Looking for a surf/sound rod, advice please!

[rx7dreyko]

hello everyone,
I'm looking to add a new rod to my kit, I currently have a Orvis frequent flyer 3 weight 7-piece 8 ft 6 in and a TFO Lefty professional Series 2 5 weight 4 piece 9 foot. My fly fishing experience is limited, however I did very well last year with smallmouth bass and brim with my TFO rod.

I'm hoping to add another rod for surf fishing and sound fishing in North Carolina as well as heavy catfish in the Cape Fear River in North Carolina.

I am considering a rod between 8 and 10 weight and likely 9-foot. Looking for recommendations, I will probably be getting a TFO as I'm very happy with my current one.

I'm not sure what weight I should buy, and I assume that a medium fast action would be preferable. Additionally would a sink tip line be recommended for Surf and sound fishing or would I want to use a floating line?

Thanks!

 

[peterjay]

I'm not gonna get into brands, other than to say that I've used a lot of Orvis gear over the last 30 years or so, and I've never been disappointed yet. Go with the rod you're most comfortable with and has the best warranty. I wouldn't worry about the brand - everybody has their favorite. If you have decent casting skills, any well-made rod will fill the bill. The most important thing to remember about surf fishing is that you absolutely don't want to under-gun yourself. (forget about your 5wt) I've done most of my surf fishing (in New England) with a 12wt or a 10wt and an intermediate line. I might use a 9wt on bluebird days, but I don't go any lighter. For bays, flats, rivers, and quiet areas, I most often use a 10-foot 7wt with a #8 multi-tip line. There's no one rod that's gonna do for all your saltwater fishing, but if I had to limit myself to one, I'd probably go with a 9wt - heavier for strictly surf fishing. Saltwater conditions are vastly different than fresh, and you have to go with the worst-case scenario. The wind can change instantly, as can the tide and the surf. Also - go with the best reel you can afford - one that's specifically designed for salt water. As far as lines go, a full intermediate will cover the bases very well. IME, floaters are more trouble than they're worth in the surf. And don't forget a stripping basket, unless you enjoy untangling your line in the heat of battle. Good luck and have fun.

 

[Rip Tide]

As far as lines go, a full intermediate will cover the bases very well. IME, floaters are more trouble than they're worth in the surf. .

I fish a floating line in the surf as much as 95% of the time
If all you're going to do is cast and strip, then by all means stick with the intermediate. But the greatest advantage of fishing a fly rod is the ability to mend and if you're fishing structure, currents and seams, the mending ability of a floating line is as advantages in the surf as it is in a trout stream.

In this picture, I'm using a 10' 8wt rod with a WF10F line.
High stick dead drifting a pair of streamers in the longshore current
Notice that my stripping basket is not in use, behind my back.

 

[AnglerX]

I would go for a double hand surf rod. Echo makes some great ones that are very reasonably priced. It's easy to overhand cast with them as well. They do have a surf specific series but I use their King 13ft 9wt for surf fishing at my dad's in South Carolina and for Chinook here in the PNW.

It will probably just take a couple hours to get the hang of the two-hand rod.

 

[karstopo]

The surf varies place to place and then varies day to day. Maybe the variety of ideas presented reflects all the variety in the fish and the structure in the different locales.

I’ve not seen a NC beach other than photos. Here along the Texas coast, I’ve found floating lines to be the most effective and enjoyable to use. I’m normally targeting speckled trout when I’m in the surf. My favorite way is to look for sign like bird and bait activity and then often wade to within as close a range as I can and also to position myself for the presentation I’m looking to make taking into account the wind, current, and structure. It can be a challenge to control the presentation with breaking surf and current and wind. I do as much as I can to position myself and often reposition to get the angles and drifts I’m looking for.

It might be on some days a 7 weight could be just the thing, but I like to have along an 8 or 9 weight to aid with confounding wind, breakers and current. I’ve had way more success with working on medium short to medium range casts aiming to have specific presentations than trying to blast out all the fly line in blind attempts at fish. The stripping basket has been a negative as I often wade through chest deep water to position myself onto sand bars that might be closer to 2’ deep. There are ways I’ve found to control loose floating fly line without the basket and a lot has to do with body position and how the line is stripped. It’s very rare when I get tangled up in the loose line.

I think any 8 or 9 weight would be alright and the most practical if you can control your casts with it and have some measure of control of the line. The surf is about as noisy and chaotic a scene as there is so you really don’t need a long bellied fly line for delicate, silent presentations. I like short bellied heavy lines like SA Titan where the 8 weight line really conforms to a 10 weight line by the standards. It’s nice to have a decent reel with a goodly amount of backing just in case of something big and nasty grabbing your fly. You can always break off a fish if your tippet has a circuit breaker built in, but you actually want to land whatever big and nasty fish that happens along.