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TIER

Suitible fly rod weights?

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Depends on how much fun you want to have. Also, on the size and weight of the fly you're throwing for them. I don't use my 8 wgt that much anymore, because of an arthritic shoulder, when I'm fishing salt water. An 8 wgt is I would say the lightest weight rod most people use in salt water. We don't have cod in this area(south Jersey) where you can fly fish for them. They're too far off shore and in deep water and usually it's too bloody cold when they're available around here. It's suitable.

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An 8 weight should about perfect and you could go lighter to a 6 or 7 weight if you wanted to. I sometimes use my Fenwick fiberglass 81/2' 8 weight in the streams here in the National Park for the small trout there. Why? Well, I don't really cast as I am mostly high stick nymph fishing. This Fenwick is pretty light for a fiberglass rod. So, I just flip the nymph out a few feet keeping the line off the water and let the nymph drift with the current.

Joe

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Lots of people catching huge fish on light weight rods. It's not the rod that determines how big a fish you can reel in, it's the line.

 

If you're using a 20 pound leader from the fly line to the fly, then you can pull in a very large fish on a 4 weight rod. Might not be the most fun, since much of the time you'll be pointing the rod straight at the fish, but you can do it.

 

On the other hand, if you're using an 8 weight rod with a 2 pound test tippet, then you'll likely break off a 1 pound fish.

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What they said, especially "it depends". I've used an 8wt for an all-around rod for many years.

In choosing a rig, generally start with the largest flies you plan to use and decide what line you are comfortable with to cast that biggest fly all day with and match that to a rod with a soft enough tip to protect the lightest tippet that you will use. I have fiberglass rods that use 8/9 wt lines and can fish 1/2#/1# tippets and I have a graphite 5 wt that I regularly break 3# tippet with.

The size of the fish doesn't mater a lot to me in choosing a setup, most fly lines are at least 20# test at the core, so til the fish get really big the tippet is always the limiting factor, and it must be sized to both fly and fish.

That said, if salt was going to be my main water, and I was choosing a new rig, I would more likely pick a longer rod and heavier line than I normally use. "it depends" is the rule in fly fishing, all very subjective.

 

Do you have the 8wt already or are you going to get a dedicated rig?

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What they said, especially "it depends". I've used an 8wt for an all-around rod for many years.

In choosing a rig, generally start with the largest flies you plan to use and decide what line you are comfortable with to cast that biggest fly all day with and match that to a rod with a soft enough tip to protect the lightest tippet that you will use. I have fiberglass rods that use 8/9 wt lines and can fish 1/2#/1# tippets and I have a graphite 5 wt that I regularly break 3# tippet with.

The size of the fish doesn't mater a lot to me in choosing a setup, most fly lines are at least 20# test at the core, so til the fish get really big the tippet is always the limiting factor, and it must be sized to both fly and fish.

That said, if salt was going to be my main water, and I was choosing a new rig, I would more likely pick a longer rod and heavier line than I normally use. "it depends" is the rule in fly fishing, all very subjective.

 

Do you have the 8wt already or are you going to get a dedicated rig?

 

I have an 8wt.

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The 8 wt. will certainly be ample for the size cod you are talking about, and the flies to catch them. You must be talking about Saffron Cod as all other species get much bigger than that in Alaska.

 

The thing about Saffron Cod is, their habitat is occupied by many other species like rock fish and, for a good portion of the summer, silver salmon. Ocean run Silver Salmon often reach 15 pounds and can put up quite a fight. An eight wt. would be a minimum in that case.

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The 8 wt. will certainly be ample for the size cod you are talking about, and the flies to catch them. You must be talking about Saffron Cod as all other species get much bigger than that in Alaska.

 

The thing about Saffron Cod is, their habitat is occupied by many other species like rock fish and, for a good portion of the summer, silver salmon. Ocean run Silver Salmon often reach 15 pounds and can put up quite a fight. An eight wt. would be a minimum in that case.

If you ever went to Valdez last year (Which I know you do) you might of heard of people going to the part where the canneries are and fished the harbor for cod.

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If they are all that small, they must be Saffron cod, though I haven't fished them. The pink salmon runs and the Silver salmon runs in Valdez are spectacular. They can both be fished from shore, the pinks especially (from Allison Point)

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reach 15 pounds and can put up quite a fight. An eight wt. would be a minimum in that case.

