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Best bang for buck saltwater fly line set up?

2K views 16 replies 7 participants last post by  Bob Young 
#1 ·
Still working on planning my fishing in Guam. In regards to fly lines for a 10 wt reel, I am curious to know more about versi-tips or something similar. Wondering if buying a 10wt salt line and different tips is a reasonable option, rather than having to buy spools and multiple lines? Don't imagine I will get to fish tropics too often, so trying to get best bang for my buck.
 
#4 ·
I'm not a big fan of versi tips, BUT, if you want to do the one fly line/one spool approach, a loop to loop setup with running line and shooting heads is super versatile and effective.

You could take a floating, intermediate, and very fast shooting head, and be pretty much equipped for most situations (I use old school LC-13 on my 10 weight when I'm in Mexico, but that's in deeper water, and my 10 weight absolutely launches 30' of Lc-13. You could use T-11 or T-14, depending on your rod, in lieu of the LC-13). If you're inshore (say, after trevally), the floating and intermediate heads would be your tools of choice, depending on the depth of the the water. In the deeper offshore water, where you will find the dorado, the faster sinking head will likely be (in my opinion) the most effective.

Remember, saltwater is much more buoyant than fresh water and, for dorado, you'll probably be stripping line quickly, so the fly will likely be up in the top, oh, 3-4 feet of the water column. The nice thing about shooting heads, as well, is you can take a number of them as backups, and they are much less costly than a full line.

With that said, I take an extra spool or two with me for my 10 weight. It is setup with a backup running line so, in the event I lose the other one, I can grab the extra spool and an extra shooting head and be back in the game with minimal down time.

Again, this is my $0.02, and what has worked and does work for me.
 
#6 ·
I'm not a big fan of versi tips, BUT, if you want to do the one fly line/one spool approach, a loop to loop setup with running line and shooting heads is super versatile and effective.

You could take a floating, intermediate, and very fast shooting head, and be pretty much equipped for most situations (I use old school LC-13 on my 10 weight when I'm in Mexico, but that's in deeper water, and my 10 weight absolutely launches 30' of Lc-13. You could use T-11 or T-14, depending on your rod, in lieu of the LC-13). If you're inshore (say, after trevally), the floating and intermediate heads would be your tools of choice, depending on the depth of the the water. In the deeper offshore water, where you will find the dorado, the faster sinking head will likely be (in my opinion) the most effective.

Remember, saltwater is much more buoyant than fresh water and, for dorado, you'll probably be stripping line quickly, so the fly will likely be up in the top, oh, 3-4 feet of the water column. The nice thing about shooting heads, as well, is you can take a number of them as backups, and they are much less costly than a full line.

With that said, I take an extra spool or two with me for my 10 weight. It is setup with a backup running line so, in the event I lose the other one, I can grab the extra spool and an extra shooting head and be back in the game with minimal down time.

Again, this is my $0.02, and what has worked and does work for me.
Hey Richard,
Thanks a bunch for the response. I am curious could you tell me why you aren't such a big fan of versi tips? I am not too familiar with them. Is a loop to loop setup with running line and shooting heads the same thing as a versi-tip or is this different? Could you tell me what is LC-13, T-11/-14? I am planning to use a cabelas stowaway 6pc 10wt (has a medium fast action). I'm certainly interested in the idea of running line and different heads, sounds like a much cheaper alternative to multiple spools and lines.
 
#14 ·
Really, the best bang for the buck is a half decent weight forward floating line. Most of the time you will either be fishing flats or casting at fish that are on the surface and a floater will do the job. I have a shooting head system which I use for everything else, but the floater gets the most use.

N.
 
#16 ·
Something else re floating lines. Where you really need a tropical line is if you are fishing from a boat and the line is lying on the deck in the sun. In that situation your normal cold water lines just don't work. However, if you are wading and keeping your loose line in the water, cold water lines work just fine. They might be a bit more limp than usual, but it's not enough to be a game changer. So coil up your regular lines, put them in ziploc bags, and take them along as spares.

It sounds to me like you are overthinking this thing a bit. Most shore fishing in the tropics is a lot like coho fishing off the shore around here: Find a spot where a little bit of bait might congregate, tie on a white clouser, chuck it out as far as you can chuck it and strip it back so fast you think your arms will drop off. Rocket science it ain't!
 
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