I know this is not the right place, but some of you guys must fish also.

I need a new heavy duty fly rod. My old Bruce & Walker 10'6" #8 is too slow in the action for the sort of fishing I am now doing. I just got back from 2 days on the Moy estuary Sea Trout fishing. The old rod really struggled to push an 8 weight floater across the wind.

I want to buy something faster actioned, around 9'-10' long in an #8 or #9. Application is saltwater fishing for Sea Trout and Bass, and maybe a bit of Pike fishing.

I have been looking at a new Redington CPS or maybe a secondhand Loomis GLX. The Loomis is rather more used than the Redington new.

Can any of you offer any advise on this subject?

huh Brian - can`t help you on the matter since here we are mostly fishing on rivers and #5-#6 (grayling and trouts) covers all the needs - just to say it is nice to see a hunter that is a fly-fisher as well - hope you will get a good advise

A 4/5 weight covers my fishing:



Sorry Brian, can't really give you any good advice either!

- stu

I have been using Redington Wayfarer #8/9 9ft rod for saltwater flyfishing for a few years. Its a 3 piece which makes it handy for travelling.
Ed

I fancy FallowBuck may be able to help here - if only with fashion tips............

Rgds Ian

I use G,Loomis no4 in 6# and 8# and recently bought a 5# SAGE which is a expensive nice rod.
My brother found the same rod a lot cheeper on Ebay.
ozhunter

Dabbler,

I took my girlfreind for a days fly fishing a couple of weeks ago and she decided she wanted a rod. So I bought her a gold one. It looks really nice and all other details are lost on her!!!!

It was a #5 Sage Launch witha Greys G-lite reel.a lovely little river rod at a starters price.

On a more practical not I am really impressed with the Sage range. I'm getting a Sage FLi 4 peice in 10' #7. My mate uses it for all his salmon and seatrout fishing over there. I have one on order next time I come over from Michael Schwarz at BAC opposite the ridge pool, as I do exactly the same type of fishing as you mention in the same area. The pictures I posed were of fish taken at Foxford.

Given the choice I would take the Sage everyday over the Reddington. Having fished with it it is a very fast taper, so you need to let it load, but when you get it right it will cast a tight loop into the wind. Drop me a PM if you want to chat with Ken and see what he says but given he landed a n 11 lb springer it will all be good.

Incedentally why the heavier weights? if you go for a faster taper rod yu will cast a better line into the wind without giving up any sport. Also with the seatrout a fast action #8/9 will lose you more fish on the strike than yur old rod as you'll pull the fly away or tear it out as there won' be enough cusion in the strike.

Just so you know there is a new Sage XP 10' #7 available at 25% discount if you really want to get involved!! Personally I'm not man enough for it....

We should arrange to hook up next time I am over. The guys fished ballisodare and ken had 8 grilse on monday and his two boys had three!! Apparently the river was fishing really well.

Rgds,
FB

Thanks guys.

FB, I used the #8 at the suggestion of the guide. I have a 10' #7, a Daiwa Lochmor Z which I bought a few years ago. It's not bad, but I would like an upgrade.

I quite like the idea of one good rod to do nearly everything, sort of a flyfishing equivalent of a 308win. Sounds like you would recommend the Sage XP. Do you think the 10' #7 would cover everything from wetfly for trout through estuary sea trout and Bass? The only XP I have played with was an 11' #6 that a friend has for lough fishing, it is phenomenal, but it cost almost £700.

You can pick the XP's up quite regularly on ebay for £250-300.

CD,
I have a single haned 9'6" ugli-stik in a 9 weight, which will handle most sea trout and salmon upto 15lbs, not the prettiest rod in the world but extremely powerful and robust..
Rods that cost the earth break just the same in the car door! Speaking from experience!!!

regards
griff

quote:

Originally posted by griff:
CD,

Rods that cost the earth break just the same in the car door! Speaking from experience!!!

regards
griff

Brian
I recently went through the same dilema... well actually I just fancied a new rod. I ended up with two from ebay; a Hardy Deluxe double handed 12 footer #9 for the Border Esk, and a 9'6" Sage #8 XP896 for £250 in mint condition. Never been used I think.

Took the Sage out in anger a couple of weeks ago and I am hugely impressed. Its a lot stiffer than my trusty old Hardy Deluxe 9' #6/7. I can see it becoming the only rod I use unless I'm in 15' salmon country.

