Newbie guy..

[Solid]

Hi there,

I am just getting into fly fishing, I have a 6wt rod/reel that I plan to use for fresh water bass, trout ect ect. I also purchased a 8/9wt rod/reel that I plan on using for strippers and bluefish. I read the post above that lists a few locations in the S. New Hampshire area where I live. Does anyone on this board regularly go down there and fish? I would like to meet someone there sometime this season who knows what they are doing to give me a few pointers and maybe get me headed in the right direction.

[SaltH2oFly]

I can point you to some great areas that you don't need a boat or a guide. I can also send you the name of some guides with a boat who specialize in fly fishing. Also, New Hampshire Fish & Game has a great intro to Saltwater fly fishing through the "Let's go fishing program". The class is usually in July and is two days - Sat. & Sun. We host it over in the Portsmouth area. I would highly recommend this course for new "salters". Feel free to e-mail me directly for more info.

[Solid]

Ok great, I was planning on checking out some of those programs this summer, I will be contacting you about that. Second question concerning my new 8/9wt rod. I read earlier some discussion about floating vs. sinking vs. sink tip lines. I was planning on getting an intermediate line (Cortland 333 pro) to fish streamers. I will be fishing from the shore/surf 99% of the time. It just seems to me that the intermediate line has such a slow sink rate it would work perfect. Please let me know, I have a Cabelas gift certificate that I am itching to use! :)

[SaltH2oFly]

When it comes to fishing from the shore - I think sink tip is the best but people are sucessful with the intermediates. I was out with a guide off the Cape two summers ago and all he uses is sink tip. It's good to get the fly down fast to the big boys. And we caught some nice Stripers and Blues. If you go with a sink tip, try to get the clear tip. If you go with an intermediate - try to stick with a darker color (most of them are anyway) but just to make sure. I like to have a floating and a sink tip. The floating is always fun especially if you want to fish with popers - catching Stripers on a poper is a blast! I have a sink tip set up that I bought from Orvis years ago. It works ok but not as a smooth as sink tip line.

[Steve H.]

For saltwater fly fishing, I would highly recommend the Teeny TS-350 sink-tip line. This has 30' of extremely fast sinking head on a floating running line. This is all I use for striper fishing unless the fish are on top which is only a small percentage of the time.

www.jimteeny.com

[fessiewig]

Solid,

They sell the Teeny line at Cabela's, so you'll be able to use your gift certificate.

Here's the link to the line recommended above:

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/standard-item.jhtml?id=0014168313478a&navAction=push&navCount=1&indexId=cat20499&podId=0014168&catalogCode=IF&parentId=cat20499&parentType=index&rid=&_DARGS=%2Fcabelas%2Fen%2Fcommon%2Fcatalog%2Fitem-link.jhtml.1_A&_DAV=MainCatcat20431&hasJS=true

[Solid]

Thanks for the link!

[Solid]

ok, I want to ask one more question on this line topic that I started. I would like to believe that I could use this combo that I am setting up for strippers to also fish for those big atlantic salmon. Would that line mentioned above in the sink tip work for that application also, or no? At this point, I am trying to find a line that will work for most situations. I understand that I can get another spool and different line for that spool, but I simply can't afford that right now.

[SaltH2oFly]

I would think that sink rate would be too fast for fresh water unless you're in a very deep and fast moving river. This is why when price is a factor, I prefer a floating line with a sink-tip loop to loop add on. It allows you the flexibility of getting down in the salt (or deeper fresh water) but you can take it off and have a floating line. I have the Orvis add on but I like the Cabela's deal - they offer a multi-line tip package for $89. Here's the link: http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/horizontal-item.jhtml?id=0000903315262a&navAction=push&navCount=3&indexId=cat20493&podId=0000903&catalogCode=IF&parentId=cat20493&parentType=index&rid=&_DARGS=%2Fcabelas%2Fen%2Fcommon%2Fcatalog%2Fitem-link.jhtml.1_A&_DAV=MainCatcat20431&hasJS=true

[BugChucka]

Man - I love that Teeny line!!!!!!!!!!!

