Orvis

[SirSnookalot]

Just purchased some components, free shipping with no minimum.

[2833-34497]

I like Orvis, I have an Orvis River Master fly rod I'm really happy with!

[LMB KING]

I am getting into fly fishing, i just bought a 10wt combo for my saltwater/freshwater fishing, but just find out that a 10wt is overkill, so im buying a 8wt next time.

[2833-34497]

I am getting into fly fishing, i just bought a 10wt combo for my saltwater/freshwater fishing, but just find out that a 10wt is overkill, so im buying a 8wt next time.

The 8 wt. is a good all round rod for shad, bass, steelhead, etc.

[LMB KING]

The 8 wt. is a good all round rod for shad, bass, steelhead, etc.

yes, In my opinion its the most versatile weight their is. With an 8wt i see people catching 150 pound tarpon to big large mouth bass. its just the perfect weight. After this 10wt combo. all i will buy is nothing buy 8 weights.

[SirSnookalot]

I disagree, a 10 wt is a good all around size in saltwater and probably too light for a 150# tarpon unless you are running the fish down in a boat, or skilled on the level of Flip Pallot.  

[flyfisher]

10 weights are to heavy for most freshwater bass fishing in my opinion.  You have to remember that the weight of the rod is as much about the size of flies you are using as it is your intended species.  I like my 7wt for most bass and then i also have a Sage LM bass rod too which i think correlates to a 10wt line but it is a specialized taper, more of a shooting head so it really isn't like checking a 10 wt rod.  Anyways....

 

I know nothing about saltwater fishing but i know a few friends who routinely go after tarpon on the fly and they use 13wts for the most part.

[LMB KING]

I disagree, a 10 wt is a good all around size in saltwater and probably too light for a 150# tarpon unless you are running the fish down in a boat, or skilled on the level of Flip Pallot.  

I see people all the time catching 50 pound black drums and 150 pound tarpon all the time here in the treasure coast and the Indian river lagoon.

[jhoffman]

Personally I think the 5wt is the most versitle fly rod on the planet for the average angler who doesnt intend to focus mainly on salt. It allows you to fish everything from bluegills to yes even steelhead.

 

Orvis... im an orvis fan for life if you havent heard the stories ive told on here. I dont fly fish as much any more, im hoping someday my son might reignite that fire.

[LMB KING]

Personally I think the 5wt is the most versitle fly rod on the planet for the average angler who doesnt intend to focus mainly on salt. It allows you to fish everything from bluegills to yes even steelhead.

 

Orvis... im an orvis fan for life if you havent heard the stories ive told on here. I dont fly fish as much any more, im hoping someday my son might reignite that fire.

It all depends where you live....A snook or a bull redfish will spool that line off your reel. A 5wt here is extremely light. We have fish that are 100 pounds next to fish that are 40 pounds and that's a dangerous move to make.... Like i said its all depends where you live. 

[jhoffman]

Id never fish a five in salt, which is why I mentioned it. I have an 8 too, dont fish it all that often cause I find it overkill on anything that isnt 10lbs +

[LMB KING]

Id never fish a five in salt, which is why I mentioned it. I have an 8 too, dont fish it all that often cause I find it overkill on anything that isnt 10lbs +

yea man. I want to buy an 8wt, its versatile. If you ever go saltwater fishing, try it. you can get some stripers, bluefish and other fish, and even snook, reds and tarpon. I got a 10wt because i just got into fly fishing and i love it

[Capt.Bob]

I am with flyfisher, for Bass and trout even Steelhead I'll take my 7wt over the 8wt any day, great for Largemouth and would be my pick for smallmouth. If I was doing a lot of Northern Pike fishing then I would think about a 8wt, but for freshwater the 7wt. would be my pick since you already have the 10wt it would be much more versatile. I personally have sold my 10 wt. as it is to much work anymore and I am slowly getting out of salmon Pike and Muskie fishing, more of a young mans game. I have downsized my arsenal for fly fishing to a 4wt, and a 7wt, takes care of anything I want to chase and still gives em a little room to get sassy!

[LMB KING]

I am with flyfisher, for Bass and trout even Steelhead I'll take my 7wt over the 8wt any day, great for Largemouth and would be my pick for smallmouth. If I was doing a lot of Northern Pike fishing then I would think about a 8wt, but for freshwater the 7wt. would be my pick since you already have the 10wt it would be much more versatile. I personally have sold my 10 wt. as it is to much work anymore and I am slowly getting out of salmon Pike and Muskie fishing, more of a young mans game. I have downsized my arsenal for fly fishing to a 4wt, and a 7wt, takes care of anything I want to chase and still gives em a little room to get sassy!

 

The reel that i am getting is a 7-8 weight, but loading it with 8wt line and put it with a 8wt rod. I actually want one rod for everything. I will be using it for bass, snook, tarpon, peacock bass, redfish and seatrout. I am a guy that dont like to have 10 rods for specific Technics. I will be doing more fly fishing from now on.  