I am on the Cong and Lough Corrib in late september on the Ashford Castle Hotel water. Can't wait.

Do you know anything about the Cong?

quote:

Originally posted by Claret_Dabbler:
I know this is not the right place, but some of you guys must fish also.

I need a new heavy duty fly rod. My old Bruce & Walker 10'6" #8 is too slow in the action for the sort of fishing I am now doing. I just got back from 2 days on the Moy estuary Sea Trout fishing. The old rod really struggled to push an 8 weight floater across the wind.

I want to buy something faster actioned, around 9'-10' long in an #8 or #9. Application is saltwater fishing for Sea Trout and Bass, and maybe a bit of Pike fishing.

I have been looking at a new Redington CPS or maybe a secondhand Loomis GLX. The Loomis is rather more used than the Redington new.

Can any of you offer any advise on this subject?

Loomis GLX if you are a decent caster to start with is the rod to buy!!!But a Sage is the next best

CD,

For what you asy I think the 10' #7 I mentioned will do everything you want it to do. Realistically the FLi will probably do the same as the XP unless you are an expert caster.

All the comments on the thread are correct especially about cheaper on Ebay but we have heard that Sage (and others) are wising up to these and class the rods as second hand so the lifetime warranty is non transferable. Personally the warranty is the main reason I'd spend the extra money.

Last year I broke a mates Hardey #5 ultralite in a fish on the Avon. I was distraught that I had ruined one of his favourite rods until he told me it had already been snapped twice and Hardy just fix it free of charge.... It's a bit iike Triggers Broom!!

The other thing to think of is the real usability of a very fast action rod. Fast actioned rods may be a hinderance when fishing a short delicate line. They really need some line to load up and do their stuff.

For what you are doing rather than go for the XP I would just go with the FLi. It will do everythng you want it to do very well and whhen fishing small spate rivers like the easkey you know that even bbig fish can be landed.

That way you can spend the balance on a 12'-13' double handed #8/9 for when yu fish the Moy in higher/faster water for salmon you have the length to get the rod out accross the flow annd control your fly better. It'll definately pick you up more fish through the lifetime of the rod.... Not that you need encouragement to buy more than one rod I'm sure!!!!

BTW, Ballina Angling Centre is well worth a visit. I have only been once but their prices are as good as any EBay nnew rod once you take into account the postage and duty charged, and you have peace of minnd on the warranty.

Good Luck,
FB

FB, you make some sense on the FLi / XP issue. I am probably not a good enough caster, nor do I fish enough, to justify the expense of the XP.

I do not fish rivers much at all, I ususally fish the loughs from a boat. Does the FLi come in 11' #6? I am really going to have to make more of an effort to fish the Moy, Foxford is less than a 3 hour drive for me. Any time you are coming over, give me a shout.

Richard, I have fished the Corrib a lot, but always the south shore around Oughterard and Glann. I have never fished the north shore, but I know there is good fishing around Greenfields and Cornamona. The Corrib is just too big to ever get to know all of it and I have concentrated on the south shore for over ten years now. Mask is also fishing very well, maybe even better than the Corrib over the past few years.

CD,

I asked Ken my mate over there the same thing last week and he thinks that a 11' #6 is a bit specialised. The beauty of the 10'#7 is that you can use it for spring salmon on the lakes and rivers while still being sporting enough on the grilse or trout. For pure loch trout fishing you'd be correct for the 11' #6 but in the event that you are looking for a comprimise "all round rod" then the #7 will be the one. They have a tremendous ammount of guts to them in comparison to the slower #7s of the past.

I have just solved a similar dilemour with the 9' #5 Sage launch. Officially it belongs to the missus but I think I might need to feild test it some time soon!! If I borrrow that for the trout and use the Fli on the salmon I should be sorted!!

BTW, Ken took a fly I had for some seatrout last time I was there and first time out he had a four and a half pounder from the sea. I am busting to get back as apparently the Bass are quite spectacular too!!

Rgds,
FB

FB, an 11' #6 is the perfect boat rod for trout. The XP is unbelieveable in this size.

The Bass are supposed to be thick in Carlingford at the minute. One of my fishing buddies was there last week and didin't tell me he was going. He claims he was thigh deep on the incoming tide and the bass were swimming around his legs. I am planning on going down this Saturday or Sunday, its a 45 minute drive.

I found a guy on the web offering the FLi's for £200. Is this a good price?

