NorCal Kayak Anglers
Kayak Fishing Zone => Kayak Fly Fishing => Topic started by: sonoramike on January 19, 2016, 06:43:36 PM
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So I got a smoking deal at Sierra trading in Reno Saturday and picked up a redington delta 5/6. Now I need to decide what weight line and rod to pair it with. I plan on mostly trout with possibly a little bass. Is there much difference between the 5 and 6?
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It's just weight difference the 5wt. line will give you a more delicate presentation for trout, the 6wt. will give you a little more umph for a bass shooting head. Think of it as sinker size.
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Line makes a difference when casting only. I always up line, but that is just me. Cast the line on your rod first if you get a chance. A line too light will be real hard to cast, even for a seasoned caster.
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Line makes a difference when casting only. I always up line, but that is just me. Cast the line on your rod first if you get a chance. A line too light will be real hard to cast, even for a seasoned caster.
Thanks Scott. So you think I should look at a 5wt rod and 6wt line? Or would a 5/6 reel be okay with a 4 wt rod and 5wt line? I'm building around the reel since it was such a great deal like 40$ new in box great deal.
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My main rod for Stillwater fishing is a 5 weight with a 6 weight line. I love 5 weights, I've got 4 or 5 of them.
If you can, cast different weight lines on the rod you get to see what casts better for you. Most fly shops have lines for casting.
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I've caught just about everything (not a ling yet) on a 6wt rod; trout, bass, salmon, steelies, rockfish, bluegill, stripers.
Casting is what matters.
I'd go with a 6wt rod and line with your reel for something all around...but that's just me.
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I have a couple of 6 weights, one glass and one graphite, both are "average" rods.
They seem to handle trout and bass just fine, but I've yet to get into something really big with them.
It seems that there is such a great difference in the actions of every model of fly rod that you would have to cast a few to truly figure out what you want.
I know my newest 6wt. is nowhere near as fast or stiff as some 5wts. that I've handled in the shop.
ScottV's advice to try different shop lines and demo rods sounds good.
BTW I was just looking at the Redington reel models online - seems like they were well liked by reviewers :smt001
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My main rod for Stillwater fishing is a 5 weight with a 6 weight line. I love 5 weights, I've got 4 or 5 of them.
If you can, cast different weight lines on the rod you get to see what casts better for you. Most fly shops have lines for casting.
great advise. It is not uncommon for fisherman to overload rods by a weight this lets you feel the rod load and works best on faster rods. I used to fish a St.Croix 6wt with a 7wt sinking line on smaller rivers for steelhead. worked great!!!
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Simple answer: you can use your new reel on any weight rod you want to buy.
The reel may not "balance" well on very light or heavy rods. On light rods, the rig may feel butt-heavy and on heavy rods, the rig may feel tip heavy. Neither butt- nor tip-heavy is pleasant after making a lot of casts, but the choice you make is wide open.
Fly reels are sized by the amount of backing plus fly line they'll hold. You don't want to fish for salmon in fast-running water with a reel with a very limited length of backing on it because it'll spool you every time and you'll be waving bye-bye to a lot of fish, and you'd want to choose a larger reel with enough capacity for a lot of backing. For trout, you'll seldom if ever get into the backing, and you can choose a smaller lighter-weight (in ounces) reel.
For the fish you've mentioned, the reel will not play a huge role in catching. Don't over-think it.
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Thanks for the tips and knowledge guys. I'm most likely over thinking it. Just found out there is a fly shop just up the road in twain Harte so I'm going to go check it out.
Anyone have any experience with the redington Classic trout or the Ross essence fc or fs? Those are the two I'm eyeing that fit in my price range.
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Good info everyone. I just want to reinforce that the reel is the last piece of the puzzle. Rod and line are the big ones the reel is just a place to store the line for the most part. You can land plenty of fish without "reeling" them in. There are a lot of great custom rod builders out there that use sage or Fenwick blanks. I scored a 2wt made from a sage blank for 160$ so look into that as a way to get a really good rod for way cheaper than you should.
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Best starter rod, Echo Base IMO, 90 buck