Advice for pole(s)

[bigbillybass]

That's kinda what I was thinking with regarding to waiting on the albacore idea.. Awesome, if no further objections than 9' 8wt it is!

Can't help but wonder though, what are the tradeoffs that would be made in going with an 9wt? Are both of these equally capable of cutting through harsh winds with the right fly/line combo?

 

[bigbillybass]

edit: duplicate!

 

[Shaun Solomon]

f=ma. If you can accelerate the fly line more because it weighs less, you deliver the same effective energy down range. On the other hand, the reel that balances best on a lighter rod will itself weigh less and be smaller, holding less backing, all other factors being equal. A lighter rod still has a broader range of seasonal applications to my way of thinking, but ymmv.

 

[bigbillybass]

Cool! Honestly I think I'll grab 8/9 depending on whatever good deal pops up first. I think I might go new as well since Orvis offers a warranty and I'm a little worried as a novice with an expensive graphite rod fishing on the jetties... Lol.

Anyway, these were the best references I found for fishing regulations dependent on region, are these generally the most up to date sources?
https://www.eregulations.com/oregon/fishing/northwest-zonehttps://myodfw.com/fishing/northwest-zone
I notice there's not really any panfish stream fishing until trout season opens up in May? Just making sure this is correct. In hindsight I definitely should've started by looking at the rule books!

 

[Shaun Solomon]

Man, I don’t know what to say about local regs. I’m from Texas and they are about as user friendly as it gets. I just eat surf perch, the odd suicidal trout that grabs a crankbait, and bottom fish I get on charters here and there.

Best of luck.

 

[TheKnigit]

@bigbillybass the links that you sent are the regulations for the respective areas in Oregon. They are the regulations book as it was printed/published for any given year, and are very important to learn and know as they are the general letter of the law. However, it is also important to pay attention to the "Recreation Report" page on myodfw.com.

https://myodfw.com/recreation-report
Select "Fishing Report" in the upper ribbon. This will bring you to a rough map depicting the various fishing zones of Oregon where you can select the region that you plan on fishing in. One of the first things that will pop up below the map, once you select your desired region, is any regulations updates pertaining to that particular area. This is where ODFW will post any updates to the regulations or make mid-season changes and adjustments. Below the updates will be rough fishing reports for different water bodies, which may or may not be helpful.

The "Regulation Updates" section is handy, but I have always found the fishing reports to be about a week or two behind what is actually happening on the water.

 

[bigbillybass]

@bigbillybass the links that you sent are the regulations for the respective areas in Oregon. They are the regulations book as it was printed/published for any given year, and are very important to learn and know as they are the general letter of the law. However, it is also important to pay attention to the "Recreation Report" page on myodfw.com.

https://myodfw.com/recreation-report
Select "Fishing Report" in the upper ribbon. This will bring you to a rough map depicting the various fishing zones of Oregon where you can select the region that you plan on fishing in. One of the first things that will pop up below the map, once you select your desired region, is any regulations updates pertaining to that particular area. This is where ODFW will post any updates to the regulations or make mid-season changes and adjustments. Below the updates will be rough fishing reports for different water bodies, which may or may not be helpful.

The "Regulation Updates" section is handy, but I have always found the fishing reports to be about a week or two behind what is actually happening on the water.

Thanks so much! That's just the kind of info I was hoping for.

 

[TheKnigit]

As far as your rod selection goes. Have you given any thought to a single handed rod with a fighting butt? Personally I would go with an 8wt. over the 9 wt. You could always run a shooting head if you are facing extreme winds.

For backpacking, I run a similar setup to what you are describing in the Reddington rod. It might weigh more than a tenkara set up, or a backpacking specific one, but it is comfy and what I am used to. If you can get a rod/reel combo carry case then it makes it super easy to strap to a pack.

 

[bigbillybass]

As far as your rod selection goes. Have you given any thought to a single handed rod with a fighting butt? Personally I would go with an 8wt. over the 9 wt. You could always run a shooting head if you are facing extreme winds.