Nice to see there are so many fly fishermen here!

I am a split cane aficionado myself, use my graphite rods less and less and have not bought a graphite rod for over twenty years. Have some Hardy, Sage and Bruce & Walker from those days that still do what I want from them, but I seldom use them since I got some modern cane rods built by a friend. As another friend puts it: If you can't hunt the pandas, you can at least take their food.

Still wanted to pop in and say "tight lines"! Haven't been around much last months, so I thought this was a good opportunity to show I have not forgotten AR.

Regards,
Martin

Hi Marterius,

Good to see youare still about. I hope you have been busy hunting rather than working!!!


CD,

£200 is a great price providing you get the valid warranty.

FB

There are several very good rods that cost around $300 or less. The best deal right now, IMHO, are the Temple Fork rods. Their top of the line is about $250. I have one in a 5wt. and it is a rocket. Still plenty of give in the tip for handling a fish up close. Their entry level rod gets very good reviews and it runs around $100.

St. Croix makes good rods. The Ultra series runs around $300. Lamiglass is very good. My cousin builds rods for fun/small business, and he uses blanks from both companies a lot. Albright and Scott make good rods too.

With the way rod technology has developed in the last few years, today’s $200 to $300 rods cost $500 to $600 five or six years ago. I think a lot of the current high end rods have too fast an action for anyone less than an expert caster to enjoy. I am in the “less than expert†category and find these new rods frustrating over a long day.

Finding a rod over 9’ could be a limitation if longer length is a priority.

Sounds like a 9' Scott in either 8 or 9 Weight would be just the ticket. I like Scott rods and have a bunch but for my go to trout fishing most of the time its with a Sage Graphite II 8'6" 5 Weight. but since you are talking salt water maybe a 10 weight 9 foot rod would better serve the purpose, due to the nature of salt water fly casting.

FB, the FLi arrived on Monday. I have not have much chance to try it out accept on the lawn. It seems like a great stick. It is very light. Your timing needs to be pretty good to get the best out of it. I had about 20 yards of line out with no problem.

We will be fishing Carlingford this week end, I'll let you know how it performs with some of the big Bass flies.

Go with a 9x9.
As someone said, a GLoomis GLX will be hard to beat !!
L

If one wants a really good rod get a Leonard that used to be made in Central Valley,NY.When I had a summer gov't job while in college I couldn't afford the $250 price of their split tonken cane rods now if one can find one they're over $5000.

Curiousity is getting the better of me guys. Ask yourselves a couple of questions that i can't answer. Why do you need a rod wt above 6 ? Is it a wind factor? It can't be water flows as your in the tidal zones and salt. I 'll get brave and suggest that a good 9ft Sage,Loomis,CD,or what ever will do the job, and more than likely a 6wt at that,yes?
Also I don't think there is a price too high for quality, don't under estamiate the difference a good rod can make to your enjoyment of angling,a different style of rod is going to take some time to get used to.
I have more fly rods than I wish to admit to and still haven't got enuf, each has its place. There is no comparision betwen a Hardy's , which I would call an extremely soft, slow rod to a GLX loomis which is a fast stick .My Hardy's is a perfect dry fly delicate presentation rod, the GLX perfect for heavy water double nymphing.
The bulk of our fishing is for river and lake browns and rainbows in a variety of styles and conditions, a 6wt 9ft -10ft fast action rod with a WF line will do 95% of the work.
Remember as anglers we have a very bad habit of over complicating a very simple sport.
We're lucky to have great fishing for trout from 2-12lb, so a 6wt is plenty of rod for the job.

Highlander,

To behonest you are probably right on the #6 but there are a couple of reasons, (apart from wind, which can be fierce o nthe atlantic coast), for using a #7 and more so the 10'length. Admitedly they are personal preference more than anything else but hey, if that didn't exist we'd all be using the same rod and shooting the same gun and ammo!!!

A #6 would probably do the job for most of the fishing in the west of ireland as you are looking at trout in the 2-6lb class during the mayfly , sea trout upto 5-6lb in the eastury and typically grilse upto the same size.

The reason in my eyes that I would step up the tackle is twofold. Firstly I'm a light tackle junkie but as such have lost a handfull of really big fish that my kit was not upto landing(A bad workman always blames blah blah blah... ) This is really important when fishing for the springers that can run into the high teens. Especially when you have paid Eur150 for the pleasure on occasion!! The other thing is that now most salmon fisheries are catch and release, and I do something similar with seatrout and other game fish releasing everyother one. The extra poke in the rod lets me get the fish in a bit faster in a heavy flow, so it isn't completely played out, giving it more chance of survival.

