Hi. I am looking for opinions and advice on which weight rod would be good for general Saltwater application both Bay and Surf.

I have a 7 weight and experience fishing Colorado but since I travel a lot for work have decided to fish for Red's, Specs, Jacks etc for I frequent both Houston and South Texas area and could access both LA and MS gulf bays. My company is in Traverse City, Michigan so I would also have the opportunity to "catch" hopefully the Lake Michigan Salmon run that occurs in September.

So I have been doing a lot of reading lately on this. I understand that the weight of the rod has more to do with wind conditions than size of fish. Since the Gulf area can be quite windy and may require casting larger streamers I'm thinking or leaning rather towards a 9 weight with a large arbor reel.

On the other hand for wade fishing bays - sight fishing - I wonder if my 7 weight would suffice.

So asking for opinions and advice from those who have been there and done that - which is how I learn most of what I know - what would you recommend for a general purpose salt water rig. Thanks.

JT

JT,

A lot of people are going to fish an 8wt in the Texas salt; however I would recommend fishing your 7wt for a few trips and deicide after that whether or not you need a heavier rod�

On light windy days I fish a 6wt with no problems on the coast.

Benjamin

Depends on the size/weight of the fly you are using. I throw big flies compared to most. I use a 9 weight and at times I think I could go bigger. I use my 9 weight for bass in heavy cover and plan on using it on the coast.

I got the Redington Predator combo for my 9 weight.

You most likely will want larger than 7 weight if you hook into a Jack.

It depends do you want to catch Bull Reds like found in LA, or the little joker Reds we have in Texas?

Kinda like catching large Texas size bass compared to LA lil' swamp rats.

Just my opinion. Not all fish are the same.

Sorry one more post.

Make sure the reel is designed for salt water use. Sealed drag.

Hi. I am looking for opinions and advice on which weight rod would be good for general Saltwater application both Bay and Surf.

Tight loops and line speed is the key to fishing the coast. In the bays you won't need long casts but you will need to be accurate. Most fly sizes for this will be no larger than a size 2. If you are a competent caster you can use a good fast action 7 and this will cover all your needs on the flats. This is all towards the Texas coast as I have no experience with LA or MS.

Surf and jetties you'll want an intermediate line on an 8 or 9. I prefer shooting heads for this as you don't need stealth at all and when done right they are easy to cast and afford you some extra distance.

We have some good salties that hang out here sometimes and I'm sure they can give you more and better info.

I use a lot of different rods in salt water. 2,5,6,7,8, and 10 weights. All have their applications. I've probably caught more reds on the 6 and 7 weights than all the others, but there are times the wind or fly weight dictate the 10. Since you already have a 7, I'd say the 9 would be an excellent next step. The 7 should cover most of your inshore needs. I read an awful lot of "this size fish needs this size rod" posts, but you are on track when you consider wind and fly criteria, rather than fish size, to determine rod/line weight. The last several days I have been catching 18" to 20" specks on my 2 weight, wishing they were bigger. And no, the light rod didn't kill them.

Some good advice has already been laid down, so I'll just drop my pennies in the bucket too.

The rod weights I use the most are 6 and 7 for inshore sightfishing. I would recommend an 8 or 10 for the jetty since you'll likely be throwing larger flies and targeting larger fish... but if all you're looking for are spanish macks then your 7 will be just fine. A 7 will also work for the surf, as long as the onshore breeze is light, but for normal surf and beyond out into the Gulf, I would suggest an 8 or 10. Targeting fish around rigs and wrecks might require a 12, depending on what you get yourself into. Amberjack play no games.

The wind can be a harsh teacher, but as you learn to cope with the different conditions down here, you'll realize that you're learning really useful skills that you can apply everywhere you fish.

Summary - your 7 will catch (most) everything that swims in the Laguna. If you're a very confident caster, drop down a notch or two. Otherwise, go fishing. Making sure your reel can handle the salt... well, that's the tricky part.

I'll add a bit to Salt 396's post; in reference to making sure that your reel can handle salt water, I've found that cast and powdercoated reels fail miserably. They oxidize quickly and completely. Buy machined and anodized reels if you can afford them, or composite reels if you can't. I use the Orvis Encounter reels on a couple of my rods, and they have held up fine. Some folks (me included) prefer to set the drag light and palm the reel for fine drag control. Others rely completely on the reel's drag system. Neither way is right or wrong; it's simply a matter of preference (or habit). If you go with palming the reel, you can get by with a somewhat less "finely adjustable" drag, as long as it starts turning easily and smoothly. Some less expensive reels' drags tend to get balky or inconsistent when they get wet, so try to research that aspect before dropping some shekels on a reel. You won't need much of a drag for specks, but big jacks, and sometimes reds, will require a smooth and consistent drag, with a free startup, to avoid a wreck.

Good luck.......

IMO, the TFO Mangrove 8 is the Texas redfish rod. Loads close. Deadly accurate. Extremely affordable.

"IMO, the TFO Mangrove 8 is the Texas redfish rod. Loads close. Deadly accurate. Extremely affordable."

The Mangrove is a very popular rod, and I am a big fan of TFO. However, I have tried the Mangrove -- set up with a line and reel by TFO specifically for demos -- and it felt horrible to me. As with any fly rod, you should try it before you buy it. We don't all cast the same, and just because a lot of folks like the rod, that doesn't mean you will. The big odds are that you'd like it, but if you don't, you're out the bucks and still looking for a rod.

Thanks everyone for the thoughts and advice for I really value and appreciate it. There has been many times I have been on the coast and finished for the day but didn't have a rod with me to fish. So I'm excited to open up a new fishing frontier per say.

