PNW:
Checking an item off the bucket list. Went to Caddis Fly Angling Shop for decent gear within my budget: a new Echo ION-890XL fly rod & a Lamson Liquid reel w/ an extra spool, one for sinking line (saltwater) & one for top water (freshwater). I'm looking for advice on line set up for each spool, saltwater first.
Tinker:
First fly rod, Paul? Good choice! If my Grandkid ever gets back this way, I'll have an ION XL waiting for her.
I think we've gone over our saltwater setups several times but it's worth repeating. I'm mimicking my mentor surf12foot's setup and he may jump onboard, too.
I'm going to assume you know about fly line backing, so we'll skip that part. It's boring, anyway.
I like to use either a level running/shooting line, like those used on spey rods, and attach either a level sink tip or an OPST Commando floating tip. Alternatively, I'll use an integrated fly line and attach a level sink tip as needed.
I like to use sink tips because I can change from a sinking tip to a floating tip (or just remove the sink tip) faster than I can change spools since threading a fly line through a 9' fly rod while in a kayak requires more coordination than I possess. Plus, it's a whole lot cheaper than another spool and a different fly line (or another fly pole, reel, and fly line). I'm a one man/one fishing pole kind of a guy.
For option one (shooting line --> sink tip) I like Scientific Anglers Titan Intermediate Shooting Line as my main line. The line sinks at about 1.25 inches per second (in saltwater) for it's full length. That's fast enough to drop it below the surface swells and to greatly reduce the parabolic curve between me and the fly which gives me the ability to feel even light nibbles.
(NOTE: a sinking fly line sinks faster than the fly).
I use Airflo Tungsten Shooting Heads as my sinking tip because I can buy it in bulk, cut it to length, and weld my own loops. Airflo also makes it in pre-cut lengths, and so too does RIO and OPST (and possibly others, too, but I don't look around much because I end up buying something expensive).
I use a 9wt rod and T-18 shooting heads. You might find a lighter sink tip - T14 or T-10 - is a better match for your 8wt. I try to match the length of T-line to the maximum grain weight for my rod (390 grains or ~22 feet) but will go lighter/shorter if I'm fishing in less than 30 feet of water.
And this is probably the right time to introduce grain weights. All fly fly lines are weighted in grains (1 ounce = ~437.5 grains). A modern 8wt fly line will weigh anywhere between 260 and 320 grains although some lines are made a half, a full, or even two line weights heavier than "normal" (i.e. an over-weighted 8wt fly line may weight the same as a normal 9wt line). The over-weighted lines are made to use with ultra-fast action rods, but the ION XL is a moderately fast action rod and you'll probably never need an over-weighted line.
For option 2 (integrated line) I like to use Scientific Anglers Sonar Titan Freshwater/Saltwater Full Intermediate lines, but these are the weight-forward "normal" fly line version. I'll use some T-18 on the end aiming for a setup that's one to one-and-a-half line weights heavier than a typical 9wt line. This will sink slightly more slowly and not cast as far as a shooting line --> sink tip setup but they are easier to cast.
Lately I've been trying Scientific Anglers Sonar 3D lines with three sink rates built into the line. I'm on the fence about them because while they work well they also cost $100 and I'm a tightwad.
Jay Nicholas, also my mentor and sometimes sponsor, fishes out of Pacific City in dory boats. Jay prefers to use integrated lines with the sink tip manufactured into the line, but Jay tells me he's prone to putting the dory where he thinks he'll find fish and dropping the line, not casting it. We ignore line advice from Jay.
I tend to like Scientific Anglers fly lines more than those by Airflo or RIO. Airflo lines are great, long-lasting lines but they're almost all textured and when bank-fishing for trout, I got tired of hearing the zinging noise when the line goes through the guides and that carried over to my saltwater fishing. Most people don't mind that noise. I did.
I haven't had the best of luck with the durability of RIO lines. Fly lines are expensive and I want them to last a long time. RIO's coatings seem to crack faster than that used by SA and Airflo so I stopped using them. YMMV.
I don't use Cortland lines, but only because they don't match how I fish. Royal Wulff lines are excellent and I have one on my freshwater fly rod but haven't tried them for saltwater.
Pay attention to the climate for which the line is made. A line made for warm/tropical water temperatures will get stiff in our colder water. A cold water line will get sticky in warm/tropical water.
There's no real difference between a freshwater and saltwater line. Sometimes the running line section of a saltwater line will have a thinner diameter than a comparable freshwater line because lines sink more slowly in saltwater, but since the makers rarely publish the running line diameter, who knows if there's a difference. One significant difference is that all freshwater lines are built for moderate or cold water and work well in the ocean around us.
Some folks are trying imported fly lines, like Piscifun (found on Amazon) and report they're well-made and work well but don't last as long as the big name brand lines so in the end they don't save money.
I use Maxima Chameleon for leaders because it's a bit more abrasion resistant than Ultragreen. Manufactured knotless tapered leaders used to be cheap but now they're costly so I make my own. Nothing fancy, just three or four feet of (appropriate) monofilament tied to a foot of 30# or 40# monofilament. The heavier monofilament attaches to the fly line and is really important. Large heavy or fluffy flies and sink tips tend to cause the setup to fold where the leader attaches - called a "hinge" - and it's dangerous for your ears (assuming you're as fond of your ears as I am of mine). That short section of heavy line pretty much eliminates the hinge.
I'll use anywhere between 8# and 18# monofilament for my leader. I've never felt a need for a stronger leader since fly rods fish differently than conventional gear once you have a fish on. Plus, we think it's stunning if our fly reel can generate 10 pounds of drag, so a line that breaks at twice the amount of drag a reel can produce seems silly to me.
There you have it. If anything isn't reasonably clear - if you're still guessing - ask and 'll do my best to explain it better.
- Kevin
Nobaddays:
First, I think that will be a great setup for you. I use an 8wt for most of my saltwater fishing and I have been really happy with my Lamson reels.
I like having the extra spool for floating/ sinking lines. So far I have only wanted my sinking line in the saltwater.
For my floating line, I have a WF floating line. I think it is Rio Intouch Salmon/ Steelhead taper.
For my sinking line I use Rio Outbound Short type six full sink line. The type six should sink about 6 inches per second and I tend to use heavy weighted flies.
I am looking forward to hearing stories of you success. I have had lots of fun flyfishing the saltwater.
RoxnDox:
Jeez, all I wanted to respond with was “tie a knot around the spool, wind up line, then throw line at fishies till they bite it...”
<GRIN>
surf12foot:
Welcome to the fun club! Just need this stupid weather to calm down and get you down here and test all of that new gear out but while this weather is crappy, now is the time to start tying some cool patterns.