10 weight

[bhflyfisher]

Okay so flats fishing has gotten me hyped up, and now im looking for a big gunner. I've got a Ross Momentum LT for a spey reel in a #5 (9-11wt) so the reel is covered. Im just looking for something in the 400-600 (been looking at the sage xi3 if anyone even came on craiglist or ebay that rod would be mine) dollar range. What is nice and what length is best (9' or 10') and what line.

This is for sharks and tarpon. Should i be looking 10wt or 11wt, or even a twelve? Targeting sharks that are maybe 150lbs tops, tarpon in the same range.

Thanks for your input y'all!

Jeremie

 

[mrfzx]

In my experience...Costa Rica Tarpon...A 10 is seriously under-gunning for Tarpon that large, unless you like 3-4 hour battles. I highly reccomend a 12wt as your minimum. My father-in-law who has boated over 1000 tarpon (he lives in Cosat Rica 6 months of the year) swears by the TFO Blue Water series Heavy Duty rods. They list those as being 14 to 16wt. rods! Of course they are about as castable as a pool cue.

A 12wt is still castable, I have a Reddington RS4 12wt., a TFO Jim Teeny series 12 wt., and also a TFO Professional series 12 wt., and will land a fish much more humanely than a 10wt.

I am not familiar with your reel, but I use Islanders, and TFO 425's.

 

[wjc]

I just checked out that reel and see that with a 10 wt line it holds only 175 yds of 20# backing. If you hooked a mean mamma ocean blueback feeding bayside in the Keys, she'd spool you in 25 seconds or less depending on her personality. And a 10 wt rod is a very light rod to use on full size tarpon - a 12 wt being pretty much standard fare for them down here during the migration - though some 11 wts are gaining popularity with experienced tarpon fishermen.

If you are fishing with a guide, I'd use his gear.

A 9' rod is plenty long enough in 11 or 12 wts and I doubt you'd find one longer in those weights in any event. Not enough people strong enough to cast them with heavy lines.

 

[MoscaPescador]

I'm with the other guys. A bigger rod and a bigger reels should be used for those large bad boys and girls.

I like the 10 weight rod when I am targeting "tweener" tarpon in shallow water. Those are fish that are larger than the babies, but they are smaller than the huge adults. Your Ross Momentum LT 5 will work, but it would not be my first choice. I have seen some broken radial pawls caused by high speed fish. You may want to get an extra radial pawl from Ross before your trip as insurance. I would would also change out the backing to some sort of thin braided line like Daiwa Samurai Braid (around 55 pound test).

Dennis

 

[bhflyfisher]

So i should be in the market for a 11-12 weight? I think i have the #6 as well. Unless im getting mixed up between the two reels i have. I either have a #4 and #5 or a #5 and #6. Maybe i over exaggerated the tarpon. I wont be fishing the channels and stuff, i would mainly be fishing the flats the for "Tweeners" as you said. If i was going after anything bigger it would be with a guide and his equipment.

When i was guided last year in pine island sound there was a chance at tarpon and our guide had a 10wt on hand if the situation arose. I thought that would be all that was needed. I'll squeeze as much backing on any reel i get, but this rod would definitely not be used for deep blue water fishing, more like flats fishing and targeting smaller sharks that roam the flats.

Edit: What a lovely surprise, i the reel i have is actually a #7, which means it can hold a 12 weight line plus 350' of backing. Hopefully that'll do. Looking at the TFO bluewater series in the 10-12wt rod.. Anyone have any experience with it?

 

[grassonfly]

the tfo bluewaters are designed by lefty kreh and are heavy they incorporate a bunch of fiberglass for strength purposes they suck to cast id recommend geting a 12 weight ticr2

 

[wjc]

There you go, BH, you do have the reel covered.

The reel becomes increasingly more important as the size of the fish increases - more important than the rod actually, though the rod is important too. A good way to prepare for fighting big fish is to set your drag to 5 lbs either with a spring scale (like a boga grip) or tying on a 5 lb dumbell to the leader butt directly off the reel, not through any guides, so that the weight will slowly take line off the reel and ease gently to the ground at a rate of about 1 foot per second or less.

Then string your rod and re-tie it to the weight with the rod up on a deck and the weight on the ground. Then go up onto the deck and bring the weight up with your rod. That will get you into the mind set for tarpon catching.

If you will be tarpon fishing in May or June, your chances of running into big fish is very good. I've seen tarpon over 100 lbs on the flats during those months in water so shallow their backs were out of the water - less than knee deep.

Cheers,
Jim