In what respect? Not arguing, just have the impression that the core strength of an 8wt fly line is ~equal to strength of say a 10wt fly line (20#-30#?)and so am confused by your statement. I never caught a fish that big on fly, but have seen pictures and heard stories of bigger fish on lighter tackle. Have always believed the weight and air resistance of the fly used determined the mass of the line needed to drag it through the air, but am willing to learn.

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reach 15 pounds and can put up quite a fight. An eight wt. would be a minimum in that case.

In what respect? Not arguing, just have the impression that the core strength of an 8wt fly line is ~equal to strength of say a 10wt fly line (20#-30#?)and so am confused by your statement. I never caught a fish that big on fly, but have seen pictures and heard stories of bigger fish on lighter tackle. Have always believed the weight and air resistance of the fly used determined the mass of the line needed to drag it through the air, but am willing to learn.

The stiffness of the rod also matters when fighting the fish, you could land one on a 3wt in theory but you would have to keep the rod pointed at the fish the entire time and it would be much harder to turn. Also there's the casting into the wind the heavier line will do much better at that.

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reach 15 pounds and can put up quite a fight. An eight wt. would be a minimum in that case.

In what respect? Not arguing, just have the impression that the core strength of an 8wt fly line is ~equal to strength of say a 10wt fly line (20#-30#?)and so am confused by your statement. I never caught a fish that big on fly, but have seen pictures and heard stories of bigger fish on lighter tackle. Have always believed the weight and air resistance of the fly used determined the mass of the line needed to drag it through the air, but am willing to learn.

 

Generally, an eight weight doesn't have the spine to fight a 15 pound silver salmon the way they fight. If you like a good long fight, the eight weight is perfect.

 

Most of the salmon guides up here recommend a 9 wt. for sockeyes and as a minimum for silvers.

 

I fished silvers in a creek that was about 10 feet wide with a six wt. I was totally at the mercy of the fish. They would go on long runs and all I could do was point the rod down stream and giggle. Then reel like crazy when they turned around and ran back up stream. I ended up breaking that rod and fishing the rest of the trip without a tip top.

 

I also fished a bigger river for chrome bright silvers with a six wt. and brought about half of the hook-ups to the boat. The fish fight so hard, rip through the water, jump and tail walk so much, if you don't get them to the boat in a reasonable amount of time they just wallow out the hook hole and spit the hook. I'm not losing fish due to break offs.

 

In the area where Tier is fishing we have 20 ft tides, that's a lot of water going in and out of the inlet in a short amount of time, it creates quite a current. He could fish it with a smaller rod, and it would be a lot of fun but to bring fish to the boat, (he's actually talking about fishing from shore, I think, it's even more critical) I would call the 8 wt about a minimum. I usually fish those waters with a nine though I wouldn't advise him to buy a new rod.

 

Fly line is another thing entirely, he will need a pretty good sink tip, say 30 ft of T14 or T17 to get the fly down to a place where his cod can find it because of the current. I prefer an eight or bigger for that kind of tungsten.

 

There's also ling cod and halibut there for an added bonus.

 

Anyway, that's my opinion.

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Thank you, I've never considered that a rod would break at 20-30# strain and thought that the line, tippet or backing would be the weak link. I've been spoiled by small fish.

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Thank you, I've never considered that a rod would break at 20-30# strain and thought that the line, tippet or backing would be the weak link. I've been spoiled by small fish.

Yes, I'm sorry to say that I have broken more than one Sage 10 wt. in the salt fishing for ling cod and halibut, and that's with the regulation IGFA 20 pound leader. Now I just fish garage sale 9 and 10 wt. rods in the salt. I also fish my 12, 13, 14 and 16 wt. sage rods when we're in areas known to hold large lings and halibut, like 40 to 100 pounds. The bigger rods don't break but they're not as much fun to fish.

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I thought graphite was designed to break after a number of uses, I broke every one that I ever owned, usually in picking up a long line to recast or roll. The local shop said result of unknown/unnoticed impact likely, a couple of them were repaired, but I've gone back to fiberglass for most fishing. Did you ever break a 'glass rod in the same kind of fish battle? bamboo?

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