rod choice

Post by **lars56ca** » Sat Oct 01, 2005 10:03 am

I'm looking for a fly rod that I'll use for pike, salmon and maybe bass. I'm leaning towards a 9 weight but am wondering if it might be too much rod. Should I go with an eight weight and use a nine weight fly line? Thanks

Post by **Bass assassin** » Sat Oct 01, 2005 5:21 pm

Hey there,
I would recommend Temple Fork Outfitters for the rod. They carry a lifetime warranty. Doesn;t matter if you slam it in the door of your car. They will replace it no wuestions asked. I am very happy with mine. An 8 wt should do you fine. As for line, you could always try the 8 wt line. I know that bass pro does a great job of matching up the rod with the right line at a great price. Check em out.
Good Fishing,
BA

Post by **Todd B.** » Mon Oct 03, 2005 10:55 am

Lars,

The selection of the appropriate rod depends on more than just the species of fish you're going after. The other questions you need to answer are what types of flies are you going to be using? Do you need to cast longer distances, etc.

Myself I enjoy bass fishing with a 4wt, but I can't throw large wind resistant or heavy flies with it. I also don't have the backbone to horse a big fish out of cover.

If you had said you were interested in bass (fishing in the weeds/slop) and pike I would recommend an 8wt. Salmon is another game altogether. While they say an 8wt will suffice, the big chins run like freight trains and an 8wt doesn't have the backbone to control them.

Cheers,

Post by **bobfly** » Mon Oct 03, 2005 10:08 pm

I'm getting a 10 wt for salmon next year. I just don't have the strength with my 8-9 wt. I've enjoyed catching 3-4# bass on my short 7wt - quite a thrill - hard to say who will win! Line wt and rod wt should match within one number. Throwing an eight wt line on a 7 wt rod sucks big time. It also depends on the ringlets. I just got a 9ft 6in 9wt rod at LeBarons for $55.00. I bought it without a thought and it works real well. If it breaks, so what! A lot of this equipment hype is just that (that's not to say I don't have some expensive stuff). As a kid, I had the cheapest equipement and I have never again caught as many fish, nor had as much fun.

bobfly

Post by **Gravelguy4** » Tue Oct 04, 2005 9:31 am

an 8 wt templefork would have a pretty solid backbone for casting heavier flies and landing fish.
i have a 6wt and 9 wt templefork. love them both.
been solid rods.

good luck.

Keith

Post by **lars56ca** » Tue Oct 04, 2005 4:20 pm

thanks for the tips..as for the salmon...for the most part , they never top 6 or 7 lbs,,,mostly coho...from the rapids in the St Marys River and the pike will probably go 15 lb max. My experience is that I'll have a harder time controlling the pike. I'd like to try throwing some larger flys for pike and thats why I'm looking at a 9 W. Does this make sense? BTW. I use a 6W for specks and SM, but there's no way it'd do for what I want

Post by **Fishboy** » Tue Oct 04, 2005 5:38 pm

Hi Lars,

I use an Orvis Trident 4-piece 9-wt for larger fish and it is wonderful! No problem controlling fish or casting larger flies. A good reel with smooth drag is very important when fishing for species that are likely to run into your backing.

You might want to use a very sturdy leader and tippet. This will not only help land fish, but it'll prevent line twist that is a common occurance when casting heavier flies. I've heard that some fly anglers use heavy mono (+20lb test) instead of tapered leader when casting big bugs to pike.

Your choice of a 6-wt on specks seems to me to be a bit of overkill - I use a 4-wt and light leaders & tippets. Loads of fun! Anyway, I shouldn't complain...you're fly fishing!!!!