Fly Rod recommendations

Fly Fishing
1

I’ve been using the same 9wt Reddington RS4 for almost 15 years, it’s the first and only fly rod I’ve owned and used. I am wanting to get something new but admittedly don’t know a whole lot about the differences in rods. To start I’m I am looking to get either a 7wt or an 8wt, how different will a 7 or 8 feel compared to my 9wt, and in what situations is a 7wt not enough? If I have the 9, is an 8 too similar that I should get 7?

I’ve done some research and the rs4 is considered a fast action. Would you recommend I look at fast action rods or are modern fast actions much faster?

Is there a major difference between my 15 year old rod and modern blanks? Will I notice a major difference, having not even picking up another fly rod in the past 15 years?

My rods never leave my skiff, why would I not want a 1 piece rod?

I fish on the SC coast, the rod will be used for inshore shallow water redfishing. Please feel free to give me any recommendations you might have on brands and models, I also build rods and would consider building a fly rod, so I’d be interested in hearing some blank recommendations too.

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If your rods never leave your boat I’d definitely get a one piece rod. That’s all I really own. Now as far as wieght. There isn’t a huge difference between 7 and 8. The 8 should be better in the wind. But it may not have the same finesse. That being said a properly lined rod that fits your casting style you won’t feel much difference between the 2. I have a nrx t2s 8wt with SA bonefish plus line on it, I really like it. Also a Scott sector that I really like. The rest of my rods are all north fork one piece custom rods that I build

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3

I’d go with a 7 since you already have a 9. Something like a stout 7 (like those NFC GB or an Axiom 2) will be noticeably lighter than a 9 but still have the backbone to throw decent sized flies in the coastal winds. I use an NFC 7 wt I built more than any other rod most days. Throws gurglers/poppers and weighted flies just fine.

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4

That’s a bunch of questions brother. Let me start with what I know. 7 or 8?, obviously it depends on what you’re fishing for and where. Here’s my thought. Here in Jax an 8 works as an all around choice. Since we get a lot of pressure, some folks downsize to a 7 or even a 6 for stealth. You can research “ when a 7 is not enough” . It’s a size fish thing. More to follow.

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5

I went through a very similar experience recently. If you things that helped me enormously were:

1). Try to cast as many different rods as you can. If you are in South Carolina, it sounds like there are a bunch of members in your area. I was fortunate enough to have several guys reach out and let me cast the rods in their quiver. If you are anywhere near Wilmington, I’m more than happy to pass along that Opportunity.

2). My experience after casting a bunch of different rods from very high end to very low end confirmed what most of the guys I talked to said, which was “there are a lot of good rods out there but at least 50% of the equation is simply personal preference. Don’t assume that cost and quality run together“ I found this to be 100% true

3). After casting a lot of rods that had fairly similar performance and feel, I ended up casting one rod that just blew my mind. It ended up being the lowest cost rod I think is out there. To this day, it’s still my favorite rod. I’ve put the link below and for the price, it’s worth trying out.

https://www.tridentflyfishing.com/echo-ion-xl-fly-rod.html?utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=bing_shopping

4). As for the Rod weight for inshore fly fishing, I run sevens eights and nines but I find that I’ll cast the nine weight more often than anything else simply because of the amount of wind and the size flies that I like to throw. If I had to choose one, you would probably be an eight weight but I would definitely miss the heft of the nine.

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6

One piece aint gonna be that huge of a difference; get one if you can but dont hold out for one if you find a 4-piece you like.

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He already has a 9 wt guys. Why not get a 7wt next?

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8

Just to add confusion, I find big differences in 7, 8, and 9 in how heavy they feel and how much effort they are to cast. The 7 is a nice bonefish rod and would be fine for most redfish, but becomes limiting in heavy wind.

Definitely agree that a lot about fly rod selection is what suits your natural casting style. Try 10 rods and one or two will just “click” for you. The most expensive rods tend to have the latest, highest-strength carbon and construction technology, but you may get lucky and like something less costly. Find a way to try out as many as you can.

One-piece rods are really nice, partly because you don’t have to worry about ferrules coming loose. But many excellent rods are not available as one-piece.

Fly lines make a big difference, too. A short, heavy head would suit many red fishing situations, but a longer, truer-to-weight head is more versatile. Most probably purchase a rod first, and then try to find a line that it likes. There is something to be said for picking the line you want to throw first, and then finding an appropriate rod.

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9

I think the difference between a 7wt and an 8wt is pretty big. The 7wt can’t carry the flies an 8 can. An 8 and a 9 perform closer than a 7 vs an 8, my opinion off course.
The 7wt doesn’t have the backbone an 8 does, hence the reason an 8wt rod is the standard for the salt. A 7wt is certainly more of an expert rod for sure, I find the 7wt requires finesse and I certainly don’t have the distance with the 7 that I do with the 8.

if the 7 was as good as it’s mentioned here, everyone would be slinging a 7. I don’t believe that to be the case.

