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Sailfish
 
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| i was robbed a few weeks ago, and once the insurance money come back, i'm thinking pretty seriously about buying fly tackle instead of replacing all of my spinning stuff. from the little bit i have heard and read about, temple fork is a pretty good way to go for quality/price. anyone agree or disagree? as for what i want to do... i plan on doing a little redfish/speckled trout fishing in the bays, and also throwing small shrimp paterns to dock lights from seawalls at night. but i'll probably do more beach/jetty fishing. there i might catch spanish, big trout, reds anywhere from 15" to 35", an occasional shot at a king or tarpon. i was thinking about an 8 weight so i wouldn't be overkilling the inshore species, and with spectra backing i think i can stop a king or small tarpon. am i way off in assuming this? what if i stepped it up to a 10wt? would that be overkill for fishing the flats for trout/reds? i realize the best idea would probably be to get 2 different set ups to do 2 different things, but that might get a little expensive. so, i'm just looking for a little advice, you guys see the species i'll be targetting from seawalls, boats, wading, and probably a lot of time at the jetty fishing for macks. what are your opinions on what i need to get started. also, should i lookt a sinking or floating fly line, and what are your preferences for leader material? i'm brand new at this, so anything you think i might need to know, go ahead and tell me about it!
-------"History can't be undone, But it can be erased"
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Cigar Minnow
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An eight weight nine feet rod is a classical starting rod for all kinds of fish. It is well suited to the fishing you are planning to do. It is the weight most salmon anglers are using landing up to 30 pound fish so it has lots of power. I would go for a rod with guides for salt water as they should be more resistant to corrosion. I think TFO are a good balance of quality and cost. But do not buy a noodle the fast rods are usually needed for the wind.
The reel should preferable have a closed drag system because of the salt and the sand. I do not use the expensive salt water fly reels. I go for reels like Eastfork or Battenkill and such but I wash the reel and rod after every trip.
There are myriads of fly lines out there with all kinds of features. Some are called bonefish other redfish and some have the weight of the head unevenly distributed - all for a price. Some are called salt water some fresh water etc. The fly lines I keep coming back to are classical floating weight forward lines and actually the good old Cortland 333 for little over 30$ gets the job done as well as the 90% lines. The floater I like best currently is the Gold line from Rio. For flats fishing a sinking line is useless. I have used an intermediate line on jetties and piers and it sinks slowly and stays level if you strip it so you can fish various depths with it. The one I use is a clear line (from Rio marketed for lakes but there are many such lines) and I like that and the tippet can be kept short.
In my experience these fish are not leader shy (like trout where you may go down to 3 pound test) and I do not use the tapered leaders (expensive) any more for these fish. I just select the mono test say 15 pounds or 20 pounds and use it from the line to the fly about 9 feet long. I use the fluorocarbon types and I favor Maxima as I like it reasonably stiff.
ok now?
Jonas
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Sailfish
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I'd say an 8 weight as well. With 20# or 30# power pro you will be able to hold a TON of backing, and you shouldn't have any problems with line capacity. Get that to start, and maybe in the future you can get a 10 or 12 weight if needed. You will love flyfishing once you get into it, you will get very much addicted!
Wade B. Mako 284 w/ twin 250 verados
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Sailfish
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| shoot... i'm already kindof addicted and don't even own a fly rod. i've been tying some flies for a while now and been learning a little bit. i've just never pulled the trigger and done it. it's time now. i think i'll go with an 8wt to start and if i get some opportunites to go offshore, or if i start hooking bigger fish from the jetties, i might save up and get a 10-11wt in the future. i think i'm most excited about throwing shrimp and minnow paterns to these lights in residential canals that i've been fishing lately. thanks for the input guys, please keep opinions coming since it's all new to me.
-------"History can't be undone, But it can be erased"
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Cigar Minnow
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I will be relocating into Pensacola in August if you take fishing I can teach you fly casting / fishing
Jonas
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Sailfish
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i really appreciate the offer, but i don't live in pensacola anymore. i moved out here to corpus christi texas about a year ago. i just stay in touch with everyone on this forum. thanks a lot though, and i still visit pretty often. so, some time when i am home, we can get together and fish a little.
-------"History can't be undone, But it can be erased"
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Snapper
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| you'll find a white fly to be the deadliest way possible to fish those lights. You wont be spooking the fish with all that hardwear and splashing. Id go with a 7 weight, and a 10, an 8 is kinda heavy for under the lights. I use anywhere from a 6wt to a 3 wt under the lights at night.
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Mingo
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8wt 9ft four piece rod with a Sage 1800 Series reel or Okuma SLV89 is a great starting set-up. I have a Temple and Super Fly rod and they are both great. The Temple has better hardware and finish but the Super Fly is half the cost. Have you found a local fly shop in you area? They will probbly have some cheaper 8wt stuff for starters as well as point you in the right direction for flies in your area. I hate to say it but the Bass Pro fly shop guys are pretty good and know there stuff. But I would buy your rod and reels from a local store. Bass Pro is high on alot of their stuff.
A fishing fool.
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Sailfish
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| unfortunately, there aren't really any shops that carry much fly tackle. only 2 shops carry a few flies and a very limited selection of st croix rods. hopefully i'll get up between san antonio and austin some time soon. there is a pretty cool little outfitter there in new braunfels that i've been in before. thanks for the advice.
-------"History can't be undone, But it can be erased"
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Mingo
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St. Crox rods are very good also. Same level as Temple in my opinion. Buy a 8wt St. Crox rod and have the shop order you a Okuma SLV89 and you will have a set-up thats as good as it gets til you go to Tibor level. Spool it with Power Pro backing and 8wt Scientific Angler floating tropical saltwater species line.
A fishing fool.
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Sailfish
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aren't TFO rods (and reels) a little easier on the wallet?
-------"History can't be undone, But it can be erased"
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Mingo
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| Temple reels arent very good in the under $100 range, really corny in fact, sucky drags. The Okuma is retailed at $70, but he should sell it at $60 with the rod. The Temple Professional Series rods are the only way to go with Temple, start at $150. So same money within a few bucks as the St. Croix rods. The Super Fly rod is $80, but its a niche product and hard to find. The Sage 1880 is the other reel I have and its good too, but at $150, you will be more than happy with the build and proformance of the Okuma at half the price. Did you really get robbed, or did they brake in? Ive never heard of someone getting held up and they take things like fishing poles. Sucks that it happen either way man. Buy a good fly set up and it wil last a life time. Also get a hard tube case that has the spot for the reel. Trucks eat fly rods. Bass Pro's White River cases offer good bang for the buck.
A fishing fool.
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Sailfish
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i guess you're right... "robbed" wasn't the correct wording. burglarized is more accurate. they took everything out of my detached garage while i was sleeping one night. kinda crappy.
-------"History can't be undone, But it can be erased"
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Sailfish
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well, i finally did it. i got a temple fork 9ft 6wt Ti Cr rod and a TFO MK II reel. i just ordered a scientific anglers floating, weight forward fly line. can't wait for it to get here and i can start catching some fish.
-------"History can't be undone, But it can be erased"
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