Line/rod weights and types of fish

"Oz" wrote in message
. net...

"George Adams" wrote in message
ups.com...


How about this suggestion. Get a decent 7 or 8 wt combo from EZflyfish
for LMB and steelhead, and an el cheapo combo from Cabela's for panfish
and small stream trout, if you go in that direction. Cabela's has a
Three Forks 3wt, (known by many here as the "KPOS"), that is actually a
decent rod for the money. If you go that route, follow Ken's
suggestion, and get a better line for the Cabela's combo.

Okay. That makes sense.

In your opinion, how do Temple Fork rods compare with St. Croix? I have a
St. Croix rod for my spinning reel and I absolutely love it.


Hi OZ:
If you haven't discovered it yet, there are as many opinions as there are
fly fishermen. And that's just in the US...if you take the other side of the
ponds into account, you'll find that things are done differently and THAT
will generate another whole set of opinions.

For example; while its correct that the size of the fly determines the
weight of the fly line, and the weight of the fly line determines the weight
of the rod, there is much more overlap than you think, and only in the US
have I encountered people using 6wts as their 'general purpose rods'. I
started with a 6/7 wt, and used it for casting #8 and #10 flies to trout, as
well as larger streamers to bass. But soon I started fishing with some folks
from Europe, and found that I was consistently overgunned; I moved down to a
4 wt, and I now cast flies down to #22 and beyond, and up to #6 streamers
for bass. My largest catch is a 5 pound bass on my 4wt, using a #8 frog
pattern. My next rod will be a #2 weight.

I never use my #6 weight for anything anymore. Its far too heavy, too stiff,
and too big for anything delicate. Its like driving a one-ton pickup truck
when I have a couple of nice 2-seater MGBs in my garage. When I rig it up, I
don't even want to cast it for very long. And when I fish alongside american
friends with their gear, they can outcast me for distance, but I can fish
the more productive closer water better as I have considerably more delicacy
and placement.

I'd say to get yourself a pre-organized #4 wt or #5 wt rod as your starter,
and expect to move down in rod weights as your skills advance.

--riverman

Oz wrote:


In your opinion, how do Temple Fork rods compare with St. Croix? I have a
St. Croix rod for my spinning reel and I absolutely love it.

Oz
I have rods both by St. Croix and Temple Fork and think you will be
happy with either. Most of the rods that I have bought for the past
several years have been Temple Forks, but that is mainly because they
are on the other side of town and I have known the guy that runs the
company and I like the way he runs it. I don't remember how the
warrenty works with St. Croix, but with Temple Fork basicly if you
figure out a way to screw it up, they sill send you another one for 25
bucks. Most of us that have been in this hobby for a while have found
some way to break a rod. The last time I broke one it was a Temple
Fork, I took it down and said "I got stupid and broke it." Then they
fitted a new tip section to the rod while I threw a ball for one of the
dogs that came to work that day.

You wil enjoy doing business with Walt Winter of EZflyfish. He is one
of the good guys. I do not have a six weight nine foot Temple Fork
Professional Series rod, but I do have rods in that series in
2,3,7,8,and 10 weight rods as well as one of their 12.5 foot 6 weight
spey rods.

I think the six weight rod would be a good one to start with, since you
will use it for largemouth as well as smallmouth and panfish. You will
probably want to stay away from some of the bulkier deer hair bugs that
are better handled with an 8 weight rod. If you are like most of us,
you will learn a lot with the six weight and eventualy you will get
both lighter and heavier rods if you stay with the sport. The six
weight will also be very useful when casting many streamers for trout
as well as being close to perfect for smallmouth in rivers.

I am not familiar with the Ann Arbor area, although I have always
wanted to see a football game in The Big House. For this winter you
might consider using google to find the closest chapters of both FFF
clubs and the local chapter of Trout Unlimited. Try visiting one of
their club meetings and meet some folks and I am sure that someone will
take you under their wing to get you started in learning more about
this sport. Most of these clubs have beginning classes on how to fly
fish or tie flies and it is a good place to start. Our local Bass Pro
here in the Dallas area has free beginning fly fishing lessons each
Saturday and Sunday to ease one onto the sport. Something like may be
available in your area.

Resist the temptation to buy an entire shelf of books about fly fishing
from your local Half Price Books store like I have done. When you have
Walt Winter on the phone ask that he reccomend one book to get you
started. I think his wife stll does the rare book deal from her Blue
Ridge Book Gallery and may have something very cool available at a nice
price.

This is a great time to enter the sport with all the information
available on the net. Most of us have some favored web sites to help
you feed your new addiction. One f my favorites is
Http://www.eflytyer.com You can learn a lot from Mike's web site.

Ken is also correct about getting a good fly fine. The only way I know
how to save any money on one is that Scientific Anglers has a series
that I think is called Headstart which is a few bucks cheaper and when
you study the tapers of the line it is very similar to a bass bug line,
so you might save a little.

Hope you enjoy your new hobby as much as we do.

Big Dale

"Oz" wrote in message
m...

Does that mean I will need a different rod/reel combo for panfish?

No not necessarily. As I mentioned in another thread, some people go too
light just because the fish is smaller. If you're casting tiny flies for
panfish with no wind you can get away with a 3 or 4 weight. But a 7 weight
will cast small flies just fine. A 3 wt will not cast big flies fine at
all. If you can have one rod, it should probably be at least a 6 wt. If
you are going to have 2, then you can get a 4 or 5 wt and then a 7 wt. You
might try getting 2 and trading with your son.

For bass, go to a 7 wt. if not an 8 because this will throw
the larger streamers and poppers desirable in bass
fishing. They might overload 6 wt. tackle or at least
shorten your fishing day by fatigue. Besides, if you
go out for winter steelhead or salmon you will appreciate
being able to hold a big fish harder.

