Rod for Louisiana Redfish

[mrfzx]

I have a trip booked for Redfish to Louisiana in June out of Sportsman's Paradise in Cocodrie (near Chauvre..spelling?). The guide in Capt. Blaine Townsend. I fished with him last August. He roccommends either an 8 or 7 weight rod. Last year I went over and under gunned at the same time. I took two rods: a 10wt BVK, and an 8 wt TiCrX, both from TFO. The 8 weight was fine, but a bit more rod than necessary, as anybody who fishes these sticks knows; the 8wt is probably more closely a 9and 1/2 weight rod. So this year i am planning a bit better....I hope.

I went to my school's football field with a bunch of rods in my arsenal: the 8wt TiCrX, a 7wt loomis Eastfork, a 7wt Loomis NRX (borrowed), an 8wt Orvis Silver label mid-flex, an 8wt March Brown, a 9wt Cortland CL, and a 7wt 10 foot JIm Teeny.

The Reds will run up to 10-12 pounds, but you have to keep them out of the reeds and brush. We will be sight casting in very shallow water, and often need to reach 80 feet or a bit more quickly......meaning minimal false casting. Capt. Blaine loves Spoon Flies, and his probably weigh 1/4 ounce give or take.

My quandry is this: of the rods listed above, I am able to get the most distance accurately from the TiCrX. The NRX casts nicely, but to my surprise, has a lot of flex....and is pretty expensive. I should note the NRX belongs to the guy taking me on the trip....so I won't be using it. I am looking for some reccommendations from the members here on what rods I should look at. Criteria: Very fast action (can't be too fast), 7wt, 9 foot, 4 piece, great warranty. I am a poor working class boy, so price will be a consideration.

Anybody got any suggestions. Right now a BVK is heading the list. Thanks in advance.

 

[kwb]

I have a lot of experience in that area of the salt marsh...

If it was me, I would not want something super fast as the majority of your shots shouldn't be 80' away or even close...

BUT, a lot of people tend to get excited when sight fishing and speed up their stroke a lot and sometimes a fast rod can help counter-act that...

If you like the way the BVK casts and fishes, get it, TFO makes good stuff and stands behind it...

If you can, try and get your hands on a Scott A4, made in USA and are great sticks, I think you would like for that fishery...

P.S. Take some Gurglers

In my opinion, a good Louisiana Redfish stick would NOT be fast at all as most shots are closer than 40' down there. It's sort of pointless to cast 80' to wakers when you can poll closer and have less risk of botching your shot at them...

I am counting the days til I get back down there, next November can't come soon enough...

 

[mrfzx]

There were quite a few instances where the fish were up in areas less than 6 inches deep....I guess for the crabs. We had to cast where they were as the boat drafted a bit more water than that.

 

[kwb]

There were quite a few instances where the fish were up in areas less than 6 inches deep....I guess for the crabs. We had to cast where they were as the boat drafted a bit more water than that.

Yeah, they get up there and chase Shrimp and whatnot on the Oyster beds, but you still typically never come close to 80' shots even in those situations...

I guess what I am getting at is, don't sacrifice your short game for a few hero shots. Get something that simply feels well to you at a variety of ranges, but don't go to gung ho on distance as it's not the norm and to me anyway, I would rather have a rod more suited to the short game as you can still punch em far when you need to, but taking a super stiff, fast actioned "typical saltwater taper" and trying to fish in close with them sucks...

 

[swirlchaser]

Homer,

My goto 7wt is a TFO Axiom. I love the thing, it's probably closer to a 7.5 wt. It throws a RIO 8wt very well and has a decent backbone. It's the reason my 8wt Sage Launch see's no action

 

[BigCliff]

I'd take an 8wt BVK with an 8 line, and a 9wt line for your 8wt TiCRX. An 8wt BVK and a 10wt BVK would be even better.

Taking some lighter spoonflies that will cast well on an 8wt line ain't a bad idea either. These really perform- Dupre Spoon Fly --- Orlando Outfitters Online-Store - We ship worldwide.

