6 weights

[gonzo]

Do you think a 6# is man enough for the Gulf coast shore in normal conditions?
confused:



Gonzo

[Marcel_Karssies]

I would stick with an 8 weight. You never know what might come along. There is a real chance a hefty jack might intercept your fly and then you will be in big trouble. I guess you don't want to fight one fish all day long.

[AlderBrookFarm]

I would think it would be too light. 8wt would be ok but I prefer a 9.

[Quicksilver]

Sounds like an English gent is thinking about taking a trip !!!

[gonzo]

Yes i hope to have another go at the Florida coast. Last time i was in FL i bombed out big time during the mornings / day, but did all right at night with Ladyfish. I used a 6# for these and it seemed ok.

[Marcel_Karssies]

What coast are you intending to go to on your next trip ?
Have you caught the ladyfish at night near lighted docks
from a boat ?

If all goes well I will visit the Gulfcoast this fall.
Early mornings where actually a good time for me to
go fishing as where falling tides in the afternoon.
After every Florida visit fishingskills seem to improve a bit.
This year I hope to finally get a seatrout, redfish or
a spanish mack on the fly. I settle for Jacks though when
other fish are not around. Strong, big and always willing to
pick a fight.

[Quicksilver]

My kickin around outfit is an 8' Pflueger Medalist 5/6 with a medium sized Cortland Rimfly reel. (On your side of the pond you have a Hardy that is basically the same reel.) The combo is probably best suited for freshwater, but I have done a lot of saltwater fishing with it, mostly schoolies but I have landed two 30" stripers with the rig. Biggest downside to using the 6 weight is long cast are problematic in wind, even worse if you are trying to toss big flies. Fly presentation will be softer with the 6 weight. For fishing along the beach I think you would be OK. Perhaps go to a beefier rod if you want to drag 20 pound snook out from under docks!:D

[gonzo]

Originally posted by Marcel_Karssies
What coast are you intending to go to on your next trip ?
Have you caught the ladyfish at night near lighted docks
from a boat ?

It would be the Sarasota area again for me as i love it down there. The Ladyfish were caught from a lit dock at night but from the dock itself(cheapskate) There were fish leaping all over and around an oyster bed about twenty yards away. I used a large (size1) white muddler type fly. The strikes were very splashy and quite often the fish would miss the fly. Boy do they fight though, great fun, especially on a 6#.


If all goes well I will visit the Gulfcoast this fall.
Early mornings where actually a good time for me to
go fishing as where falling tides in the afternoon.
After every Florida visit fishingskills seem to improve a bit.
This year I hope to finally get a seatrout, redfish or
a spanish mack on the fly. I settle for Jacks though when
other fish are not around. Strong, big and always willing to
pick a fight.

[lemaymiami]

Light rods have their place in salt, with a few qualifications. One of my favorite rods when I'm prospecting on my own (that's what I call it when I don't have a customer...) is a seven weight, 9', Sage RPL+ with a Lamson 3.0.

Here's the trade off. With a light rod you're limited to the size of fly (and particularly the hook size) of what you're tossing at fish. I work around that using small poppers and lots of flies with maribou. Maribou bugs have the illusion of size but are very easy to cast.

The other real handicap is your ability to fight a fish quickly and efficiently. In the summer water temps are so high that a prolonged fight may literally kill your fish. Down in the Everglades (and most of the rest of south Florida) we have water temps of over 81 degrees at dawn each day during summer. By afternoon, I'm showing 84 to 87 in some areas and those aren't the highest temps since I avoid areas that get too hot to hold many fish...

The last thing to consider is where you're fishing. Fighting a good fish on a shallow flat is a lot different than one in deeper water. Light rods just don't have the ability to lift that's so essential if a good fish dogs it and stays deep.

That said, they're still lots of fun. That seven weight of mine got it's baptism with a 37lb tarpon at night next to a bridge with lots of nasty concrete pilings. My angler that night was Capt Greg Poland, an Islamorada guide who's won every tarpon fly tournament there is. That fish gave him a pretty hard time, but it was possible.

One situation where I particularly like a light rod is wading for really spooky bonefish. There's a lot to be said for fly lines that are as quiet as possible when casting at big spooky fish. If you're wading, getting close enough to cast is never a problem. Presenting a fly without scaring the fish is everything for Mr. Spooky... I worry about landing him after getting the bite under those conditions.