surf casting fly rig

[inspector2slow]

I go down to Gloucester about every 3rd week and stay over at my cousins place. So why not fish while the women yak all night; right? Right now I only have an 8 weight Reddington rig. That's not going to cut it if I want to go over to Rockport and flyfish the beach surf at night. Problem is I am a cheapskate, and don't want to part with what I consider to be significant amounts of my mad money (ie = booze money)for the rig. These $250-450 reels look more like swiss watches to me. Very pretty, but if they got to put it in a locked case man, I ain't buying it for stripers. I instinctively know that I don't need one of these to catch sea bass. The rods are way out of my league too, but I can deal with the fly lines. Now does any one out there know where if there exists such a rig that I can get ahold of for less than say $200 in a 10 wt. (I know, I know) you get what you pay for. So frig the line, $200 for the rod and reel. Does such a thing exist? Yes, I'll take one used, or one with a blemish that will never be seen once the sun goes down. Thanks ...Dana

[cold waters]

juste your 8 wt you will fine....

i fish with a 9 wt all the time and never have ANY problems so an 8 wt will do ya

[s2ary]

The first question that comes to mind with a question on rod weight is; “How’s you’re cast?” The most common answer is put some time into refining your cast. Maybe even a few lessons to critique any inconsistencies that we all have in our cast. If you can consistently cast 80ft with an 8wt there is no reason to bump up the rod weight unless you plan on casting 4/0 flies or larger. An eight weight is good for 85% of the time; the only other time you may want to bump that up is in the wind with a floating or intermediate line. What do you have for lines?

[Merrillizer™]

Sorry I can't help you with fly stuff, I don't my ass from my elbow about it lol. But I just wanted you guys know that I am trying to find a new Moderator/Sponsor for the forum to help with Fly stuff. I asked David from Rivers Edge Trading (Ed you might known, he owns it with Rick G.)

[inspector2slow]

Thanks to S2ary for some good information.(nice name indeed S2) I have an 8 wt 9' Sci anglers pole; with a crystal river CR-2003 8-9-10 reel; and a couple boxes of Cortland line; one WF 8 S, one WF 8 I. Also says "long belly taper". Never threw a fly into salt water.

Most of my stream trout fishing lacks any real distance, 45 ft tops. So I don't know (without rigging all this up and throwing a bit ), what I can reach comfortably. I will get a chance practice throwing my 1/0 home ties this weekend while I'm yaking it up with the family on the cell. I will get back to you on my distance S2. There is a nice flat area great for practice casting just below the Dam in Milton, and there is a perpetual breeze in the spring that follows the strong river current, so I will be able to rig up both the WF 8 I and the WF 8 S and see how they react into the wind. Later....DW

[Riverjim]

Another thing to concider is that alot of the fly guys I see in the estuaries catch their fish on a thirty to forty foot cast, So the distance is not always needed.

[s2ary]

Jim is right, especially from a kayak, but also from a beach at night, frequently the fish will move into the trough during the night. But by and large it will serve you well to have your cast refined.

There are a lot of protected waters and marshes in that area, so you may want to scope it out to bring the yak down with you.

An often underrated fly for what you’re considering is a ‘Slim Jim’. It is a thin 1/4 inch foam cylinder with a sparse tail, very easy to tie. It makes a great top water sand eel and silverside imitation. Drift it into the frogwater behind fast seams and over upwelling rips caused by bars and saddles. Sometimes schoolies will just fin there sipping whatever bait that pops out of the current.

It sounds like you have the right lines, just don’t forget to wash down your reel every time. I’m the worst for that, and I can tell you from experience that most anything but the big money high enders will be junk in a season or two without keeping it washed down. If you get into fishing the salt, you will eventually trip over a good deal on an heirloom reel and convince yourself that you are saving money by buying one reel for the rest of your life instead of a new reel every few years. It is a vicious cycle that few can resist.

One big fish will change your life…but that’s a good thing. I think.

[FinzUp]

Hi,
First post here. Been fly fishing salt around 30 years though. There are deals around on rods. For example on Ebay last week I saw some 10 weight Diamondback Backwater rods under $60! This is a stiff rod that will handle anything in these parts. I have one that I used to chuck a 400 gr head with and it's pretty bullet proof. In fact a 9 would be fine. If it's 80%+ for surf I like to go a little longer than the usual 9' length, but that's personal preference. For reels, surf reels get a lot of salt in them, sand, get dropped. Some of the stuff I see out there is absurd. I sold my old Fin Nor 'cos it was too heavy and I don't travel much anymore andI replaced it with a couple of Cortland Magnum 140D reels. Again, you can find them for around $80. I've caught tarpon, big snook and sizable jack crevalles on mine with no issues. I personally use an older model 4pc Reddington that I got cos I like the lifetime warranty (which they did honor!) 9'#9, a 3 pc Diamondback Backwater 9' #10 that I built with single foot guides to shoot better, and a 9'#11 club I built on a Cabela's blank for when the blues are blitzing. None was over $200, though maybe the Reddington would be nowadays...

[FinzUp]

if it's cool to do this or not, but a quick search shows these;

DIAMONDBACK DGS800 9010 FLY ROD BACKWATER 9' 10wt NEW - eBay (item 360049190626 end time May-08-08 19:51:59 PDT)

DIAMONDBACK DGS800 909 FLY ROD BACKWATER 9' 9wt 3PC NEW - eBay (item 360049190973 end time May-08-08 19:54:33 PDT)

DIAMONDBACK DGS800 909 FLY ROD BACKWATER 9' 9wt 3PC NEW - eBay (item 360050460577 end time May-12-08 21:03:43 PDT)

it appears this guy is sitting on a trove of them. If I could justify yet another rod I'd get one too!

Here's your reel (I have 3 of these);
Cortland Fly Reel Magnum 140-D 9,10,11Wt New No Reserve - eBay (item 360048621400 end time May-08-08 18:10:23 PDT)

[inspector2slow]

I am amazed at the people on this site, and can only say ...ty,ty,ty.. for all the advice shared. Looks like a trip to Cape Ann again this weekend, as cousin "Sis" just called beggin for us to come down. It'll be good to take what I have and cast off the beaches in Rockport and Gloucester. Maybe Conomo point, and Hardy's creek over in Essex as well. I'll post whatever happens in the log. Thanks again guys. ... (a thousand on fly before I die) Keepers I mean. tight lines this weekend everybody. ....DW