# Fly fishing setup for reds.



## Team Kaos (Jun 21, 2017)

Hey guys,

I fly fished quite a bit in my youth and would like to pick up a rod and reel to play with in the bay and maybe light offshore. Any recommendations for rod, reel, and line?
10 weight or 11 weight?

Thank you!


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## lsucole (May 7, 2009)

You will probably get a better response if you post in the fly fishing section. That said, any certain species / all around suggestion ?


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## Team Kaos (Jun 21, 2017)

True. I will repost in the fly fishing section. Thank you!


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## fishboy (Oct 6, 2007)

A 10wt is ideal for the bull reds and most light offshore. I like an 8 for fun stuff like bonito and lady fish/Spanish.


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## ThaFish (Feb 27, 2013)

I always throw a 9WT when targeting bulls & never have an issue getting them to the boat/yak, but I get my ass kicked half (or maybe more like three quarters) of the time. A 10 or an 11 is definitely the ideal WT setup for bulls I think.


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## wtbfishin' (Jul 31, 2016)

I have both a 10 wt and an 8wt. and I fish both, but 9 out of 10 times I'm going to pick my 8wt. I take the 10 when hoping to hook one of those big Jacks which I'm still hoping to hook into.
If you're throwing a lot of blind cast that little bit of dif in rod weight will make a difference on a long day of casting in how the arm feels, at least it sure does to me. 
I've landed some good Reds on the 8wt pretty quick. 
My 2 cents worth get both, but start with the 8wt.


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## Team Kaos (Jun 21, 2017)

Thank you for the advise! Good stuff here.


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## lsucole (May 7, 2009)

I usually use an 8wt. overlined to a 9 because of the wind we usually have.


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## kanaka (Oct 3, 2007)

A certified casting instructor ( thanks Jonas ) explained to me about the line weights and how not all lines were created equal.
I had overlined to a 9wt and 11wt. Turns out after weighing, the 9wt was closer to a 10 and the 11 wt was a 12.
Put the 10wt on the 10wt rod and bought 8wt line. All is good now.
Seems like Scientific Anglers stuff was the closest to being "correct" in advertising. 

Chart for weights: http://www.murraysflyshop.com/pages/standard-fly-line-weight-charts


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## jonasmagn (Mar 3, 2009)

*Rod weights*

I often come across the notion that you need a certain rod weight for a certain species of fish. "You need an eight weight for Reds" or "You need a ten weight for Bulls" is a common read. That in itself is not accurate. You can catch a big fish on a light rod if you fight it by pointing the tip at the fish, and play it from the reel (now the reel has to be up to snuff). (Incidentally that is how you apply max pressure on a fish - when you raise the rod tip pressure on the fish diminishes). 
However, when you are using a big/heavy/air resistant fly you need a heavier line to toss it, and that requires a heavier rod. So, when fishing the first choice is the fly. When that choice is made it becomes logical - first fly - then line - then rod. 
Re Kanakas post - most fly lines are "overweighted" and are to heavy for me. I have come across clients that were having problems, since the fly line was so heavy it made the rod "soggy" and very unpleasant to cast. I now weigh all my lines (first 30 feet) and then I pair it with a rod. Now why are the lines so heavy? The rods have become so stiff. To bend/load them average casters need heavier lines.


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## 60hertz (Oct 1, 2007)

jonasmagn said:


> I often come across the notion that you need a certain rod weight for a certain species of fish. "You need an eight weight for Reds" or "You need a ten weight for Bulls" is a common read. That in itself is not accurate. You can catch a big fish on a light rod if you fight it by pointing the tip at the fish, and play it from the reel (now the reel has to be up to snuff). (Incidentally that is how you apply max pressure on a fish - when you raise the rod tip pressure on the fish diminishes).
> However, when you are using a big/heavy/air resistant fly you need a heavier line to toss it, and that requires a heavier rod. So, when fishing the first choice is the fly. When that choice is made it becomes logical - first fly - then line - then rod.
> Re Kanakas post - most fly lines are "overweighted" and are to heavy for me. I have come across clients that were having problems, since the fly line was so heavy it made the rod "soggy" and very unpleasant to cast. I now weigh all my lines (first 30 feet) and then I pair it with a rod. Now why are the lines so heavy? The rods have become so stiff. To bend/load them average casters need heavier lines.



Best explanation yet.

I caught an upper slot red on a 5 wt bamboo rod last summer because i was casting a very light fly (like a mangrove ghost). This rod is matched with a 5 wt fly line - scientific anglers mastery fly line. Wasn’t really all of that, just took my time and didn’t high stick the rod.

I’ve recently started measuring all of my rods using the “Common Cents System” and then matching what the rod measures to an appropriate fly line weight. I do not weigh my fly lines.


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## kanaka (Oct 3, 2007)

My eyes started crossing when going thru the line makers sites where they were explaining where the bellies of the lines were and how it was going to affect false casting/distance.

I always just found something on sale and made do. Jonas already had me convinced about the SA Mastery Bonefish line after casting with it and I looked at it online. 
Compared it to the other lines in the series and it matched what I wanted to do and what I am capable of doing.

All this time I thought a line either floated or slowly sank, period. Now I know why the fly guys have 3 or more of stuff. 

ETA: Overweighting to the next wt. Look up the manufactures weight in grams and compare it to the chart I posted. You'll find lines that are bordering on being in the next weight class. Guess what I discovered the hard way was that there are light and heavy lines in the same weight class.


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## ThaFish (Feb 27, 2013)

I took the fly rod out to do some sight casting last night. Figured these photos may be appreciated by people on this thread. Kind of a dink (36.5"), but a very beautiful fish nonetheless, & she still put the 9WT to work.


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## Team Kaos (Jun 21, 2017)

Sweet! Nice catch!


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## FreeDiver (Jun 12, 2013)

I'll pick up my 8wt for anything inshore. If you have a good feel to play and as stated above working the rod properly you won't have any issues. 

8wt with 8wt Rio wff, 40lb leader and 20lb tippet... you have the ability to put plenty of pressure on a fish. I'm not a huge bull red chaser, but if I'm wading and a bull or fat jack is crossing my path, I'll put a clouser out in front of him any day. 

Good luck, keep the line tight!

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk


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