For backpacking, I run a similar setup to what you are describing in the Reddington rod. It might weigh more than a tenkara set up, or a backpacking specific one, but it is comfy and what I am used to. If you can get a rod/reel combo carry case then it makes it super easy to strap to a pack.

I hadn't! I'd been overlooking that, but that does seem pretty important for managing bigger fish. Looks like the model I had in mind has one though. Think I'm sold on the 8wt though and thanks for your input. Is $470 a bad deal for a new Orvis Recon 9' 8wt Salt?

And yeah I moved away from tenkara.. Maybe later, but for now, since I don't own any other rods, the flexability a reel offers is worth the weight/volume. I'm still super curious about that style of fishing though, seems pretty different and fun.

 

[TheKnigit]

It seems like a pretty decent deal to me. I don't have any Orvis rods, but I have had the opportunity to cast a couple and they have been awfully nice. I don't suppose you have a retailer/dealer close by that would let you handle one and cast it? That always solidifies whether I will buy a rod or not.

 

[Shaun Solomon]

FWIW, I absolutely love the idea of a single handed 8 wt with a butt for your situation.

I’ve never owned or used any Orvis products, but I get warm fuzzy feelings form the company. They have their hearts in the right place for sure. I know that’s silly to factor in, but it matters to me where companies are coming from.

 

[bigbillybass]

Well my eBay order for that 'steal' of a deal got cancelled due to the seller 'not having inventory'.. Knew it was too good to be true. My reel showed up and everything too, lol. I've kind of been giving thought to whether or not I should go with a fly fishing rig for the coast right now anyway - it may lead to more frustration than joy, while being more expensive overall. I definitely still want a trout fly rod, and a saltwater rod, but I may try gear fishing on the coast first; it's a much cheaper introduction to it at least and still seems pretty interactive, and a gear rod in the 'quiver' may not be bad to have.

Since I'm back in the market for a fly rod, I'm starting to think I may grab a 6wt 9' (there's a used Redington Hydrogen going on eBay for a good price right now). I think a 6wt may be better for me anyway, since it'd be a little more usable for surf perch, and could give me an idea of how much I'd enjoy fly fishing the surf, yet it'd also work well for trout fishing windy lakes, so I could try out saltwater fly fishing without dropping the big bucks on a dedicated rod.

Only issue with that is that my reel is 4/5wt, but I can always return it. And the reviews about the reel being loud af were totally right, too. Kinda like that, but also kinda don't.

And yeah, casting before buying would be wicked smart, and I should probably do that.. Maybe after I get some more experience with the 6wt, if I win the auction, I'll try that.

 

[TheKnigit]

How long is the 5wt that you have or talked about picking up? If you aren't sure you really want a saltwater fly rod, and just want to dabble, why not just use the 5wt? Most near shore perch and rock/kelp cod will do just fine on a 5wt....though you might have to play them a little.

 

[Shaun Solomon]

You could catch most of those nearshore saltwater fish with a one weight if it was only the fish themselves you had to worry about.

But you also have to deal with conditions. Casting into the wind or snubbing fish that are diving towards rocky crevices.

For those reasons, I wouldn’t get a six weight.

Also, surf perch (as I’m sure you know) roam about a fair bit, and sometimes it is hard to locate them. Finding them might be easier with gear.

I use gear. I was given a nine foot eight weight St. Croix Imperial by a coworker who pro-formed it and didn’t care for the parabolic action. I stripped the blank of guides and built it back up as a spinning rod. It fishes marvelously well as a light surf rod. I’ve caught leopard sharks over 50” in San Diego with it, but a big perch still puts a deep bend in it. I wouldn’t want anything lighter than that if I was trying to keep a rockfish off of the jetty. Honestly it would be too light for that IMO.

