Fly fishing the bay

[Gregresh]

posted on 31-Mar-2005 11:43:34 AM
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My wife and I are new to fly fishing. we each just got an 8 wt. rod and reel, but dont have a clue what kind of backing and how much to use. I was looking at lines yesterday but dont know what to buy. We want to fish for primarily Stripers, but would also like to go for the Shad this spring up on the flats. Got any ideas as to what line(s) to use?

[Capt. Matt]

I posted a reply on your other post, hopefully it will be helpful.

Capt. Matt

[OneMoreCast]

Greg, if your are in Davidsonville, then you are very close to the Free State Fly Fishers meeting hall. The meeting area is in those white buildings at the old Nike base that they turned into baseball/soccer fields. It's a great group of guys and they will shorten your learning curve. Gordon Mitchell is a good person to get in touch with...he's an active member of FSF and works at Winchester Creek Outifitters on Kent Island.

The backing req differ slightly for each reel. What are the specs on your set up?
We could talk forever about lines but the short version is that you will need a floater and a sinker. 8wt=something around a 350 grain line. 8wt is a little heavy for shad btw.

[Ladyfish]

First, a million questions[wink]

1. What rod and reel did you get? For an 8 wt. I use 20 lb. backing. How much you will need will depend upon what reel you have. If you take it to a fly shop and tell them what you are going to do they can recommend the right amount of backing and appropriate lines. Have them put the backing on with their machine!

2. Have you taken any casting lessons? Casting lessons will shorten the learning curve and get you fishing successfully much faster. Winchester Creek Outfitters have a demo day coming up soon and Joe Capp will be giving free instruction.

3. What are you fishing for? Shad take different lines and flies than striped bass. Yea, it's confusing at first; but, that's half the fun![grin]

Again, welcome to the addiction!

[Ladyfish]

Dang, OMC sure types fast!

[Flying Fish]

Hi, Gregresh. You might weant to cruise some of the other threads on this board; they get at some of your questions. I agree with the advice from Ladyfish and OMC, except that 350 grains might be a bit on the heavy side for an 8-weight. For stripers in the bay I'd have one intermediate and one sinking line. For shad in the Potomac, I use a sinking line. Never fished for anything on the Susky flats, but depending on how deep it is, 350 grains might be too much of a sink, I don't know.

Yes, shad like small bright flies and stripers (rockfish) often like big flies, although in summer and fall, small flies often work (for small fish).

I think an 8-weight is an ideal compromise for where and how you want to fish.

FF

[paxfish]

Just a hint on backing - DF clued me in on Cabela's green spot dacron - much cheaper than those labeld "fly backing" and every bit as functional. I've used it successfully for several seasons.

http://a1460.g.akamai.net/f/1460/1339/6h/www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/content/Item/31/50/03/i315003sq01.jpg

[Flying Fish]

Paxfish: Tell me more about that Cabela's dacron. I bought some that looks just like that (different color, though) from BassPro, and I find it on the stiff side and less convenient to use than the real fly-line backing made by Cortland or Scientific Anglers. Much cheaper, though, that's for sure.

FF

ps Who are we kidding, anyway? How often do we even see our backing in the bay?

[wink]

[Ladyfish]

Flying Fish,

I've got that on one of my reels and I don't like it. Too stiff and it's harder on the hands. Just my opinion...

[wahoo4228]

Is a Teeny 450 too heavy for a 9 weight? I'm hoping it's not because that means I have to go get a new line.

[David M]

I've been using the Greenspot from Cabelas for many years, on 3wt to 12wt reels, and it has done it's job.

Can't say I've experienced it being too stiff, like Diane said, but then again, I rarely get to see my backing except when I'm cleaning reels.

It sure beats paying two to three times as much for the same stuff.

David

[paxfish]

David - I think they're talking about the BassPro brand - I haven't tried that. The Cabela's is fine.

The Green Spot makes nice blind splices too - On one reel I have it blinds spliced to 20# Micron with a blind spliced loop instead of a bimini.

Again - at the prompting of the sage DF....

[fisham]

I have a 450 on an 8wt and even though it doubles over the rod and takes drag when false casting I have been able to take quite a few fish on it and once the fish is on you cant tell.

[Flying Fish]

Wahoo: It kind of depends on the 9-weight and on your casting skills and on what you're trying to do. 450 grains is on the heavy side for most 9-weights but it's manageable if you're not trying to cast the whole line and especially if you're fishing from a boat, where you can get distance simply by drifting away from the line. Try it.

FF

[paxfish]

Oh Yeah - you asked about how much backing? Put your flyline on first and then wind on backing until the reel is full.

Then remove the backing by winding it onto another reel (penn trolling reel is fine.) Then tie the baking on with an arbor knot, and wind it on your new reel very tight using a gardening glove to apply pressure to the line (DF again!)

There - you've got the perfect amount of backing.

[Rockrunner]

Wahoo - it depends on the rod. Some will handle it and some won't. If you have a good stiff fast action rod it should be ok. The key is to try it. If you're running out of rod - and you feel the cast collapsing, just cut a few feet off of the line. You can reduce the length by about 10 feet before you start losing casting performance - that would make it about a 300 grain line.