I believe the 8wt is way more versatile than a 7.

I would recommend an 8wt for sure.

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10

Wow…:man_facepalming:

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11

To me a 9 is where things start to feel serious and heavy. Thats where I feel the “jump” is from 8-9. My main 7 is a payload so you could argue thats’s almost an 8. I’ve got 4 8’s and 2 9’s and I’d prefer to throw the 8’s all day every day…

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12

I’m local to you, live on James Island, and was recently was shopping for a new 8wt setup. A great option is to take half a day, start at Orvis downtown, then go to Rivers & Glen, and then on to Fin & Feather in Mt. Pleasant, casting all of their 8-9wts. That will cover several rods and the employees are happy to step outside with a customer and get a break in their day to talk shop.

I ended up with the 8wt Loomis IMX-Pro V2 S. And I’m using the SA Infinity Salt line. I’m happy to meet up and you can cast the rod. No big deal, just send me a PM and we’ll set it up. But I would still recommend getting out and casting as many as possible. One will certainly stand out.

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13

Here is a good article ref saltwater weight rods.

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I’ll play devils advocate. My 7(A2X)is my go to rod for reds in NC. It’s lighter in hand/swing, and to me it feels faster than my 8wt A2X. To each their own.

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15

My favorite fly rods are 7wt Asquith and 7wt Orvis D . Casting big flies at large fish I like NRX+ and Asquith 10 wts. I like the 9wt Asquith and one pc Helios with small flies in heavy wind.

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I was recently in the same situation. My RS3 8wt broke, and I was pretty much rodless for a bit. I also hadn’t had a lot of experience with different rods other than casting a few my buddies have, so I was kinda lost on what to do, thankfully the folks on here pointed me in the right direction.

I ended up with a 8# TFO Mangrove coast, thanks to a deal worked out with a member here.

I had also decided to get a TFO A2X 9#

Reddington finally replaced, to my surprise, my RS3 with a Vice 8#

And Finally.. I built a NFC 6#

My two rods I grab to go fishing with are the 6# and #8 MGC. The A2X is good in the wind, and it’s a good casting rod, but I’m just not in love with it like I am the MGC. I have not actually put the Vice on the water yet, but it’s a rocket, I’ve got a monic bonefish line on it and at this time, I pretty much yard cast with, and it throws nice tight loops and gets out in 90’ range with ease. It’s just not as light and balanced as my others.

My 6# is awesome, especially for when the fish are spooky. You can get nice easy presentations, but it’s not a fan of wind or big flies.

Switching from a 8# to the 6# is extremely noticeable, the overall weight, the swing weight, and the presentation is night and day. The difference between my 8 and 9 wt both in performance and feel isn’t much, and hardly noticeable.

I have not thrown the RS4 but I believe it was pretty close in performance to the RS3. If you get a hold of a modern rod I do believe you’d notice a big difference in performance as I did.

I guess if I only had a 9# that I was happy with, and wanted a lighter rod, I’d probably go to a #7.

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17

I preach about the air 2 max a lot on here, but if it’s within your budget I would cast the 7wt if you already have a 9. To me, it is a little heavier duty than your standard 7wt. I think classifying it as a 7.5wt would be really fair. It is not going to cast the heaviest flys your 8wt would, but it will cast anything weightless-small dumbell eyes great at all distances. Accuracy and feel on this rod are amazing. It will also handle a lot more wind than your typical 7. If you are torn between a 7 & 8, and already have a 9, that rod would be a great compromise. I’m in the Charleston area as well and fish that rod all the time, except on the windiest days and with my heavier flys.

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I carry a 7 a lot, especially in the cooler months. I put a 5/6 reel on it to keep it very light as you don’t need much backing for redfish. I also have a light taper line on it. I treat it as my laser pointer for throwing small, lightly weighted flies on shallow flats.

I move to an 8 once lead eyes get involved on the flies such as in the grass.

Between the 2, an 8 will cover more situations.

In response to if you will see a notable improvement moving to a new rod, maybe. Will you catch more fish with a new rod? No. Will it be more enjoyable to throw? Possibly.

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19

I think M.Austin is spot on. It’s nice to hear other’s opinion on rods, but you really need to cast them yourself, and good fly shops are the best way to do it. Different weights and different brands. Lines are hit or miss depending on what’s on the reels they use for demos, but they’ll usually be knowledgeable about which ones suit a particular rod and your casting style.

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20

If the budget matters a TFO mangrove coast 8wt would be my first pick for low country reds, but definitely find a fly fishing club, talk to a few shops, maybe even order a rod on trident so you can return it if you hate it, and see if you can actually try a few rods. The line you choose matters just as much as the rod choice. I like Scientific angler grand slam lines since the low visibility in the marsh means many of your shots are fast and close so a heavier line makes those shots possible.

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