Salt Gear on the Fly

What types of nonspecific fly rods and reels are also applicable to the salt?  I hope to expand my fly fishing boundaries this year and throw false casts & quick dropping bugs for saltwater fish nearshore. I'd like to maintain an economic budget and fish some of the fly gear I already have. My equipment is old school, with a couple 5-8wt rods, and most of my reels are Ross Gunnison G2, G3 & G4. I have a variety of fly tying gear. I'm actually excited to tie bigger, heavier flies with all of the natural supplies I've accumulated over the years hunting. I don't spend a lot of time with fly gear so the meticulous, time consuming world of fly tying hasn't appealed to me until now. Any advice is much appreciated thanks guys!
Hugh

Your 8 wt. with the G4 should work OK to get you out on the water. Just remember to rinse it all off when you get back home and wipe down with WD-40 or some other oil and you should be fine. If you steelhead fish you'll more than likely have a line already. Hook wise forget the freshwater hooks and go with saltwater type. Mustad 3407DT won't break the bank to start with in sizes 2-1 and 1/0 for blacks and if you want to try and tackle some lings the 3/0 will do just nicely. Most of your flies for blacks will be in the range of 2.5 - 3.5 inches. This is a basic start up list that will get you out on the water fast.

Scott recommended I start with an 8wt when I decided to toss feathers at saltwater fish, and he was right.  You can use lighter rods in a kayak than you might from a jetty or the beach, but if you put a hook a nice lingcod, it may not be possible to turn it or lift it with a lighter rod.  DAMHIK.

Corrosion-X or any light oil (sewing machine oil, air tool oil, etc.) for the reels, but not WD-40.  WD-40 is a solvent that can damage your fly lines.  Rinse the reels well after every trip and when rinsing the rods, take time to rinse the guide feet carefully where water can get under the wraps.  I wash the fly lines after every trip, but I'm obsessive.

I was taught to check the rod ferrules frequently when casting bigger, heavier flies because the sections will loosen-up.  I haven't had a rod separate yet, but I've found the sections getting pretty loose.  (Thank you, Scott)

To get down to the fish, you'll want a fast-sinking line, or you can save $$$ and add heavy sink tips to whatever line you already have.

+1 on the Mustad 3407DT hooks.  They're inexpensive for strong, forged, hooks.  I like tin-plated saltwater hooks but when you sharpen them, you've removed the protective tin, and they'll rust, so keep an eye on them.

Those original Gunnisons are sought-after reels.  Take care of them.

UPDATE: Saltwater flies don't need to be the meticulous little bugs I tie for freshwater.  You can get fancy or you can tie Clouser minnows and catch just about anything in the sea.

+1 on using what you have for now and just rinsing well afterwards. 

What I try to do is even if I am fish with gear, I take my fly rod just in case the conditions are right.  Sometimes it is rockfish feeding on the surface.  Othertimes when there is a large bait ball just under the surface, fly fishing has been very productive and I'm not having to fish very deep.

I have had several days that the flies way outfished the gear for rockfish.

This is really great advice guys thank you! My Gunnison reels have a lot of sentimental value to me so I've been very reluctant to subject  them to the salt. Thanks for the stoke, Happy holidays!!
Hugh

Happy to hear that, Hugh.  Good fishing!

I’ve been reading this post with some interest - thanks for posting!   I’ve been wanting to use my old fly rods a bit and since I recently inherited some more fly gear, this would be an opportunity to dust off the gear. I figured the variations of the Clouser minnow should catch any bottom fish and be a lot of fun.
I have an inexpensive 10 wt rod and reel that I thought might handle a ling or cabby-  what weight leader would you recommend if I expect to catch lings - 20 lb?

Thanks!

Last year was my first year taking a fly out to the salt, and agree with what everyone else said about gear. 
In addition to real flies, teasers flies worked well and are way cheaper to replace.   

I have an inexpensive 10 wt rod and reel that I thought might handle a ling or cabby-  what weight leader would you recommend if I expect to catch lings - 20 lb?

The fly line I use has a 26# test rating and I've been using 18# Maxima Chameleon for leaders.  If I used a fly line with a higher pound test rating, I'd match my leaders to the fly line and go heavier.  And if I weren't such a tightwad, I'd have a stronger fly line just for lingcod...    

I do 12lb -18lb test Maxima and adjust to the type of fish and area that I'm fishing in. With my sinking line my leader is a straight piece of mono at around 3 to 4 ft.

Thanks for the replies - it sounds like the 20 lb is the heaviest I want to use.  A good size ling should be interesting!
Now I just need to find the time to sit down and tie some flies.

Thanks for the replies - it sounds like the 20 lb is the heaviest I want to use.  A good size ling should be interesting!
Now I just need to find the time to sit down and tie some flies.

I know I'm way late to the party on this, but remember to consider the strength of your backing when picking leaders.  Most backing is 20 or 30 lbs.  If you have 20 lbs backing, I wouldn't use more than a 15 or 18 lbs leader.  You want your lines getting weaker from the reel to the fly so that if something gives, you aren't donating a fly line to the sea. 

I don't see any reason to ever use a leader heavier than 15# but I've never heard of anyone trying to match the leader to the backing.  Maybe that's because folks don't start using 20# leaders until they're fishing with 14/15/16wt saltwater fly rods.

Remember that the world record salmon caught with a fly rod weighed 71+ pounds and Grant Martinsen was using an 8# leader when he caught it - and he was just fishing, not out there trying for any kind of a record when he stumbled into that fish.

Thanks for the replies - it sounds like the 20 lb is the heaviest I want to use.  A good size ling should be interesting!
Now I just need to find the time to sit down and tie some flies.

I talked about this with someone who knows infinitely more than me.  He nearly fainted.  "Don't use 20# leaders with fly lines less than 14wt!"  If we snag a fly when using a 20# or heavier leader fishing with less than a 14wt line, we'll stretch the fly line and weaken it considerably.

Thanks for the replies - it sounds like the 20 lb is the heaviest I want to use.  A good size ling should be interesting!
Now I just need to find the time to sit down and tie some flies.

I talked about this with someone who knows infinitely more than me.  He nearly fainted.  "Don't use 20# leaders with fly lines less than 14wt!"  If we snag a fly when using a 20# or heavier leader fishing with less than a 14wt line, we'll stretch the fly line and weaken it considerably.

I will admit that I know very little about fly fishing compared to... everyone. But:

Fly fishing the salt off the Oregon coast is a lot different than fly fishing the flats for bonefish in Florida. Different constraints, concerns, and conditions. I would venture a guess that most people making "saltwater" recommendations aren't considering fighting toothy critters who bite in rocks in 40+ FOW. (EDIT: I mean general fly enthusiasts at fly fishing shops, etc., not people on here or people with actual Oregon nearshore fly experience.)

I'm far more concerned with abrasion resistance to rocks and teeth than I am with damaging my fly line. (Cheap fly line FTW!)