An eight for the salt, or gear. A nine or ten foot, moderate speed spinning rod rated 10-20 lb line would be my idea of a good setup. You won’t have many nice, safe days in the winter on the coast anyway.

 

[normf]

As far as a 2 or 3 wt. rod goes I really like a fiberglass rod from Cabelas called CGR. For short to medium length casts and delicate presentations they are great. You need to slow your casting stroke a little with fiberglass. I think the 2 wt. is 6’6”. Perfect for small streams. On sale for $60 at times. I have more expensive rods but these just work.

 

[akbrad]

BBB, I am going to throw out some more Tenkara info especially if you want light, compact, for backpacking... I dove into Tenkara about 3 years ago and haven't touched by Western r/r stuff since--I was very attracted the "simplicity" of Tenkara--one rod, no reel, only 1 line/tippet to use for the most part, 5 or 6 fly patterns, and "your presentation skill"--that's it ... a couple of things to consider... good but inexpensive rods can be gotten for around $100... another fun fact is that 80% or more of the fish we catch are within 20' of where we are fishing... Tenkara line--up to 20' (w/ the popular 12' rod--easy)...most of my Tenkara use has been from a float tube--usually fishing shorelines(my 13' rod has managed a 26" monster trout in a few lakes--what a thrill--no reeling required just playing the fish back and forth to tire) ...what a treat...my stream fishing again only 15 to 20 feet with more attention paid to presentation...and guess what it only take 4 or 5 different Tenkara fly patterns to cover all (my monikor photo-to the left- is a Utah Killer Kebari--one of the most effective Tenkara flies and so simple to tie)... what a joy...as a fly tier, I love the ability to focus on 8 or 10 top flies that I will ever use... mostly wet but can easily tie dries ... I tie more flies for my wife who is still using Western flies--wooley buggers, griffith gnat, black gnats, etc. (I also use these as well--dealer's choice)

finally, when you have some time/interest, I direct you to 2 or 3 websites that will give you great info on a range of rods with first hand eval... first of all, hit Tenkara USA--Daniel kicked Tenkara off in this country with his company, info, and passion after spending years learning from masters in Japan...second, check out Tenkara Addict...Tristen has only Tenkara fished, loves to find "cheap rod deals" and "demos them on outings and from his shop...great source for inexpensive entry rods... a final website of Tom Davis, a former Oregonian who does meticulous videos and equipment reviews...his site is Teton Tenkara... good luck... would encourage you to p/u an inexpensive (under $100 if you can afford that) rod + a few bucks for line/tippet and you are set... enjoy however you dip your line... there is room for all...
Brad

 

[Shaun Solomon]

I’m thinking about dipping my toe into tenkara. I’m waiting until I develop more skill with my Nerf bow, I’ve had a heck of a time bringing down an elk with it but if I can get within five yards I’m sure I’ll drop one.

 

[bigbillybass]

I think I've decided to go with a 12' tenkara for screwing around while backpacking, and a salty 8wt single handed with a butt for dedicated coastal excursions. I think that's the best compromise between wanting the ability to fish the coast for x, y and z effectively and wanting something light to screw around with while backpacking (which does not need to be particularly effective, but something fun to do after setting up camp or while taking a break). Also, tenkara is cheap! I had trouble deciding on a single rod wt to cover both alpine/backcountry lakes and smaller streams, so tenkara just keeps things simple and cheap, even if it's not as good.

I'd hoped to limit it to two fly rods, one for backpacking and one for the coast, but any time I thought too much about my intended set up I ended up with more rods than I'd want. At any rate, it's not even trout season for awhile, so the only thing I know for certain is that I want the 8wt. Gotta let some financial turbulence settle and then I think I'll pull the trigger on a Recon.

 

[normf]

If you wanted to spend less and still get a great fly rod you might consider Echo. The company is based in Vancouver WA. I contacted them after I lost the tip section on my 2 wt. walking out through some brush. I drove to Vancouver and they gave me a new rod for the warranty fee of $30.