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FlatsRoamer

Canal Bass Fly Rod

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Hello to all, since I just caught my first pea on fly, I am aware that an 8wt saltwater combo isn't the best choice as a canal rod. So I was wondering if anyone knew a fly combo in the 100$ ish range and a recommended weight for peacock bass and largemouth...

 

 

 

 

FlatsRoamer

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I only have one 8 weight rod, for casting big air resistant flies.

I have one 4 weight I got from Steve ... short and light for flipping flies under docks and over hangs.

Every other rod I have is a 5 weight, and I am pleased with those. Biggest fish to date on a 5 weight ... an 8 pound Bowfin. Boated it with no problems.

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I really liked the Dogwood Canyons and for their price they are really attractive. Problem is, I dont just have 80-100$ that I can spend whenever I feel like, (I'm 14 so no stable income). So it might be a long 6-7 months before Santa Claus comes to town again ;)

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Those rods are normally right at 99 bucks. I also have one of their "Cricket" rods and two of their "Bugger" rods, all of which are also in the $100 dollar range.

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There are all kinds of places where you might find a rod that would be available to you. Try craigslist, ebay, newspaper ads, Goodwill, etc! Ask for a donation from some club you belong to. You just never know.

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Why not use an 8 weight? I use a 10ft 8 weight steeldrifter built for me for Bass fishing and it works great.

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My 8wt is meant for saltwater and powering through wind, not so much the 5 yard soft landing precision casts that would be very helpful in sight fishing peacocks and maybe grass carp

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From what I understand, the only real difference between a fresh and saltwater fly rod is the reel seat material, and possibly the guide material. No wooden reel seat or non-stainless guides on a salt rod. An 8wt is a pretty good size for bass and the flies commonly used to fish for them. But, if you want something lighter and more delicate for smaller flies, a 6wt is what I would suggest. Another good option would be to get a spare spool for your reel and get an 8wt line designed for more delicate presentations. Allot of salt specific lines have very aggressive front tapers, making for a not so delicate presentation.

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My 8wt is meant for saltwater and powering through wind, not so much the 5 yard soft landing precision casts that would be very helpful in sight fishing peacocks and maybe grass carp

Well then it's important to keep a few things in mind:

 

  • First, "rod weight" is more accurately described as "line weight that the rod maker feels this rod will cast best"
  • Second, with that being said, your line weight is going to roughly determine the size of flies you can cast most effectively.
  • Third, timing and line taper have as much to do with delicate presentation as the rod.
  • Fourth, changing the rod weight will not necessarily have any impact whatsoever on the delicacy of presentation...in fact, it's easily possible in those mid=to=heavy weights to drop a weight and get less presentation.

 

If you're *really* only concerned with in close presentation, and your range is *really* 5 yards/15 feet, the next question to ask yourself is "Do I plan to keep throwing the same/similar sized flies?" If so, dropping a line weight may not really be the greatest idea. For fish of the size you showed in your picture, a #2 is toward the lower end of the size range that I'd tie for something like that...I'd also have #4's, but certainly nothing smaller than a few #6 in the mix. In contrast, I'd comfortably fish a 2/0 pattern to something like that. And for flies in the #4-2/0 range, I'm reaching for an 8wt line every time.

 

I think that the best two things to help your in close accuracy are improving your technique (first and foremost), and if you really need to spend money, look for an 8wt with a slower action than what you have now. Fishing in close like that, you're only getting the tip and some of the front taper of your line out there, so the specific line isn't going to make much of a difference (and indeed you may consider uplining), so it's basically a situation where the stiffness of your rod tip is directly determining (gear-wise...skill is a whole other thing) the delicacy of your presentation.

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I'll go with the theory that many salt water lines have a very heavy forward fast taper made for shooting line. If you went with a more conventional WF line you might get into a more delicate presentation. Of course double tapered lines are known for the most delicate presentation but you might have to up one line wt and or back up 5-10 ft from your target to get it to do it's job ( so you get into a bit of the running line to aid in loading the rod). But there is a lot to said for proper lining of your rod in different situations. I know my 7/8 wt 9'6" St croix I had to go to a 9wt line on for intermediate sinking line in salt water. For long casts for salmon in large rivers I used a Wt forward 7 and every day bass fishing it uses a WF 8 Cortland 444 line which loads the rod beautifully for bass bugs and such. this particular rod has a lot of its action up in the last 1/4 of the rods length, not so much mid and it has a lot of back bone. I like it because it has the guts to really push a line out if it's the right line, yet holds a scrappy smaller fish in close very well. it actually has tip forgiveness like my 6 wt rods ( I own 3- 6 wt. rods, it's a versatile wt.). And my suggestion would be that wt if you want a second rod. Generally we move ( not a rule but common practice) two line wts when introducing a new rod around here and then fill in in between as time goes by !

 

I own a T&T 8 wt in 9 ft that casts well with a bit shorter taper ( what might be termed a bass bug taper, where the taper takes place in a short distance) but in it's standard 8 wt designation. I use that rod most for small and medium bass poppers. It's a great rod but really that old St Croix could cover for it.

 

If you want to carry a lot of line in the air before letting it down out far for decent presentation, then under line your rod. If you want to shoot line and don't care how it lands just get it out there use a shooting head. If you want to load your rod for short casts over line your rod. But all that is just a guideline and not etched in stone for each rods capabilities, just a general train of thought for an approach. What is awesome is if you can hook up with a fly shop that has a bunch of lines on reels that you can take outside and try on your existing rod. many shops do this, not all but many do. That is how I zeroed my St Croix in in fact, like probably 20 years ago now.

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Why not use an 8 weight? I use a 10ft 8 weight steeldrifter built for me for Bass fishing and it works great.

My 8 weight from Steve is a great rod. I don't know how it compares to other 8 weights, but since it's a custom, I'll guess it's in the lighter range of actual rod weight.

But, if I had to fish with that rod, and only that rod, my days on the water would be much shorter. It's noticeably heavier than any of my 5 weight rods.

For fishing small water and shorter casts, I'd MUCH rather be using a 5 weight than an 8 weight.

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Why not use an 8 weight? I use a 10ft 8 weight steeldrifter built for me for Bass fishing and it works great.

My 8 weight from Steve is a great rod. I don't know how it compares to other 8 weights, but since it's a custom, I'll guess it's in the lighter range of actual rod weight.

But, if I had to fish with that rod, and only that rod, my days on the water would be much shorter. It's noticeably heavier than any of my 5 weight rods.

For fishing small water and shorter casts, I'd MUCH rather be using a 5 weight than an 8 weight.

 

Yeah, I gotta agree with you there, Mike. As long as the five wt will handle the flies of course, and under water terrain ( we have some serious weed cover around here in the better bass ponds and if they get down in that you drag up a fish with an umbrella of weeds all over it). You want enough back in the rod to first try and hold them off the bottom and second , if they catch an umbrella, then to drag them up weeds and all.

 

A 6 wt can be a nice middle ground too. I own three 6's and two 5's. 8'6" in both wts and 9' in both wts. A 6 is nice around here in open areas cause we do get a lot of wind. But on the rivers in Maine I prefer a 5 and sometimes a 4 wt. but have caught many a salmon , in fact most of them up there on a 6 really.

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