I’ve got a couple of fly rods I use now and then. A 4-5 wt’s for trout in the mountains, a 5-6 wt for panfish with popping bugs, and a 7-8 wt rod I use to catch bass on with poppers and streamers in ponds. The 7-8 wt outfit has a Martin 61 reel on it. Has a good clicker on it but, really no drag. I’ve caught a few largemouth and pike on it. Just using the clicker and mashing the line between my hand and the grip. Could this outfit with no drag be used to catch a avg sized red? I know a big one is out of the question. Just wondering if with a glove on the rod hand could I land one without getting my hand smoked or reel spooled? I’ve been kicking around the idea of trying it out in some saltwater this year.
i think you would be ok up to 27-28 inches if you have plenty of backing and can let them run a little on a flat. when they get over 30 they pull a lot harder. if you are in the oysters it would accentuate the problem not having a drag. but hey the hard core aussie alvey guys take off the handle and the drag first thing. an alvey is essentially a fly reel once the cast is made and they are fishing big stuff. other guys go after them with bream buster type rods.
i would try it a few times depending on what would salt do to that reel… you can get a descent okuma slv or comparable for less than $75. i usually have my drag set pretty light on spinning reels and i palm them for more drag. i think once you hook a couple of good reds you will tailor your tackle to it. thats what i have eventually done but i fished a clicker only for a good while.
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I would say yes and no. Yes in that you definitely could land them on that tackle (you could land them on your 4wt if you really wanted). However, I personally do not believe this to be very ethical. If you are fishing for tailers in the summer the water is often very warm and by the time you land the fish they would probably be too exhausted to recover. Also, you only have a short fishing window with tailers so, do you really want to spend all that time on one fish? Furthermore, if you have a red on and he starts the “death roll” in the spartina, you really want a rod and reel that you could horse them out with. If you are trying for fish in deeper water and can land the fish without stressing it too much I say go for it. I use a T&T 6wt when targeting trout and have a blast, especially dawn and dusk with gurglers, rattle mullet, and crease flies.
“The man who coined the phrase “Money can’t buy happiness”, never bought himself a good fly rod”
You shouldn’t have too much of a problem on reds up to 8 or 10 pounds. With a little practice you can put good pressure on a fish with this setup.
I’d at least put a few tape wraps on the rods and my drag finger.
If you get a big fish you can clamp down and break him off. I know some guys will give me grief for this one though.
A reel is nothing more than a means to arbor line. I’ve heard this several times. I probably strip 90% of my fish in. I guess I catch nothing but little ones. Well I did have a shad put me in the backing last week but most are stripped.
10-4 Thanks all for the info. I’m not usually on the water enough or when the fish are tailing to worry with big tailers. I’ll throw a spoon or a gulp crab on the odd occasion I do run up on some. I usually don’t catch big ones either. May opt for a tape job and give it a try. Hey - it’s usually a memorable fish that spools you anyway. Been a long time since I was. Go for the gusto right?
While most any fly reel will catch most saltwater fish, some are going to hold up a lot better than others as well as live to fight another day. Find you something with a good drag and large arbor because you’ll be fighting the fish on the reel way more than you will be stripping them in on the long rod.