As for the Length of rod well in fast water you have that much more control over the speed of your fly. You can put a better mend in the line and also hold the tip out over the water to glide the fly across the flow rather than it just whipping through with the current. Some of the easturies over there have massive tide flows so so water movement shouldn't be discounted in these scenarios. We actually fish them like a river in some cases.

Ultimately it is all personal preference. but the #7 is a bit of insurance without giving up much in the way of sporting quality.



CD,

glad to hearr you like it. It's always a bit nerveracking reccomending something like that as so much comes to personal taste. The timing on the rod is a bit diffferent to anything I have used before but I like it. To my mind there is a bit more of a pause on the back cast before the punch. I've seen ken lift 25yds of intermediate line stright off of the water and drop it over a fish with only one false cast!! Watching that makes me realise that I am the limiting factor in the cast not the rod!!!!

hopefully we'll get out and fish together at some point in the future.


BTW, what reel /line are you using with it?
FB

quote:

Curiousity is getting the better of me guys. Ask yourselves a couple of questions that i can't answer. Why do you need a rod wt above 6 ? Is it a wind factor? It can't be water flows as your in the tidal zones and salt

When I fish sea trout on the coast (as is very common here in Sweden) I prefer a #7 or even #8 mainly because I want to be able to use larger flies. That is also an important factor when fishing for sea trout in rivers. A #7 or #8 makes it easier to present a larger fly nicely and also to cast a larger fly if there is more wind.

Regards,
Martin

I also own several fly rods. He is asking about ONE flyrod to fish in the ocean. This means big flies, wind, big fish, etc, in other word, something that allow him to fish comfortably despite any difficulty that appears....just like taking a 375 H&H for hunting plains game in dangerous game country...

L

Marterius,

Can you tell us more of your seatrout fishing in Sweeden? I bought some brass head tubes in blu and white for the seatrout but left the fly box at the chalet!!! I gave a fluy to my freind on our retun and he caught a 4.5lb fish first time out with it!!

Do you still use big flies for them in fresh water?

FB

As FB stated the 10' #7 was the choice for an all round rod with a bit of backbone to throw a big fly (up to 3" long) across the wind. It will also handle any fish I might expect to catch on a fly in Irish waters. 4-5 pound browns are not uncommon on some of the lakes I fish.

I also have an 11' #6 - quite old, a 10'6" #8 and a 8'6" #5, so most of the bases are covered. I was brought up fishing lakes from boats, so I am very happy with a rod longer than most Americans might use. We regularly fish leaders 16-18' long.

FB, the reel I use mostly at the minute is a new Orvis Battenkil III large arbour. I have an Orvis full floater, a Polyfuse neutral density and a couple of Aircel slow and fast sinkers. The bases are well covered there too.

quote:

Originally posted by Fallow Buck:
Marterius,

Can you tell us more of your seatrout fishing in Sweeden? I bought some brass head tubes in blu and white for the seatrout but left the fly box at the chalet!!! I gave a fluy to my freind on our retun and he caught a 4.5lb fish first time out with it!!

Do you still use big flies for them in fresh water?

FB

Fallow Buck,
Here are two links about our sea trout fishing on the coast:
http://home.online.no/~jfuruly/salmon/swedishseatrouts.htm
http://www.fishandfly.co.uk/tbedit0601a.html

I fish on the west coast myself, but the fish is bigger furhter south and on the east coast. I usually use bucktails size 4-8, small tube flies or prawn imitations.

In fresh water, I sometimes use big flies during night-fishing, a bit like those big flies described by Faulkus in his famous book on sea trout, but I must confess that I have had most of my luck early in the night with smaller flies (doubles in 10-4)

quote:

A man can never have too much red wine, too many books, or too much ammunition. - R. Kipling

That's funny, I don't seem to be able to keep wine or ammunititon

Bobby, unfortunately, I seem to get through cases of wine faster than cases of ammunition.

Bobby, that is why you can't have too large stores...

Regards,
Martin

I have an 8 weight 9' Orvis Zero G rod that is great. I highly recommend you trying one out if possible. I also have a 5 weight Zero G that is effortless to cast. Both are great rods but a bit expensive.