hey guys i'm going to corpus this spring for a school trip and i love freshwater flyfishing so i'm just wondering what i need for saltwater. would i need a new reel? also what flies, line, how much line, leaders ect. do i need?
thanks in advance

What equipment do you currently have?

If you plan on just fishing the bay a 6wt-9wt will work depending on the wind and 100 yds of backing will be plenty. If your planning on fishing the surf 7wt-10wt will work and the more backing the better. Shoot for 250yds. Personally for leaders I use straight mono any where from 8lbs-40lbs depending if I am fishing a skinny flat for spooky redfish or big fish at the jetties. If I am specifically targeting kings or tarpon I will even bump up to an 80lbs shock leader.

As far as flies go clousers in size 6-1/0 for the surf, sz 4-8 crabs for the flats, shrimp, and spoon flies if you like them also some large deceivers for the jetties if you plan on fishing them.

i have a 6 weight fresh water orvis tls and a battenkill large arbor reel. do you think i could do fine with that and some clousers in the surf with 8 lb leader? also how far do you need to be able to cast to have a chance of catching a fish?

8 lb is a light IMO, when fishing the surf throwing a bait fish pattern there is no telling what you may catch. I would throw at least a 15 lb leader but have something over 20 lb just in case the toothy critters come out.

A six weight might work for lighter flies if there is no wind, though that seldom happens on the coast. The go-to saltwater rod seems to be an 8 weight. I enjoy using a seven weight at night under the lights for speckled trout, then an 8 or 9 weight during the day for reds. I also agree with scout on the leaders -- 12 to 20 lb Orvis AR (abrasion resistant) leaders.

I always forget I am one of the few that is dumb enough to throw a 6wt in 20 mph with a lead eye clouser. I guess it doesn't hurt to have a 6 wt reel that holds close to 300 yds of gel spun.

so 30 yrds of fly line and an unknown amount of backing probably wont suffice? do i need 200+ yds of flyline or is that flyline and backing put together?

It isn't imperative to have 200yds of backing but I like having the extra line just in case I hook into a fish that wants to take me that far into backing. 200yds+ of just backing plus your 90" or 100" of fly line.

Jacks and big redfish are very frequent in the surf this time of year and those are a few of the ones you have to worry about. However, I did hear of someone catching a decent size jack on a 5wt sometime back.

Ok and is there any specific brand or kind of fly line you like for the surf? Like sinking tip ect...

I like an intermediate line. As far as brand goes it doesn't it really matter, everyone has their own preferences when choosing line brand.

What are the dates for your trip to Corpus Christi? Timing is everything on the salt methinks.

April 8-10

Make sure you bring a 8wt or even a 10wt if you have it. Depending on how strong of a caster you are, it's hard to beat the spring winds down here.

Would a shooting head on my six weight be enough?