[flyfisher]

Fly fishing by its nature will involve getting less rods than conventional tackle but different line weights make a big difference on the flies you throw. I fished for years as a poor college kid with a 4wt and caught everything from native brookies to 20" smallies to 15+lb carp. I never thought I would need another rod because of what I did with that 4wt...well that changed when I took out a 7wt and couldn't believe the difference it made smallie fishing. Still have that rod and would never get rid of it....Sage XP 9' 7wt

Oh and for the record, I am not an orvis fan at all but I know many who are

[LMB KING]

Fly fishing by its nature will involve getting less rods than conventional tackle but different line weights make a big difference on the flies you throw. I fished for years as a poor college kid with a 4wt and caught everything from native brookies to 20" smallies to 15+lb carp. I never thought I would need another rod because of what I did with that 4wt...well that changed when I took out a 7wt and couldn't believe the difference it made smallie fishing. Still have that rod and would never get rid of it....Sage XP 9' 7wt

Oh and for the record, I am not an orvis fan at all but I know many who are

 

I never tried orvis, i hear very good things about it, my brand is Tibor. But here in Florida it seem like the most popular fly reels are called Nautilus, and i dont know why, people swear by that brand and they will never change no matter what you tell them. I have a tibor and love it.

[flyfisher]

Tibors are very nice. I am not too brand loyal when it comes to reels and own a galvan, lamson, a few sage and a couple Ross. For rods I am partial to Sage and also own 2 st croixs but I am hearing a lot of good stuff about TFO rods but I like buying made in USA stuff when I can and I am pretty sure they are all made overseas.

[Flywatersmallie]

Tibors are very nice. I am not too brand loyal when it comes to reels and own a galvan, lamson, a few sage and a couple Ross. For rods I am partial to Sage and also own 2 st croixs but I am hearing a lot of good stuff about TFO rods but I like buying made in USA stuff when I can and I am pretty sure they are all made overseas.

 

Right you are, Korea I believe.

 

I am very loyal to Orvis. Those that know me, know why. That said, I fish an 8 weight for smallies (Orvis Helios 2). They get big up here but more importantly we throw big flies for them. Some of those flies would be about impossible to cast on anything lighter. I've got a 7 in the same line and use that earlier in the year but when they food gets big, the rod gets bigger too. I have a 7 weight switch rod as well, got it over the winter, can not wait for the water levels to go down. Something awfully appealing about throwing a whole line with no back cast to those river smallies!

[LMB KING]

 

This is my fly rod and reel

[SirSnookalot]

I'm a saltwater fisherman, doing it 7 days a week I'm very familiar with the species in South Florida.  What one sees an angler doing on a TV program can easily distort the reality.  Do people catch 150# tarpon on fly rods, sure they do but highly skilled anglers using the right size equipment, not too mention it's a team event as important as the angler is the helmsman.  It's one thing to catch a 10# snook off the beach on a 9wt, a tarpon is a horse of a completely different color, there is no comparing of the 2 fish.  I highly doubt a novice fly fisherman would land a 50# tarpon let alone a 100#+, even using spinning or conventional gear for that matter.  You have a fish that can be lost from the very first jump and they don't stop jumping, one that can easily spool out 200 yds of line in a split second, one that will take an hour or more to land.  Please post the pictures, along with the 15# LMB.

[0119]

I never tried orvis, i hear very good things about it, my brand is Tibor. But here in Florida it seem like the most popular fly reels are called Nautilus, and i dont know why, people swear by that brand and they will never change no matter what you tell them. I have a tibor and love it.

 

Nautilus because as your very own header states, its Florida grown!  Mr. Mustad will treat you like a king and has been known to open his factory to a customer for a private Sunday tour and repair/maintain their reel personally.   On top of that Nautilus provides Tibor performance with modern light weight, Tibors except their very latest which you cant get yet, are as heavy as a brick.

 

While Snook's 150lb. tarpon are something (something I'd never be interested in too much work), an awful lot of saltwater fishing can be done with trout size combos.  I get my butt smacked all summer long by a guy who works a 4wt. on the surf and gets more spawning snook than the entire s.w. gulf coast.  It makes sea trout, ladyfish and macks all seem like a tarpon.  I find no need for anything but a 6 wt myself for anything and I mostly fish the mangroves.

 

Your 10 weight is exactly the same as Sage's Smallmouth rig, their Largemouth rig is like a 12wt. way overkill marketing hype to me targeted folks who dont know better or think bass fly fishing is strictly gawdy deer hair fuzz bombs. 

[flyfisher]

I'l have to disagree about the Sage bass rods though.  While the grain weight does loosely correlate to what you are stating they are not a traditional line in that they are more like a shooting head.  I rarely if ever have to do more than one back cast and then shoot the line out to the target.  Saves time and turns over the bigger flies with ease.  I can catch smaller bass all day long on my fly rod but going after the big girls takes a larger fly, hence the reason i go with the larger flies.

 

In most instances, you can  cast smaller flies on heavier rods but the reverse is not always the case

[SirSnookalot]

 

 

While Snook's 150lb. tarpon are something (something I'd never be interested in too much work),

I don't target those, have caught them 1/2 the size and that's more than enough work for me.  Snook, redfish and stripers are great fun but ***** cats compared to jacks, permit and tarpon.  I'd bet against most landing the larger end of these fish without previous experience.  I catch too many of the medium sized ones to even want to attempt a larger one.  I do very little fly fishing, spinning is tough enough.