I am looking to add a rod that I can use when I go to Galveston fishing. Just looking for opinions as to what you think would be good? Do you think a 9wt is big enough?

Mostly would be used for Reds and maybe Flounder.
Want a rod that could handle any of them without to much trouble.

I personally think a 9 wt is overkill unless you're jetty fishing or something similar. Other folks probably have more experience, but I have a 7 wt. for salt fishing here. A guy I know who catches a ton of fish usually fishes a 6 wt. without much trouble.

That being said, 8 wt. is probably the most common size for the salt.

My "go-to" salty rod is a fast high quality 8 wt. with salt ready reel seat and fighting butt. Fast for the tight loops in the constant wind. Besides, I just like 8 wt. rods. Just as important is a salty reel with a decent drag for the larger reds.

So is an 8wt the smallest with a fighting butt for it or can you find them on some 7wt

I like an 8 because you can get into pretty much anything with it

8 will work. You can get rods in 7wt with fighting butts. Redfish are really a 7wt fish but an 8 is just about right for the bays IMO. All personal preference really. If you are in the trout by chance one day an 8wt will seem like a little much. 6 or 7 or even a 5wt is fun for trout.

If you are fishing the jetties or surf you might kick it up a notch and choose a 10wt.

My main rod for fishing the flats around Aransas Pass/Corpus Christi is a TFO TiCrX 6wt with fighting butt. It has a fast enough action and back bone to handle the winds I see down there. I also don't throw large, heavy flies.

I use everything from 5 wt. to 10 wt. for reds; it depends on what you're throwing and how windy it is. A 7 or 8 would probably be the best compromise for all situations, but you'll get a lot of different opinions on that topic. You could land a bull red on a 0 wt. if you had enough backing on the reel, but you'd have a hard time casting the appropriate flies any distance with that rig. I sometimes use an 8' 2 wt. for small specks, and have a very hard time casting small, unweighted shrimp flies with it.

I used to use my tcirx 6wt w/out a fighting but exclusively when fishing for reds. Until i got a bvk 8wt only because i enjoy casting the bvk better. But this summer we chased spanish macs in the surf where I used my 6wt.


the only varibles are personal preferance and the wind
good luck

I know the BVK series has a fighting butt on there 7wt and above. I believe you can get the 10' 5 and 6 wt with it as well, Then the Axiom series has a fighting butt on 6wt and above. I personally built my 5 and 7wt BVKs, and I have played with several other rods, Installing Fighting butts on a 5wt Reddington Crosswater, Cabelas 6wt Three Forks, hand several Hook and Hackle XE 6wts. all in the 9ft lenghts. I really boils down to what you are comfortable with and your ability to cast the flies you want to use. Shook my 3wt BVK has a fighting butt on the 10' conversion kit.

I would get a 8wt. I like the axiom, bvk and the clauser. but if you want the cadilac of salt water rods, let me build you an Xi3.

Start off with an 8wt. Get a SA redfish Floating line and you will able to do alot with that set up. I catch everything to rat reds to 30 lbers in the Louisiana Marsh on an 8. Most universal rod for flats fishing in the salt in my opinion.

I have used an 8wt and felt way over gunned with the reds we were catching in the bay areas of Port A/CC. Not saying an 8wt isn't justified, but like many others have said, it is personal preference. Back home for steelhead everyone would say that you need a 7-8wt. I did that for a season and then decided to use a 6. Same thing with the river-run of wipers. I chose a six because it suited me better, and 9 times out of 10 I would end up with more caught. I fought more, but it was worth it.

I think a 7 would be just about perfect for any redfish. I use a 9 on really big reds, but even that is overkill, but i am very comfortable with that rod and can do what i need to with it