[SaltH2oFly]

Having multiple lines and spools is the ultimate way to go and the Teeny lines are awesome. But - when the budget is a factor, you need alternatives.

[BugChucka]

If your really on a budget here's a few options:

You can get by with a cheapo depot $10-$15.00 floating or sinking line, especially if you ever find yourself in a bind. If you don't fish it that much it will last you a couple seasons. I buy the low grade SA lines for a slow sinking bass fishing line. It works fine and I can shoot all most the whole spool if I have to.

If you need a sinking salt line you can make your own Teeny style line. All you need is some running line and a section of lead core that you can attatch manually. Now you have a nice sink tip for cheap money. One of the benefits of this is that you don't have to loose a fortune if you ever ruin your line.

There's all kinds of ways to be frugal and effective in this game.

[SaltH2oFly]

Now we're cookin' with gas! Awesome ideas. Thanks BC! We should have a forum about how to fly fish on a fixed budget! :D

[Steve H.]

I totally agree with Bugchucka's idea regarding a cheapo floating line as a backup. Cortland's 333 line in 8 or 9 wt. is a great buy and would do very well for the limited topwater fishing you would be doing. You can probably find this for about $25, cheaper on eBay or other online outlets. You could probably find even cheaper line by going with a Cabelas or Bass Proshop product. I would not put a lot of money into a floating line for New England striped bass fishing...just not necessary in my opinion for the amount of time I use it.

Regarding the sink-tip line, I would strongly encourage you to "invest" in a quality product. I choose Teeny, but there are other great products out there such as Rio and Orvis. I don't like loop-to-loop connectors due to the "hinge" effect that you get when casting these heads. A good sink tip line has no hinge effect and will roll a fly over properly and be much more pleasant and effective to fish with. You don't want to be struggling with a inferior fly line or head system when you're fishing a heavy surf or a strong tide. You'll need to pick the line up quickly and shoot it well, which I don't feel can be done well with an interchangeable head system.

Just my 2-cents.

[SaltH2oFly]

I agree about the hinge effect. It is a pain. Those all in one sink tip lines are "wicked good". And your input is worth much more than 2 cents :!: Thanks!

[Solid]

I am thinking I purchased this combo mainly to fish for strippers, so I guess I should just get the sink tip line for now, the Teeny stuff seems to be a good investment. I am planning on going to that salt water fishing camp, for lack of a better term this spring. Someone had mentioned this before on this forum, I think that will be good enough to get me going. Then if I can save up my pennies, I can grab another spool ( they are pretty cheap for my Okuma reel) and some different line for fishing for other fresh water fish. DOes that sound like a plan?

[SaltH2oFly]

Solid, feel free to contact me directly. I volunteer for NH Fish & Game as a Fly Fishing instructor so I would be happy to work with you and get you into the salt this summer!

[JimC]

FWIW Over the years I've fished many full sink shooting head systems including LL Bean Superheads, Teeny's in the short (24') heads (X00gr) and the longer (30') SW line (X50gr), Rios DCs, Airflos, Cortland 444 & 555 QDs and homemade lines with LC13 & LC14 heads. While my opinion is certainly not the last word by any means.... I've settled on the 555QDs.

To me it seems to be the best combination of durability,shootablility (if that's a word) and running line handling charecteristics. I found the Teenys might have actually be the best casting of the bunch but I found the running lines were very limp and tended to tangle the most. The shorter heads on the X00gr lines loaded slower rods better but the running lines were even finer causing more problems. The 444 QD was pretty good, I liked the intermediate running lines but the running lines broke down pretty fast with heavy use. The Rios were great too but with time the running line gave me fits. It didn't break down but it would get twisted. A friend had a similar problem with them and figured out that the twist was caused by roll casting as you pick the line up off the water. Can't break that habit so I ruled out these lines.

While I'm pretty well sold on the 555s the big downside is that they cost $60.00 per line and you can't blind splice or knot them(well you can but they aren't very smooth through your guides if you do) into your backing. They require whipped loops and a system of loop to loop connections.

BTW if you're really trying to do this on the cheap and you live in S NH, I could give you a hand making up a servicable home built line. Lord knows I've got a collection of heads salvaged off trashed lines.