I guess what I am getting at is, don't sacrifice your short game for a few hero shots. Get something that simply feels well to you at a variety of ranges, but don't go to gung ho on distance as it's not the norm and to me anyway, I would rather have a rod more suited to the short game as you can still punch em far when you need to, but taking a super stiff, fast actioned "typical saltwater taper" and trying to fish in close with them sucks...

I agree. Accuracy is the real key, and its much easier to be accurate under 60'.

In addition to the gurglers, I'd take some crease flies as well-

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yH7fHpAgMs]BULLS ON TOP - YouTube[/ame]

 

[kwb]

Thanks to the original poster for ruining the rest of my day, now I want to head down there right now, even though it's a crummy time of year to be there

Regardless, nothing quite like the view from the platform in the Cajun Salt Marsh. Guess I will just have to keep dreaming til I head back down in November for 3 months...

 

[ditz]

Capt. Blaine loves Spoon Flies, and his probably weigh 1/4 ounce give or take.

Sorry to dredge up an old thread but I would not be a happy camper if I had just paid a Fly Guide $500 and he asked me to fly cast a 1/4oz spoon. That is a spinning lure. Is it just me?

 

[BigCliff]

Sorry to dredge up an old thread but I would not be a happy camper if I had just paid a Fly Guide $500 and he asked me to fly cast a 1/4oz spoon. That is a spinning lure. Is it just me?

While spoon flies can get quite heavy, I doubt any break 1/8 oz. They definitely shouldn't.

The heavier ones will be those made with Mylar tubing rather than the lure tape. The one's I linked to are flashier and aren't too heavy.

 

[ditz]

That makes more sense to me. Light and flashy. I would like to get down there for some reds in a yak. Gotta get the yak first but I am looking seriously now.

 

[grouch]

Although not LA, I have fished the Texas coast a ton. I chose a 7wt because for the flies I was casting, that was all I needed, plus it made casting all day long a bit easier on the old arm. Most people I knew fished with 8wts and were able to handle the wind a bit better than I could but I was able to load up my rod better on the shorter cast.

 

[mrfzx]

I kept the Spoon fly that Capt. Blaine had given me, so I put it on my digital ballance (in my classroom). It massed at 3.95 grams....which converts (though not directly) to .137 ounces, which is a bit more than 1/8 ounce.

So my bad! I over estimated the weight of the spoon flies we were casting. They are tied on 1/0 stainless hooks, have wire weed guards, and he wraps in some lead before adding the Mylar and epoxy. They were absolute gang-busters in blue/gold and red/gold. The man definitely knows his stuff.

I settled on a rod, which I talked about on the rod thread...an 8wt Orvis Helios 9.5 tip flex. I have a 7 weight BVK as a back-up. For the huge poppers we use, I have a 10 weight BVK....a bit too much, but its lighter than most 8 wt rods, and the 10wt line really carries the poppers well. I've been practicing a lot on a local pond, and in the neighbors yard (away from my two Labs). I am absolutely loving the Helios.

 

[seajay]

You are going to enjoy the Helios as it has more lifting power than the BVK.. The Bvk's are a joy to cast just try not to lift the fish or they will break easily.
Please post lots of pics from your trip.

 

[grassonfly]

i disagree. I have a BVK and i fight a 5 foot alligator a couple days ago and the rod has a very beefy backbone.

 

[sweetandsalt]

MRFZX, Now treat yourself to some lines that will enhance in-close loading. My wife likes the SA Mastery Textured Magnum on her BVK#8. It is an 8.5 weight line with a forward weight bias...BVK Likes that. The tip-fex Helios to me feels more mid-flex (& the mid- more full-flex) and should be a fine rod for reds. I have not tried this combo but a RIO Redfish might be cool...has anyone cast this line on Helios? This same line might be good on the BVK too.

 

[kwb]

I don't care much for the Rio Redfish taper, I would rather use their Outbound Short than their Redfish taper...

My favorite Redfish taper is the new Orvis one or the Scientific Anglers version...

