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[zabber]

Hi guys,

So I was fly-fishing for pinks the other day (first time fly-fishing for salmon) and had a blast. Managed to entice the majority of fish to bite and ended up bringing ~10-15 fish to hand. Had ~10+ pop off at/around my feet, or further out. I just stopped counting after a while

ANYWAYS, I was using a 6wt fly rod, which is a rod that I broke near the tip (high sticking a fish) a couple of years ago and have since repaired. The result is an ~8ft rod which, I imagine, is a bit stiffer than a regular 6 wt.

Now, there were a few things I noticed while fighting fish:
1) A good "fighting butt" would be nice; the metal end-piece on my rod ended up digging into my stomach a bit a few times. Not that it even bruised, but it just took away from the experience a bit. I would maybe try a DIY addition to my 9ft 5/6wt (e.g. a champagne cork) but...
2) I almost ended up with a pierced nose (when the wind picked up); a stiffer rod might help with this.
3) I was fishing mainly still-water but last week I was tossing blades with this fly rod (w/ a spinning reel) and had a heck of a time with fish that ended up in the faster current. A stiffer rod might help in situations like this.
4) I could only cast 40-50 feet, so I'm thinking a longer rod might help with this. (I know, I know, pinks travel close to shore; I hooked a few at the end of my retrieve, just as I was about to re-cast... the area I was fishing, however, allowed for some longer casts and sometimes a longer cast -- or a fish hooked on one -- is satisfying). While length may add difficulty to landing fish, I picked up a light, telescopic, CnR landing net to help with this (I had quite a few fish pop off at my feet, so even with an 8 foot rod I would want a net in the water I was fishing).

I ended up purchasing a 10ft 7wt today, but was also considering the 9ft 7wt and 9ft 8wt. Just wondering if I made the right call or if I should exchange the rod before I head out... I'm now thinking that maybe the stiffer, shorter 8wt will be better for cutting thru wind and doubling as a rod for bigger fish (e.g. chinook). I have this nagging feeling that this 7wt is going to be about as stiff as my 8ft repair-o 6wt...

I don't imagine I'll be fly-fishing for much else other than pinks in future years -- maybe the odd coho/chinook off Ambleside, or some trout up to 8lbs in some "local" rivers -- at least not anytime soon... The guys in the tackle shop said that a 7wt is more than enough for pinks but, again, there are other issues at hand.


Thanks for any input,
Z

[FishingReviewsTV]

You're "Z" over here and "A" over there... what are you?

[typhoon]

Holy cross posting. Do you really expect to get better answers from 5 different message boards?

[FlyFishin Magician]

I tried to respond on the "other" forum but I'm having problems responding using my iPhone or iPad. I digress. First off, the action or stiffness of a rod is independent of the line weight. What brand and model is the rod you bought?

A 7wt 10 foot single hander would be a nice stick for pinks and coho, but definitely under gunned for chum and springs. If you are on a budget and want to also target the larger salmon, then I'd recommend at least an 8 wt rod. I'd also recommend a fast action rod as this will toss heavy sink tips easier than a softer rod.

And forget about using the 6 wt for salmon. You can get away with using it for pinks, but your still a bit under gunned IMHO.  Lol.

Hope this helps. Good luck and have fun. Welcome to the world of fly fishing!!!

[RalphH]

re: length of the rod. Longer rods primarily offer better line handling - ie mending and control of the drift. Longer rods are heavier all things equal and may lead to more fatigue over the course of a day. Help you cast farther? Maybe but best to study,practice frequently and perhaps get a lesson or 2.

[HOOK]

I fished my 10' 7wt on the Squamish for pinks and it was a great match. gave me enough backbone to horse in any fish foul hooked but also light enough that I wasn't over powering the fish that were fair hooked. I used to use my 5wt on that system and felt it decent but it is a stiffer 5wt. My 7wt is a Redington Pursuit and I have battled on it so far, chum, coho and pinks and it handled them all nicely, I was actually shocked it had the backbone to put the boots on fair hooked chum, foul hooked chum = good luck with anything under a 10wt 


What rod is it you bought ?

[Bently]

So I guess Speypages is next eh ?? 

[zabber]

Lol, sorry for the cross posting guys. I know some of you are on multiple boards so I figured there would be more. That being said, I figure some may be more active on one vs. the other, etc. In retrospect, I'm glad to have cross-posted on four board (not five ) because there are some good answers on the different boards... Oh, and I typically sign off with the first initial of my username FRTV My first name is Rob, if that makes it easier

ANYWAYS, thanks for the insights. And the rod is a Milano tournament series... as I posted on the other forum: Kind of a softer rod, it seems [there is no action printed on the rod]... I picked up the same rod in a 5wt (for lakes) a few months ago and it seemed to be softer than other 5 wts... Milano is a subdivision of Protac (similar to Sedge), and apparently these rods used to sell for a few hundred dollars but they are now an older model (or D/C'd) and they're clearing them out? Still made in China (5wt) and Korea (7wt)... The gent at the shop said it was better than the Dragonfly Expedition2, so I went with that one in the end...

[zabber]

If you are on a budget and want to also target the larger salmon, then I'd recommend at least an 8 wt rod.

The guy in the shop said "7 wt should be fine for pinks (and maybe coho), once you get up to 8 wt you start getting into chinook, etc." I wasn't even thinking of fly-fishing for chinook but, after he mentioned it, I figured that maybe I'd just get a size larger and -- essentially -- buy the multi-purpose rod.

Sounds like I'd be better off just buying a 10wt, or something, IF the time ever comes than to buy something "multi-purpose" now...

[bigblue]

I used to use a 6wt 9 feet rod for pinks but recently got a 8wt 9 feet rod and took it out to Squamish for a week of intensive fishing. Personally, I think it's a way better pink salmon rod by far. 6wt just did not have enough backbone to subdue large pinks quickly and 8wt still provided plenty of fun while allowing me to bring in fish in a reasonable time. I think the 8wt rod would also double as an excellent coho rod.

[Sandman]

I fished a 9 ft 6wt Dragonfly 4 piece rod exclusively for years. I caught all manner of salmon (pinks, coho, and big chum) on it and never felt under gunned with a fair hooked fish. Any time I had foul hooked one, especially chum, I would just snap the fly off and keep fishing.  Then when my father passed away and I inherited his 9ft 8wt sage I have used it for all my salmon and steelhead, both for its ability to extend my cast and for the added muscle.  The 8wt allows me to play the fish more aggressively (necessary when fighting seals for the fish).  I would think the 7wt, begin somewhere between the two, to be just fine.

[RalphH]

I was in Army and Navy a couple of weeks ago and the Milano rods were on sale for 40% off the sticker price.

[DanJohn]

I just got a 10 foot 7 weight Redington Pursuit. I have the same flavour in a 4 weight, and love it as a larger trout rod. Its a really great rod for the 120 bucks, but I believe the 8 weight would be a better suited to faster water (such as the squamish) and more backbone for Cohos.

That being said, there was a guy on the Mamquam today fishing a 3 weight for pinks. I wanted to one up him and bust out my 2 weight, then I remembered I dont need to exhaust and kill fish before they get a chance to spawn. Guy was playing them for 10-15 minutes a fish. Stupid.

[HOOK]

I have that same rod DanJohn. Its a great rod for its price. It will even horse chums if they are fair hooked