Ideal Flyrod for BFT & YFT

[SteveK]

Can anyone comment on the suggested best size for rod & reel with specifics on the rod wt and size of reel(to handle the backing requirement)? I understand the size need for most inshore ie: blues & bass. How much larger is large & strong enought to boat a schoolie BFT or YFT, say in the 25 to 50 lbs range?

[bassman]

Hi Steve...Boy...This subject is finally sparking some interest!...If you read my posts below im searching for information also...I've talked and listened to alot of people who have caught these guys and I have heard anywhere from modified 10wts...(cut a foot or more off the tip) to 14-15wts...I think ideally you would want a 12-14wt....I have a 9ft 12wt RPLX and will give it a go this season. I have also seen someone who is very successful...who charters for bft and offshore marlin using a 30lb standup blank made into a fly stick...I even casted it and it worked pretty good!...I will probably make one of these this season....Sure be alot cheaper!!!...Hope this helps...Jeff

[backman]

<P><FONT face=Verdana size=2>Seems to me that anything more than a 12 wt on a 30# fish is overkill.&nbsp; Sure you have to lift it up; but a 14 wt. is like using a broomstick; I'm going w/ a 12 wt as a compromise.&nbsp; Look at it a bit different - they fish for tarpon w/ 10 or 12 weights; sure a tuna is faster and may have a longer run but a 100# tarpon on a 12 wt. is standard keys fare.</FONT></P>
<P>As for capacity - gee - after 200 yards of line going out if the boat isn't moving in the same direction your going to be SOL anyways.&nbsp; who really wants to crank in 400 yards of line.</P>
<P>Think of the school tuna as giant FA's or bonito; if you can slow and turn the first run, the following runs will be less and less till tuna circles start.&nbsp;&nbsp; On the othe rhand&nbsp;a fish moving at 30MPH is moving at&nbsp;44 feet/second - 200 yards of line is only 15 seconds of run which might just be about 15 seconds short - seems to me those school BFT and YFT had about 30 seconds of run in them before they stopped.&nbsp; Maybe 300 is a better #...</P>
<P>&nbsp;</P>

[bassman]

larry....Hope a 12 will do cuz that's what I got. I saw many more school bft's this year approaching 100lbs than the 30's...How would you change your post if you hooked up with a bft around 100lbs?..."start the boat faster"??..hahahhaha...Im really gonna have fun with the learning curve this summer...It will be fun to hear how everyone does....Jeff

[SteveK]

Whoa Jeff! Where do you fish? I only found the schoolies last year from 25lbs to maybe 60lbs! Anyways, I agree with Larry on 12wt. I'm looking to be casting when either we troll into a target rich area or the chunk is on. It seems as though 300' should be more than sufficient. The tarpon scenario is a good example. What about the drag setting?

[bassman]

Hi Steve...Im up near the tip of Cape Cod...We had alot of school bluefins in the bay last summer...Thrashing and crashing bait all over the place. I have no idea about exact weights of these fish but some looked heavier than 50lbs IMO...Im not disagreeing with Larry...Im looking for the same information you are. Im just pointing out things I think or have heard about.
The scenario about comparing with a tarpon I look at it like this. Those I know who have caught both have told me the bluefin is a much meaner fish pound for pound. A 100lb tarpon wears itself out doing all his acrobatics...However, the one I caught last year at Boca Grande that was 110lbs dogged it out at the depths for 40 minutes with me on a stand up rod. But I think that it's hard to compare them pound for pound on fly gear due to the fact that the majority of the tarpon caught on the fly come from shallow water.
I hope a 12wt is enough and Im sure it can be done and has been done dozens of times already. I am concerned about my reels backking capability tho. It is a Tibor Gulfstream. Maybe 275 yds of 30lb dacron. I guess I will have to do some boat starting drills from the dock before we set out!!!..hahah...best of luck to all....Jeff

[Adam-Albino]

Well I'm gonna disagree w/ Larry.

Personally I think BFT over 30lbs needs at least a 14wt to be successful. Hell, a 30lb'er took 10 minutes to land on 50wt stand-up stuff last season.

One, BFT pound for pound has got to be the strongest fish there is. Not taking anything from Tarpon, but 100+ pounders are taken all the time w/ a 12wt. How many 100lbs tuna w/ the same set-up. (Wasn't the record 70+lbs'er taken on a 17wt?).

Two, the conditions offshore (high winds and higher seas) make fighting the elements just as hard as the fish. You need a rod that can take that stuff.

Three, Tunas fight deep and straight down (Circles) for the most part. Only a broomstick is gonna pump up a fish like that. Most 12wts I have cast (and own) are still made for casting, not fighting deep. I think from about 13wt up they become more fighting tools then casting.

