FFIM

Dear Fly Fishing in Maine Community,

I've been a lurker on here for some time now but I've finally decided to post something and it's a question. I recently decided to step into the world of fly fishing saltwater. In the summertime I'm fortunate enough to have the opportunity to visit my in-laws down in Brooklin and for years I've wanted to try fly fishing there and elsewhere throughout Maine and beyond. I recently had a birthday and was gifted an Orvis Recon 9' 9wt. I lawn casted the rod and it's great. However, before I decided whether to keep it I was curious about whether or not an 8wt would be more appropriate. I was hoping this rod to be something of a work horse that I could use for most saltwater applications and perhaps also as a salmon rod in northern Norway.

Is the 9wt it or should I bump down to an 8wt? I've read a lot on this question but was hoping that the community would provide a better answer.

Thank you for your help!
Best,
Medved

If you really , really only had one rod for all salt water most would probably say go with the nine. That said An eight would be better for salmon and most Stripers. And a ten is great for big wind, big flies and big fish. I’ve fly fished in the salt for about 40 years and I don’t own a nine. Always thought I ought to get one but liked the two I mentioned above and never got around to it.!Years ago it wasn’t all that unusual to have nights when we could get many 35 “to 40+”fish. I most often used the eight. Can’t imagine those days coming back!

I own multiple 8 weight and 9 weight rods. But if I was forced to pick only one to fish, I would grab the 9wt. I can throw slightly heavier, faster sinking lines with the 9wt which is helpful in varying the depth of presentation. And with floating lines there's not much difference between throwing 8wt or 9wt.

Good point about the sinking line. When I fished an 8 a lot it was night fishing in shallow water and wading. If I needed to throw a sinking line I would more often use the ten. So if it came down to one rod the 9 would be more versatile.

Thanks guys for the thoughtful responses! I had the application of sinking line as well as dries in mind when I chose the 9wt. However, you don't think that it will be "too much rod" for the fish I'm apt to find along the Maine coast, especially around the Blue Hill, Brooklin area?

I had an 8wt for a couple years, until I broke it, before that I had a 10wt. I found the 10 to heavy for most situations. I liked the 8wt, but struggled to throw bigger flies. After breaking the 8wt I upped to a 9... and love it. Heavy enough to throw big hollow flyers the full length of the line, but light enough small schoolies still put a solid bend in it. I would keep the 9, and you'll be surprised how versatile it is. I use mine for smallmouth pretty regularly, easy to throw big heavy flies on a fast sinking line and I dont find it too heavy for them either.

Peter

_________________
"A good game fish is too valuable to be caught only once"
Lee Wulff

Thanks for the advice! Can't wait to get this thing out on the water! What do you all recommend for a sinking line?

RIO striper 350.

I've got a Rio Outbound Saltwater T-14 sink tip... its heavy, but shoots a mile pretty easily, even with big heavy flies. Before that I had a Rio Outbound Short that was also great.

Peter

_________________
"A good game fish is too valuable to be caught only once"
Lee Wulff

I'm a big fan the Jim Teeny lines. I like the TS-350 on my nine weight.

Thanks for the line suggestion guys! I really appreciate you all sharing your experience and your advice.

Tight lines,
Tyler

As for a rod, I just picked up a Redington predator for a back up 9 wt after breaking my ancient Orvis Trident. I would heartily endorse this stick- super light in hand and casts beautifully.