I am thinking of getting a fly outfit. Charleston Angler has the Redington Redfly 2 outfit in a 8 weight for $250. Is this a pretty good basic redfish and trout setup for this area? Or is it a little light? Here’s the link to what I am looking at:
“There is no hunting like the hunting of man, and those who have hunted armed men long enough and liked it, never care for anything else thereafter.”
Ernest Hemingway
If you are going to have one fly rod for inshore fishing then I always recommend the 8wt. A 9wt won’t really allow you to enjoy catching most trout. You won’t feel the fish much at all. A 6wt would probably stop most inshore reds and all trout but, you will have no stopping power to try to pull a redfish through thick grass or to stop a red that wants to take you to the oysters. This is just my experience.
That’s true. My 6 wt only has 1 pound of dead lift backbone. My 8 wt has 3. That’s a whole lot more stopping power when a red starts running me into trouble.
6 wt 1 pound
8 wt 3 pounds
The reel has a lot more drag than the rod can tolerate. If I get in a pinch I’ll point the 6wt at the fish and palm the reel.
I learned about dead lift testing from Left Kreh at a seminar in Charlotte.
TooBusy, though your photos are obscene they do illustrate the issue. An 8wt can stop or turn a fair size red but, the 6wt doesn’t bring much to the fight.
Now, I have to go wash out my eyes with soapy water.
Deadlift testing is a great way to feel how much preassure you can really put on a fish…
BUT!!! I don’t recommend everyone go out and do it. If you feel the need to, make sure you lift slowly, and evenly, and never bring the rod too high… keep it at a 45 degree angle at most…
TB- Careful grabbing that rod above the grip when under preassure like that… it changes the flexing point on the rod, and can cause a break… seen it a few times… but good illustration of the point either way.
As for the redington combo… It’s a perfect setup for getting started here in charleston… we wouldn’t sell it if it wasn’t…
You’re spot on Mike. Choking up on a rod is a terrible idea. I’ve blown up a rod fighting a shark doing it.
The method from Lefty was to ever so slowly lift, lift, lift, and never take the tip past the reel seat. He suggested using a spring scale with a force tracer. I didn’t have one, but my wife has a whole set of those padded dumbells.
“There is no hunting like the hunting of man, and those who have hunted armed men long enough and liked it, never care for anything else thereafter.”
Ernest Hemingway
Its pretty good in the salt. The drag and all the major working components are sealed up, so that salt can’t easily get in there and crystalize on your drag plates or bearings. You should still rinse it off after every use, but it will hold up just fine with proper care.
Just keep in mind that you get what you pay for in the fly game. If you’re not sure that you’ll fish much than get somethign entry level and see if you like it. On the other hand if you know you’ll go several times a year I’d recommend an mid range set up, you’ll get more bag for your buck besides if you look around you may be able to pick up a top end rig at a mid ragne price, times are tuff!
I’ve got a 5wt combo consisting of a Redington Classic Trout rod and Redington Rise reel and have been very pleased with the quality of the Redington products. I use it for the trout here in New Mexico but am looking forward to hopefuly sticking a few seatrout when I get back home. I’ve also got an 8wt combo for general saltwater use but we’ll see how this 5wt holds up.
Somebody told us Wall Street fell but we were so poor we couldn’t tell. Cotton was short and the weeds were tall but Mr. Obama gonna save us all
they do illustrate the issue. An 8wt can stop or turn a fair size red but, the 6wt doesn’t bring much to the fight.