing to me.


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## karstopo (Jun 29, 2009)

Probably means itâ€™s an 8 weight. The weight rating goes from one to 15 weight, something like that.

https://www.murraysflyshop.com/pages/standard-fly-line-weight-charts

Lots of folks use 8 weights for Largemouth bass and redfish. An eight weight would let someone cast a bigger, more bulky or heavier fly better than say a 4 or 5 weight, all other things being equal.


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## Postman (Oct 11, 2015)

karstopo said:


> Probably means itâ€™s an 8 weight. The weight rating goes from one to 15 weight, something like that.
> 
> https://www.murraysflyshop.com/pages/standard-fly-line-weight-charts
> 
> Lots of folks use 8 weights for Largemouth bass and redfish. An eight weight would let someone cast a bigger, more bulky or heavier fly better than say a 4 or 5 weight, all other things being equal.


 What I'm finding on line is you need everything to be the same if you have 8 wt rod you need 8wt. reel and fly line. otherwise your not doing yourself any favors trying to learn.

Probably too heavy duty for what I'm wanting to do with it (white bass)


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## karstopo (Jun 29, 2009)

How deep do you fish for white bass during the run? How long of casts are needed? 

An 8 weight might be a little overkill for white bass, but it should at least work. An 8â€™6â€ 8 Weight glass rod might tire you out if you cast it for long. Fiberglass isnâ€™t as light as graphite. 

There is a forum dedicated to fiberglass fly rods and there are tons of knowledgeable folks on vintage glass. They might have some great ideas on what line to pair with your specific rod. 

Cortland 444 line is an old school line that might work, but thereâ€™s tons of lines and makers out there. I like weight forward floating lines in general, but I rarely fish deeper than 5 feet or so.


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## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

Postman...maybe I can help a little cause I fish for white bass on the fly a lot. Always glad to help a fellow gardener.

For the whites in the spawning run you will need to get down deep to them. For this a sinking line or a sink tip works best but you can also use split shot and heavy flies but those are somewhat difficult to cast. I recommend in the interests of saving $ you look for a sink tip. 

You can probably find a sinking tip line at your local fishing headquarters. These are designed to fasten via loop-to-loop to your regular fly line. They generally come in short lengths (less than 20 ft) with a welded loop on both ends making attachment to your fly line very easy. 

Once you attach the sink tip then you will need a leader. Make your own preferably out of flouro (it sinks) or mono (it doesn't) by attaching a 2 foot butt section of 40 pound test to the sink tip followed by a 3 foot section of 10 to 15 pound test.

You then attach the Clouser fly to the tippet (the 10 to 15 pound test section) and you are ready to go. Don't worry about precision on any of this...it just does not matter that much but you do want your leader to be a decreasing weight to properly turn over the fly on the cast. If you don't want to mess with a "fancy" leader just tie on 4 to 5 feet of something in the 10 to 15 pound test range. 

An 8wt is a little overkill for whites but will work just fine if you can get the fly in the water and down quickly. 

Flies...that's easy Clousers are all you will need. White/chartruse tied/trimed sparsely are the very best fly to use on them during the spawning run. Cast across and "swing" the fly down drifting in the current. The hits (90%) will happen right when your line becomes tight at the end of a drift. 

It is fabulous fun, no kidding. 

If this explanation isn't clear please ask questions...but avoid like the plague any "technical' discussion/advice you may get. The white bass don't care, LOL. Just get the fly down to them and they will reward you like this one:


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## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

Postman,

In the first attached picture you will see the black sink tip with welded loops I referenced above. Very simple to connect to your fly line and remove when you wish. Also, find the number one fly, the Clouser, for running whites. 

A technique I like to use is to take a spinning rod with a roadrunner (also shown in the attached) to locate the whites and then use the fly rig. I have just found it more efficient to use a roadrunner for a "searcher" but if you already know where the whites are located then by all means go with the fly rod and have a ball.

Once located, you can get a pile of fish in a hurry. The big females are the largest and last in the run with the smaller males often called "scouts" the first to show...and they are already running in some spots.


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## Postman (Oct 11, 2015)

Thanks Meadow, what got me going on this fly thing was this. I've fished the Nueces River near George West off and on for over 25 years and caught a lot of whites on Roadrunner spinners. A couple years back a guy wrote and article in Texas Fish and Game Magazine about how he and his son each caught over 200 fish on the Nueces during the run on a fly rod. I had never seen a fly fisherman until that article hit the streets. The last two years they have been thick as "flys" I think because of that article. I does sound like great fun and looking forward to trying it. Thanks for the help. Will let you know how it turns out.


Mustard, turnip, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, brussel sprouts, and finally onions are in the ground. Rain really made me get stuff in late. Probably too late for some of that stuff, we'll see. Good evening.


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## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

I've heard that the run on the Nueces is a good one with lots of fish...but I've never fished it. I've fished the Trinity (too crowded and small fish), the Sabine (the largest white bass in the State see that top photo), and the Angelina ( a couple of secret spots there can be fantastic). 

I remember that article as it interested me at the time since I was fly fishing for them years before that. On a fly rod, the white bass is a lot of fun, IMO....but the more one says about it, the more crowded the runs get, so we'll just keep it quite, LOL. 

Good luck!


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## Postman (Oct 11, 2015)

I'm afraid the cat is out of the bag, Nueces still not too crowded middle of the week, but forget the weekend they come from Corpus, San Antonio, and Houston...and probably beyond. I'll still go and fight the crowd if need be to catch a few to stink up the grease, they sure are tasty.


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