Need some advice

[Dan Massaro]

Hi everybody,
Im relatively new to this website and was looking for some advice.
I have been fly-fishing for six years, but have only recently gone out for my first salt water experience last sunday at lincoln park. What a large difference it was from my normal 'bow fishing. Though I didnt catch anything, the sight of silvers rolling out in the sound definetly has me interested in this type of fishing :thumb: .
Now here's my question. After trying to fish out there with my 5wt sage, I realized I am no where near equipped to do this kind of fishing. So anyway now Im looking for my first saltwater rod/reel. If anybody could point me in the direction of a good rod and reel in the $200-$300 range that would be suited for fishing out in the sound it would be deeply appreciated. Thanks for any suggestions.

[finnfisher]

I found myself in the same situation. Being new to the salt and anticipating Cohos I needed to gear up as well.
I just bought a Reddington 7/8wt with a Crosswater reel. $129 from Cabelas. I am keeping my saltwater rig pretty simple so I just cut back the floating line 15 feet and put a loop connector on. I bought a Rio intermediate tip (and will probably but a couple sink tips later). It is no great shakes of a rod but I took it out yesterday at Mukilteo and was really pleased with how everything worked. No fish, but the equipment worked well.:p
I'd be interested in any 'veteran' :ray1: feed back as well. How about steelhead in the rivers with a 7wt?

[wolverine]

Saltwater beach fishing is a distance game. They always seem to be just out of reach of a normal cast. I use a 10' 7 wt Redington to help gain the additional distance. I'm a so-so caster so the longer rod works for me.
TFO, Redington, and Echo all make rods that will do the job and fit your price point. For a reel its hard to beat the Teton Tioga's, or the old school Supremes. I like the shooting head/ running line combos like the Rio Outbound. The lines a bit pricy, but it definately gets out there. If you shop around a bit you can probably squeak under $300. One thing that I would add is a stripping basket as it makes life a lot easier.

[finnfisher]

Amen to the stripping basket. I just took a Rubbermaid wash pan, cut a few slots to accomodate a piece of 1" webbing around the outside long enough to go around my waist, put a side release buckle on and it works great!

[salt dog]

Welcome Highway.
Good advice above; if you're targeting Coho, a 7 wt rod is a good weight; a bit heavy for SeaRuns, but you'll need the beefier rod for the blistering runs that Silver's can put you through. 10 ft length works well too, as it helps to keep your line above the slope of the beach when you are waist deep in the water, but I would guess the majority of folks use standard 9ft rods. I use a medium fast 6 wt rod that is 9ft 6" long. It doubles as my summerrun steelhead rod as well, though I accept that I am under-gunned for fish bigger than 10 lbs. My next salt rod will likely be 10' long. In the price range you're looking at, I would add to the list the TFO rods. Reddington and TFO both make good serviceable rods. Rio Outbound intermediate is outstanding.

Stripping basket removes much of the frustration when shooting line in currents and/or seaweed: LL Bean $19.95 plus shipping; a good deal for those of us power tool challenged.

The reel is another matter though. You'll notice many reels advertise the're made of anodized aluminum. This counteracts the corrosive effect of saltwater on metal, and is a must. Seems most good freshwater reels are made with annodized metal to a varying degree. However, salt water reels are designed to withstand salt water, have better annodization, quality drag systems, but expect to pay more.

You can use freshwater reels, and many people do. If you go that route I would suggest getting a cheap real, easy to palm for the drag, but don't be surprised if you toss it away after a few years of use, and that is assuming you rinse off thoroughly after every use. Without rinsing, expect a reel to corrode within a week or two, and waders and everything else will start to fall apart also. There are several recent posts on care of equipment, use the search function to check it out. You will see some testimonies from folks that regularly use freshwater reels for years without a problem.

For my money, this is one area where I would rather pay more for a good salt water reel with a good drag system that will last, as opposed to going cheap. But I would rather go cheap than not at all.

Wolverine is spot on though regarding Salt water fly fishing for salmon from the beach being a distance game. If you're not shooting line effectively on your casts, take a lesson and start going up the learning curve now, and you'll be in the money by September. Enjoy, and good luck.

[allenro]

I'd have to say the best low priced saltwater reel is the Tioga. I abuse mine and it keeps on ticking. Its very popular amonst the striper fisherman here in the northeast plus it has a life time warranty and made in the US. Otherwise, the Okuma Integrity is a great cheap reel. It has a great drag and it is pretty tough too. Just make sure you give it a good rinsing.

[Dan Massaro]

Thanks for all the great advice. Ive actually scheduled a saltwater fly-fishing lesson at Creekside Angling in Issaquah.
After researchin the rods you guys suggested Im particularly interested in a 7wt 10ft Redington Red.Fly. Seems like a good bargain at $99. I plan to add either an Okuma or Redington Large Arbor reel as well. Great suggestions, would have been completely lost without them. Thanks.

[WT]

Props to the following beach specific gear.
-LL Bean Stripping Basket
-Outbound line from Rio

[Benn]

I am definitely in the cheap reel camp. I've fallen and smacked too many expensive shiny aluminum reels on the rocks and bent the frames to get too attached to any one reel any more.

I currently have four Okuma Integrity Reels I use in the salt. Two 5/6 for sea runs (floating and intermediate) and two 7/8 for silvers (floating and intermediate). I bought one at GI Joes full price (about $45) but all the others I have purchased on eBay for between $15 and $25 (with shipping). All these reels have had at least two seasons in the salt. Three of them look out-of the box new with minimal washing. One of them (the 7/8 with the intermediate) gets the most use, has been submerged several times, gets whacked on the rocks, and has a lot of paint loss as a result. This reel looks ugly (see below) and will not win you any admiring smiles from envious peers. But I'd rather have my buds fawn over my fish, than whistle when they heard how much money I spent on the newest green or pink anodized reel. This reel still works great and it has caught pinks and silvers in the salt last year and lots of silvers and chum last fall in the rivers looking the way it does.

The reason is evident when you pop open the reel. You can see from the second two photos that the spindle and interior of the spool and the frame do not have a blemish (the spots are from the grease). Before I bought this reel, I read that Okuma basically uses the same spindle and drag system for all their reels. I don't know if that is true, but it seems like the drag on this is as good as many reels 6X the price and the frame is very solid. When it gets too ugly I'll just pitch it and go get another one. There is a couple right now on eBay for less than $20.

Benn