 

[mrfzx]

MRFZX, Now treat yourself to some lines that will enhance in-close loading. My wife likes the SA Mastery Textured Magnum on her BVK#8. It is an 8.5 weight line with a forward weight bias...BVK Likes that. The tip-fex Helios to me feels more mid-flex (& the mid- more full-flex) and should be a fine rod for reds. I have not tried this combo but a RIO Redfish might be cool...has anyone cast this line on Helios? This same line might be good on the BVK too.

For both the BVK and the Helios, I have been trying several different lines. On the Helios, I have settled on the Orvis Redfish Taper, it loads really well.

I am not a fan of the textured lines. They cast great, but especially with the Sharkskin, with a strong fish that you need to "hand" some line until you can get it on the reel, its like holding onto a band-saw blade (ok...that's an exageration)....but it will cut you without a glove. Stripping the textured lines all day REQUIRES a stripping guard on your finger too, unless you have stone-mason hands. Plus the sound it makes through the guides sets my teeth on edge......but it does cast like a rocket.....

On the BVK, the Rio Outbound Tropical Short was awesome, and the Redfish taper cast well too. I am taking 2 extra spools for each rod, one loaded with a floater, one with an intermediate sink, and one with a fast sink....although I doubt I'll need the fast sinker. The only reason I am taking it is that we may end up on the Gulf itself (we're only a few miles from the true coast), and be dropping some flies in deeper water....with some current.

June 10 is coming fast....and I can hardly stand the wait!

By the way....I loaded my 6wt Axiom with 7 weight SA Textured Magnum Taper Warm Water....just for S and G. That imbedded Kevlar really makes that rod a catapult. I think it makes the Sage TCX seem slow. Too bad its a war club of a rod (read heavy here).

---------- Post added at 08:47 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:43 AM ----------

You are going to enjoy the Helios as it has more lifting power than the BVK.. The Bvk's are a joy to cast just try not to lift the fish or they will break easily.
Please post lots of pics from your trip.

You bet I will. A previous guide, who will go nameless, learned the hardway what your saying. He asked to try my rod....no problem. It was an older fast action Silver label Orvis 8wt. He hooked and brought in a nice redfish of maybe 8 pounds, then he tries to swing it into the boat as if he was using a stout casting rod......I do love that Orvis warranty.

 

[sweetandsalt]

The textured lines are far more finger friendly than Sharkskin. I used the SA Mast. Tex. Saltwater bonefishing on my #8 NRX, did not get cut and did not use finger guards. It does still make that hissing sound though. Have a great trip; we all look forward to your report.

 

[racine]

I would agree that the textured line would pose a risk of burning your finger. It happend to my friend last weekend while he was stripping. Seems a large bull just yanked on his fly burning his finger with plain vanilla fly line. I brought my 6 and 8 wt with me for reds 17-30+" long. I brought the 8 for windy days which is all we had but nothing more than say 20 knots. For calm days I would have been tempted to use my 6. FWIW, you won't be casting very far though you may be tempted when the action is slow to cover more water. Most of the reds we all caught were within 40 yards. It's nice to reach out but unless it's gusting, you won't have to. Pick a line that you can chuck out quickly without having too many false casts. Sometimes you'll have a quick roll and 1 cast. Good luck and I hope you do well. We ate one of the reds I caught last night and it was yummy!

 

[kwb]

I would agree that the textured line would pose a risk of burning your finger. It happend to my friend last weekend while he was stripping. Seems a large bull just yanked on his fly burning his finger with plain vanilla fly line. I brought my 6 and 8 wt with me for reds 17-30+" long. I brought the 8 for windy days which is all we had but nothing more than say 20 knots. For calm days I would have been tempted to use my 6. FWIW, you won't be casting very far though you may be tempted when the action is slow to cover more water. Most of the reds we all caught were within 40 yards. It's nice to reach out but unless it's gusting, you won't have to. Pick a line that you can chuck out quickly without having too many false casts. Sometimes you'll have a quick roll and 1 cast. Good luck and I hope you do well. We ate one of the reds I caught last night and it was yummy!

In my experience, the sharkskin lines EAT skin and I strongly dislike them because of it...

However the Mastery Textured Series of lines actually are less likely to burn your hands than a smooth line will...

I just can't stand the sound they make after a couple hours of fishing, so I went back to smooth lines...