I think it will be wise to start out on the flats with my 7-weight and "graduate" to a 9. My reel is composite construction with stainless parts on the drag system. I'm sure it will need a good freshwater brush rinse after every trip.

This reel has a floating double taper and I'm thinking I need a floating weight forward which might be my next thread topic question.

So I'm going to tie up some Clouser and Lefty Deceiver streamers and give it a shot! Thanks again.

JT

Just curious what your background was prior to trying this rod. In stepping up to a modern fast action Saltwater 8wt from the 5-6wt rods many of us start with was a big change for me. I really questioned the "feel" of the rod until I started to learn to double hall and learn how to really load the rod that is all too necessary more days than not on the salt.

Anyhow, still good advice to try before you buy. The Orvis HQ in Vermont was the only store I've yet been too that seem to have no qualms about handing me any of their rods to try out back in their ponds on real trout. Very cool if you ever get to go. C'mon TFO get it together, where are the trout ponds at the Dallas HQ already! Fine I'll settle for carp.........I guess


In all seriousness put the Mangrove and BVK on your try list. My brother adores his BVK 8wt and I'm pretty jealous of it myself as my 8wt was not nearly so reasonably priced. I think even my reel cost more......ughhhhh.

So I was in the same boat. Had an 7wt XP and all I kept hearing was "8wt" repeatedly. I pretty much shrugged it off but when I tried it in some not so good conditions in SW, it was kinda tough. I assumed that I was wrong and I really needed an 8wt but really my problem was the incredibly bad 1st gen Orvis Wonderline SW line. Terrible line, gummy and would not cast worth a darn. No chance of shooting that thing. I wound up buying a Redington CPS 8wt before I replaced the 7wt line. What I found was that the 7wt was actually fine a lot of times for the kind of smallish flies you'd be throwing on the flats, but the good strong 8wt is good to have around when you think the weather is sketchy. Basically I take both and either string them up with different types of flies, or put an intermediate on the 8wt.

What I'm saying is that, in my limited SW fly fishing, I think it's true that an 8wt is a sweet spot for the Texas inshore and even some jetties. And a 6wt would probably work in place of my 7wt. If your 7wt is a pretty strong 7wt, then you're probably already in the ballpark, but it also depends on how you fish. Fishing up close means you might use something like a redfish taper, which is already heavy upfront. You should try the 7wt first because you can definitely use it down there and you'll get an idea of what's it about without being completely undergunned.

I'm always balancing between buying gear I won't use much, and not having the right gear when I actually do need it. When you don't have a lot of choice of when you SW fish, you kind of need to be ready if the conditions aren't ideal to save an otherwise tough trip.

winchester44, I've been fly fishing (and diligently reinforcing bad casting habits) for well over 50 years. While I can claim a lot of experience, I don't claim expertise. I taught myself to cast as a kid by picking up my uncle's fly rod and going fishing. As a kid I was absolutely obsessed with anything to do with firearms, hunting, and fishing, and I had a natural aptitude for those activities. However, if you want to see a really good casting instructor driven to drugs or drinking, show him videos of me casting, LOL. I do fairly well at delivering a fly where I want it, and I often fish in some pretty rough weather conditions, but my casting habits, viewed from a technical standpoint, are horrible. However, I have seen some pretty accomplished fly anglers who have similarly bad habits. If my goal was to be a stellar caster, I'd invest in lessons and practice my posterior extremity off. However, my goal is to stalk and sightcast fish with a fly rod, and to enjoy myself to the utmost while doing it. That's why I very rarely fish with any other tackle. When I was young I focused on impressing other people with my awesomeness. Now I focus on enjoying life and being unawesome.

I can't afford high-end equipment, and most of my rods are TFO Pro-IIs or Orvis Clearwaters. I think that Clearwater is a lot of rod for the money. I fish with a lot of guys who have the expensive stuff, and have used some big-name high-end rods. A friend who is a casting instructor has a 7 weight BVK as a teaching rod. I don't recall what line he has on it (and as we all know, the line will make or break the rod's performance), but that BVK is the sweetest-casting rig I've ever used. I love it!!! When I played with the Mangrove (again, it was set up by the TFO reps for demos) it felt like I was casting a telephone pole. But as I said, it's a popular rod, and it would seem that it works for most people. While I prefer a fast rod (my Pro-IIs feel a little mushy to me after casting a lot of faster rods) the Mangrove just doesn't feel right to me. I'm not saying it's a bad rod, I'm saying that it just doesn't blow MY dress up. If I had plunked down the shekels for one without trying it, I would have been sorely disappointed, and I don't get the funds to buy a new rod very often. The original poster might be in the same boat; we don't all fish or cast at the same level. I'm certainly not an authority on fly rod actions, and I'm not knocking the Mangrove. I'm just suggesting that, based on my own experience, he may want to try it before he buys it. He may be one of those guys who can afford a quiver full of $800 rods. But he may be a guy like me, who has to save up for a while and give up a few things to buy a $200 rod. For me, buying the wrong rod is a major disappointment and a financial trainwreck.

I understand pride of ownership of $800 rods and $600 reels and I realize that a lot of fly fishermen like to portray fly fishing as a mysterious, uber-technical pastime that can only be mastered by few, but that approach tends to deter a lot of people who could be enjoying fly fishing if they weren't so overwhelmed by the perception that they need a PHD and a huge bankroll to get into fly fishing. Some folks revel in the technical aspects of the sport, but some just want to enjoy the basics.