Fishing Q&A
Fly fishing?
my uncle gave me a kit and i just started fly fishing. ive heard people talking about stuff like 8 weights and 11 weights and stuff and i dont understand wat this means. mine is a 5 weight and is 8 ft long. the line and backing came w/ it so i assume it works w/ that size pole im pretty sure that i could handle a bass on this but could i use this in salt water for, say snook, redfish, seatrout?
Public Comments
- That's a nice size for small and medium bass and trout not for big bass or saltwater. The larger the number the heavier the rod and line. In general a 10 weight rod would be a pike, muskie or saltwater rod.
- In a word, no. You need to have a saltwater fly rod (and reel) They are made with corrosion proof guides, tip-tops and reel-seats. Unless you want to ruin your rod, don't use it in salt water. Another factor to consider is that an 8' 5 wt really isn't conducive to fighting snook and redfish. Saltwater rods are predominately a minimum of 9' and usually start at 6 wt and go up in class from there. They are generally made stiffer to accommodate wind and big flies. Don't try to use your reel. You'll ruin it, make sure you get a saltwater reel or a saltwater approved reel. Your outfit is a typical beginning trout outfit. You could probably handle a bass on it (depending on size) but will probably find it difficult casting large bass bugs or big clouser minnows. In layman's terms what the weights mean is this: the bigger the #, the heavier the fly line is and more capable of handling bigger fish (make sure your rod is rated for the flyline you're using) - some guidelines: 7' rod rated for 3 wt line = brook trout streams and panfish 8' rod rated for 5 wt line = trout fishing on medium streams 9' rod rated for 6 wt or 7 wt = large trout or bass 9'rod rated for 8wt or 9 wt = steelhead, saltwater If you can't resist the urge to use your rod in saltwater, make sure you rinse it thoroughly (and your reel) immediately after you get home, but I still don't recommend using it