I guess the only thing to do is take both out :-);
<IMG align=baseline alt="" border=0 hspace=0 src="http://photos.netclubs.com/live/photos/v/9/t/2/t2c710a3839h31nr004cfcdhuo/flyman2.gif">

[rel]

<FONT color=black face="Times New Roman,Times" size=2>This is to all who are targeting BFT and YFT. There is an article in Fly Fishing in Saltwaters Sept/Oct 1999&nbsp; that compares 23 different offshore fly rods. They compare castability, liftability&nbsp; and the grain wgt of line they found the best casting with each rod. The baackissues can be ordered from their web site: <A href="http://www.flyfishinsalt.com">http://www.flyfishinsalt.com</A> . I hope this helps. rel</FONT>

[SteveK]

Adam
Those are points well made. I would also assume you can release a healthier fish using the stronger, heavier wt rod than struggling longer with a 12wt. and wearing out the fish. Having seen what a 60lb YFT does to 6/0 Senator with boat rod, I would rather err on the stronger side.

[backman]

<P><FONT color=black face=Verdana,Geneva size=2>see I treat it differently., let me hook a tuna on a fly rod; get the 1st 15 minutes out of it and I'll deliberately break it off so I can have enough energy to do it again.&nbsp; </FONT></P>
<P>If I want to play tuna circle games thats what the Penn 30 is for :-).&nbsp; I'm one of those types who would rather have 4 15 minute fights than 1 hour long one..</P>
<P>Jeff: your lucky - I think the bay side schoolie BFT are large school or small medium BFT while we typically see small school tuna south of the cape.</P>
<P>Josko and I probably boated 30 BFT last summer and they were all in the 20-30# range.&nbsp; WE saw a couple 40-50# YFT, but nothing larger.</P>

[DFix]

Hey Bassman!
Welcome back (home, whatever). Anyway, Jeff, did you see the thread about going to the superbraids and the relative diameter vs. weight class of the respective lines? It's here somewhere, and might be worth reviewing for your purposes. How're things otherwise? (p.s. do you really wish you hadn't sold the boat? or do you have something better in the sights?) Regards, Dave.

[josko]

Neat thread... I'd guess that a 12 wt is adequate for 95% of offshore fish one's likely to hook of southeast NE, BUT, you do occasionally hook a fish which can swim interminably against the 5-10 lbs of pressure the 12 wt can exert (for any length of time). Then you can do like Larry, and break off after 1/2 hr or so, or you can do like me and rush off to get a 15 wt so it won't happen again.

There are basically two ways of fly fishing NE offshore:

1. (Sight) cast to fish, either breaking near the boat, in the chum slick or near buoy/floating structure. Need long casts and stout rod. This is 10-12 wt turf.

2. Drift flies down into a chum slick. This is basically hand-lining flies with a fly rod somewere nearby. It seems to me this is turf for the 14+ wts, as you're not casting, and do have a chance of hooking a large fish.

3. The third way would be to cast 14+ wts to teased up fish, but I don't think there's much of that going on up here.

The first way is a place for a fancy casting rod, with the reel secondary. I bet I could land most of what I hook there with a Sci anglers II 1011 or somesuch.

The second way is all in the reel. I could see hooking a 150 lb BFT 'rat'. Just need a rod which won't break, but you do need a smooth 15 lbs of drag, lots of line, and wilingness to spoil the fish meat by endless fights.

I have a funny feeling the Joskolator 1 hr line snipper will be busy with some 12 wt line this summer...
(For those of you not in the know, the Joskolator has a 1 hr limit to land whatever you hook on a fly rod. It may seem cruel but it does wreck the trip for everyone else to watch an interminable fly battle.)

[JHorton]

<P><FONT color=black face=Verdana,Geneva size=2>Just Wondering...</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana size=2>Will the word, " Joskolator," find it's way onto the stern this year?&lt;G&gt;</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana size=2>J.Horton</FONT></P>
<P>&nbsp;</P>

[Adam-Albino]

Actually Josko is having a stcker made that say's "Joskolator" in the shape of a fish. Larry will then leap overboard and apply it to the bottom - really attracts fish :-);
<IMG align=baseline alt="" border=0 hspace=0 src="http://photos.netclubs.com/live/photos/v/9/t/2/t2c710a3839h31nr004cfcdhuo/flyman2.gif">

[wahoofly]

I have been researching blue water fly reels, and it took a few reels to get it right. I asked three of the best blue water fly fisherman for the best blue water fly reel, they all said the Abel 4.5N. I am looking at rods now, and I cannot decide between the Redington 12wt or the G. Loomis Mega Taper that is a 12/13. The Abel 4.5N maybe expensive, but it has a lifetime warranty and has caught some of the biggest makos, marlins, and tunas. I have never caught a tuna on the fly rod, but a 60 pound yellowfin generates as much thrust as a nine horsepower engine! In the photo gallery there is a man that caught a bluefin, I think it was 79 pounds, on a 12wt Scott fly rod. For the backing I would put 100 yards of micron, and then fill to capacity with 50 pound spectra.