Stripped Bass light tackle

[Flyfishing42]

Ive been a Striped Bass guy on light tackle most of my life. I still will visit NE coastline in summers. I truly like the challenge of light gear. Would an 7-8 weight in FF opinion be ok for light tackle for schoolie sized stripers 12-25 inches?

 

[afishinado]

Flyfishing42 wrote:
Ive been a Striped Bass guy on light tackle most of my life. I still will visit NE coastline in summers. I truly like the challenge of light gear. Would an 7-8 weight in FF opinion be ok for light tackle for schoolie sized stripers 12-25 inches?

A fairly fast action 9' 8wt would work just fine.

The reel should be a decent quality sealed drag and bearing reel.

An extra spool set up with a sinking line would be ideal.

If you were to choose one line, I would suggest and intermediate line. You can add a sink tip poly leader to get your fly deeper but also fish surface flies using a longer tapered leader.

 

[Dave_W]

Flyfishing42 wrote:
Would an 7-8 weight in FF opinion be ok for light tackle for schoolie sized stripers 12-25 inches?

Yes, it would.

Agree with Afish regarding lines. ^

Most salt FFers who target stripers use bigger gear, typically a 10WT but these guys are targeting bigger fish during the fall run, often from rock jetties or in heavy surf with strong currents.

For schoolie stripers and small bluefish that one would expect to catch in summer, a 7 or 8WT is ideal.

 

[JerryC]

I use 9 1/2 foot 6 wgt for my light salt water fishing. It's handled schoolies up to 24 inches and blues up to 20 inches without any problems. I normally fish either an intermediate or sink tip line off it.

 

[poopdeck]

12" to 25" is kind of a big range. I wouldn't call an 8 wt light tackle for a 12" striper and would think it's just about right, maybe a tad light, for a 25" striper.

I do not fish light tackle just to make the fight of a small fish feel like a bigger fish. I'm the opposite, I use an 8 wt for river smallies just because I tired of fighting larger flies in oftentimes breezy river conditions. I'm much less fatigued at the end of the day with an 8 wt. As such I frequently catch strippers in that size range on my 8wt spooled with a Rio outbound short and I don't feel as if I'm fishing light tackle.

 

[wbranch]

That is a very broad range. For 12" stripers a 9' #6 rod would be fine. Heck if it isn't windy you could use a #5 rod. But if 25" are relatively common then I suggest a fast action 9' - 9' 6" #8 rod so you can throw bigger flies and have a rod with adequate back bone to turn a fish.

 

[raftman]

Does anyone have any specific rod/reel suggestions for a beginner who isn't looking to break the bank? I want to get a 9' 8 Wt so I can use it on the Susky as well, but would like to be able to take it out on the Chesapeake in a kayak.

 

[icyguides]

Raftman,
anytime someone asks for rod, reel or line suggestions you're bound to get 100 different replies. No two of these suggestions will likely even be the same, so it all comes down to personal preference. With that in mind I'd suggest checking out TFO rods, which in my opinion are some of the better rods out there are a reasonable price.

I think for economy reels lamson or colton's CRG are good choices. i've heard good things about the redington behemoth but have no firsthand experience. Lamsons are good reels with good customer service and a smooth sealed drag. The only downside is that the drag isn't very powerful and I've had the spool bend on my konic (i bent it back and it was fine). The behemoth has a ton of drag but does not have a sealed drag, which could cause problems in saltwater. The colton crg is a really tough reel and it's on sale right now for almost $100 off.

 

[raftman]

Thanks Icyguides! Appreciate it.

 

[sarce]

raftman - TFO clouser series is a killer rod for about $210 (maybe cheaper now, mine is a year old). I paired it with a Lamson Liquid for $110 but you might be able to go cheaper on the reel.

 

[raftman]

Thanks Sarce. That looks like a good option...

 

[poopdeck]

I can only tell you what I have and that I'm cheap. I picked up a TFO signature series II 8wt and two cabelas RLS reels. One is spooled with Rio OBS intermediate sink and one is spooled with floating line. Very happy with the selection. I may pick up a 7wt to throw the extra reel on for those calm windless days on the river.