"Oz" wrote in message
m...

Does that mean I will need a different rod/reel combo for panfish?

No. The ultimate correlate of line weight is delicacy of
presentation or the smallness of the fly you can fish effectively.
When trout get ultra-selective, e.g. in a Trico hatch, your fly
is size #20 or smaller, best fished with a 4-wt rod and line.
But panfish usually take anything between fly size #1 and (small)
size #14, the normal range of flies for which a 7-wt outfit is perfect.

--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)

Don Phillipson wrote:
"Oz" wrote:
Does that mean I will need a different rod/reel combo for panfish?

No. The ultimate correlate of line weight is delicacy of
presentation or the smallness of the fly you can fish effectively.
When trout get ultra-selective, e.g. in a Trico hatch, your fly
is size #20 or smaller, best fished with a 4-wt rod and line.
But panfish usually take anything between fly size #1 and (small)
size #14, the normal range of flies for which a 7-wt outfit is perfect.

A 7wt outfit is perfect for panfish ?!!?

Just goes to show that the advice you receive on Usenet
is worth exactly what you pay for it.

--
Ken Fortenberry

Ken Fortenberry wrote:
Don Phillipson wrote:
"Oz" wrote:
Does that mean I will need a different rod/reel combo for panfish?

No. The ultimate correlate of line weight is delicacy of
presentation or the smallness of the fly you can fish effectively.
When trout get ultra-selective, e.g. in a Trico hatch, your fly
is size #20 or smaller, best fished with a 4-wt rod and line.
But panfish usually take anything between fly size #1 and (small)
size #14, the normal range of flies for which a 7-wt outfit is perfect.

A 7wt outfit is perfect for panfish ?!!?

Depends. If the size of your dick depends on and is inversely
proportional to the line rating of the rod that you catch a fish on,
then no. If not, then who cares?

Just goes to show that the advice you receive on Usenet
is worth exactly what you pay for it.

Of all the stupid aphorisms one can hardly avoid in this life despite
one's not inconsiderable best efforts, those having to do with one or
another stupid permutation of correlation between what one pays and
what one gets for it are about the stupidest that one routinely
encounters.

Incidentally, just how much did the OP pay you for your advice?

Wolfgang
no charge for this one.......and you'll never get a better deal from
anyone.

panfish usually take anything between fly size #1 and (small)
size #14, the normal range of flies for which a 7-wt outfit is perfect.

"Ken Fortenberry" wrote in message
. net...

A 7wt outfit is perfect for panfish ?!!?

My error: I should have written that fly size #2 to #14 is
the normal range of flies for which a 7-wt outfit is perfect.
(The #1 streamer is just too heavy for most casters on a
7-=wt; #2s are OK.) As the original text suggests, the
7-wt outfit is perfect for this range of fly size -- not for
any one particular species of fish.

--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)

"Ken Fortenberry" wrote in message
. net...
Don Phillipson wrote:
"Oz" wrote:
Does that mean I will need a different rod/reel combo for panfish?

No. The ultimate correlate of line weight is delicacy of
presentation or the smallness of the fly you can fish effectively.
When trout get ultra-selective, e.g. in a Trico hatch, your fly
is size #20 or smaller, best fished with a 4-wt rod and line.
But panfish usually take anything between fly size #1 and (small)
size #14, the normal range of flies for which a 7-wt outfit is perfect.

A 7wt outfit is perfect for panfish ?!!?

Pay attention. It's the perfect size for most panfish *flies* like poppers
or little weighted jig-type things. That's the most important thing for
most people.

"Oz" wrote in message
news

My question revolves around practicality and what I should purchase to
fish locally. We have a ton of lakes and one very good river (the Huron
River) in my neighborhood. I would be fishing primarily for large mouth
and small mouth bass and pan fish. Is there a single rod and reel that I
could purchase to fish this variety of species - maybe a 6 weight? At this
point, I am looking for lower end/beginner equipment because I am just
beginning and would like to get my 15 year old son involved too. So, quite
frankly, I am looking for something that would get us started and
something that we could use to fish for the species I indicated.

First, figure out what fish you want to catch. Then, figure out what lure
(or fly) you want to use to catch them. Then, figure out what size line it
will take to cast that fly. Then, match the rod to the line. Add in some
extra weight in case you'll be casting into wind.

The mistake some people make is going too light just because they're fishing
for panfish. The fact is, some of those panfish bugs are big and bulky
compared to tiny trout flies, and take bigger line to cast them comfortably.
That's obviously even more true for bigger fish such as bass.

Oz" wrote in message
news

I am very interested in flyfishing and I want to start purchasing the
equipment to begin in the Spring (I live in SE Michigan, near Ann Arbor,
and it is starting to become crappy outside so I figure I should start
preparing for Spring now - or at least start asking questions).

My question revolves around practicality and what I should purchase to
fish locally. We have a ton of lakes and one very good river (the Huron
River) in my neighborhood. I would be fishing primarily for large mouth
and small mouth bass and pan fish. Is there a single rod and reel that I
could purchase to fish this variety of species - maybe a 6 weight? At this
point, I am looking for lower end/beginner equipment because I am just
beginning and would like to get my 15 year old son involved too. So, quite
frankly, I am looking for something that would get us started and
something that we could use to fish for the species I indicated.

Thanks for your help and advice.
Oz

The most popular and all around rod is by far a 6 weight.
You can pick up a decent combo for $250 or under.
You get what you pay for
Some of the 400-600 rods cast to a dime!

If you find that the 6 wt is too heavy, then for your next rod buy a 4-5
weight , or if its too light buy a 7-8 wt
But I would and did start w a 6 weight.
It is a good tip to buy a good quality 6 wt floating line to start.

Fred

--

"