I'm shopping for a new fly rod for use both with largemouth (casting big deer hair flies) and coastal redfish, trout, etc. I really want to get down to the coast next year for some kayak fishing.

What weight should I get for coastal fishing? Is an 8wt good, or should I step up to a 9wt rod?

And any suggestions? I have $500-550 for rod and reel, and I've settled on the Orvis Hydros reel.

My go-to rig for reds & specks is my Orvis T3,tip-flex, 9', 8wt. with a large arbor Battenkill or Vortex reel with gel spun backing, which you will get to see on a regular basis. Redfish or bass taper lines will deliver the flies well. A 9wt. in the same quality category is fine for the bay and should translate well to the surf and jetties too. So if you are going with one rod, I like the 9 wt. choice with floating lines for the bay and maybe some sink tips or shooting lines/heads for the jetties and surf on that extra spool you'll need for your Hydros.

Oh, almost forgot - TFO and Echo have some fine 10' rods in 8 and 9wt. That extra foot is nice when sitting low in a yak or wading up to your chest! I use the Exho in the 8 wt. and the TFO in the 9 wt.

If you're settled on the Hydros it'll cost you $250+tax, another $100 for line and backing, leaving you with a budget of $150 for your rod. If you got another reel like the Orvis Access or TFO Prism that would free up another $100 to $150 for a rod and you would still have a great reel with plenty of backing capacity. IMO the most important thing when buying a saltwater setup is your line and rod, especially if you plan on mostly fishing the flats.


If you are stuck on the Hydros you can get the TFO Professional series or Echo Ion. If you get one of the other reels you can go with any of TFOs rods or Echos Edge or the Echo3 for a little bit over your budget.

Actually, there are a bunch of "25. off a purchase of 50. or more" coupons sitting around my house these days. Wondering how Orvis is doing as a company. Feel free to PM me if you want a few of these. I don't remember Orvis selling any $100 dollar lines, but 25. off here, and 25. off there, and pretty soon we're talking real money.

IMO - 10' rods are extremely limited in use and benefit. They would be a liability when targeting lmb's. Good casting can take care of wading and kayak problems. Not that I am a good caster, but I use a 7'11" Ross FlyStik wading and kayaking quite often. That is one heck of a rod, and I would put it up against anything anyone makes under 300. Yes, it runs 179.

depending on the day, i swap between a Sage Xi3 in 9wt and a TFO Clouser 8 wt. I am very happy with both, the Sage, I built myself so I saved a ton on the 750-800 dollar price tag, but it is a real fighting machine. For lower price point rods, I suggest the TFO rods, for the money can't hardly beat them

+1 on the TFO 8 wt rods. I have one that I have fished with all over the Carib. Also, get a large arbor reel with at least 250 to 300 yds of backing, as a hooked fish will take off at Mach 2 heading for deep water.

I have a 10 wt. but I don't use very much. A 10 wt. will wear you out after fishing with it all day long. IMHO.

that is why i have my 9wt. last guide i went with told me that it handled fish like a 10wt, but that is how i set it up.

It won't come as surprise to my TFF friends that I am a huge fan of the TFO BVK series. For coastal flats fish I would go with a BVK 9 wt to handle windy conditions.
Good luck on your rod choice - I continue to stress the need for a fast action 9wt for windy conditions.
My old Sage RPLX 9wt was my go to fly rod on Texas salty flats for years pre-TFO...

Cheapest isn't always best, except when it comes to the Ross Fly Stik. I realize that there is a bit of "partiality" to TFO, and I own a few, but who else owns one of these FlyStiks? Sure it's only 7'11", but a good cast and tight spots for bass ... and 179 clams?

I have a 7wt and a 9wt, and the 7 gets 80-90% of my time on the water. if its calmish out the 9wt line will spook fish even with a 14 ft leader. I also have the clouser line on my 9wt, which doesn't help. i'd take the 7 wt over an 8 most days

Sage rods are made in USA (Wash. State)
Orvis made in USA (Vermont)
TFO made in Korea... I really like the rods but I doubt I'll be buying anything else from them I'll stick with American made

HaRyan - don't forget Winston (Montana)- made in U.S.A.
I see from your profile you are a student - you must be rich ....

Oh yeah and St. Croix and some others, and a large number of quality reel makers are all here in the USA like Tibor, Hatch, Abel, Nautilus and more

As for the rich, not at all but I like to dream about what I will get in the future, right now I'm still using my 10yr old Orvis or a 6yr old Sage I have but they get the job done every time, but man it will be sweet when I'm able to upgrade

Yeah HR - just kidding - sent three sons through college and now two grandsons!!! Believe me - we all understand college expense!

By the way - I love 'Doches - grew up on the SFA campus - father on the faculty.
Good luck to 'ya and Happy New Years!
George

sage makes some rods overseas, and owns redington which i believe are all overseas now. I'm sure much of the Orvis junk is made overseas too, even if their rods are not. make the decision on who makes a better rod, not just a company who does a good job marketing that there stuff is homegrown even though the majority of their product line is made overseas.

Take a look at Scott, tob quality and just happen to be made here-

Just an FYI some of Sages and Orvis rods are made over seas, so its sorta buyer beware.

Maybe you're thinking of Redington, made in Korea and owned by Sage. But all Sage brand rods are and have always been made in USA. FWIW.

Maybe you're thinking of Redington, made in Korea and owned by Sage. But all Sage brand rods are and have always been made in USA. FWIW.
Yes you are right. Thats just bad research on my part

It wouldn't be much of a stretch for Sage to do that though. Even Winston has some imports, which I thought they'd never do.

I have a buddy that fishes SW extensively (and works for Orvis, so he is a *little* biased) but he gushes about the value and performance of the Orvis Access Reels. Definitely worth a close look.

Would be matchy-matchy with your Orvis Rod too, if you're in to that sort of thing.

J aka SS

IMHO, I think the 9wt is a bit overkill for a largemouth rod, even when needing to turn over big flies. I have a 8wt TBO BVK that is my backup bonefish/redfish rod that I also use hybrid and striper fishing. Good price performer and seems like might be a good crossover rod and close to your budget. I also have 4 different redington cps rods and like them as price performers as well (mostly freshwater 3 weights to 6 weights). I had a 6 year old redington rod have a guide start unravelling on me and they sent me a newer model that had been out about a month for $50. TFO has a similar warranty. I am rough on rods, so I recommend you find someone that has a fairly cheap deal to get you a new rod when you break the tip etc.