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overload

3K views 7 replies 7 participants last post by  Dave17 
#1 ·
Hi
I am thinking overload my Sage 9wt rod with 11wt fly line for Tarpon and Bonefish on a windy day without buying another set of fly rod and reel. Does anyone has any good suggestion? What is the best type of fly line for Tarpon fishing ? floating or intermediate fly line ?

Thank you

TONY
 
#2 ·
"loaded" question

Tony -

Couple thoughts..........

* Most rods today are not made for over-lining.....the flex, taper and action are all predicated on the line weight that they are listed for. My thinking is that most fast action 9 wts should be able to cast (for the most part) in most windy bonefish situations. One thing to consider is that when fishing with a guide, most knowlesgable guides will put you so the wind is coming off your "off" shoulder so the line does not blow into you while casting. If you are fishing on your own while wading a flat, try to position yourself as best as possible to have the sun at your back and the wind on your off shoulder. In some cases, you might be limited as to shots at fish, but I think by forming a plan of action when you hit a flat, you can be succesful while using a 9wt with a 9wt line.......

* As far as Tarpon, I think the 9wt might have some limitations with butt strength when trying to move tarpon. Obviously, this depends on the size of the fish..........

Overall, if you feel that lining up is the way to go for combating the wind with a 9wt, you might be able to get away with one line size up, but going 2 sizes might be an issue........And using a 9wt for tarpon (depending on size of fish) could be a challenge.....

Good luck !
John
 
#3 ·
Hi Tony
Which Sage are you using they all have different actions?
You can over line by one on some but on most I would not recommend it,
I would definitely not put an 11wt line on a 9wt rod.

If you are a half reasonable caster you should be able to cast most tarpon flies with your 9wt. If you can't then the best solution is casting lessons.

What rod/reel set up are you thinking about anyway?


Pete
 
#4 ·
petevicar said:
Hi Tony
Which Sage are you using they all have different actions?
You can over line by one on some but on most I would not recommend it,
I would definitely not put an 11wt line on a 9wt rod.

If you are a half reasonable caster you should be able to cast most tarpon flies with your 9wt. If you can't then the best solution is casting lessons.

What rod/reel set up are you thinking about anyway?


Pete
hi Pete

I have a 9wt Sage Flight 990-4pieces and a Knoic reel with 300 yard of backing on it. I am looking at the 11wt Cabela's XST/XSS Fly Combos. Anyone has any comment on this combos from Cabelas. I am going to drive to Utah from Saskatchewan, Canada for a week long hiking and camping and visit Cabelas store in Lehi. I am going to check out this combos and see. I think I will stay on the 9wt line on my 9wt fly rod. I might buy a heavier set up for bigger fish in the future.

I am very happy with this Flyfishing Forum and getting a lot of good suggestions and learning a lot on making knots and setting up for Tarpon fishing. Thank you:)
 
#5 ·
Overlining will load the rod more easily but you will have more difficulty punching a tight loop into a headwind. My 11 weight floater is so thick it becomes counterproductive due to wind resistance.

If you call Sage they will tell you their saltwater rods were designed to be used with the rated line wt.

Just something to consider...
 
#6 ·
The only exception I would generally make to the advice given above is if you encounter overcast coditions which limits your sighting ability. In those cases I have gone to overlining by as much as 2 line weights to make short quick casts more accurately. It allows you to load the rod without having much line outside the tip. To me one of the most difficult presentations to make is to that fish that snuck in behind you and is 20ft away. Now you have 8-10ft of leader and only 10-12ft of fly line in which to cast. With today's fast action rods that is a very difficult cast to make with any kind of precision. Not sure a 9 with an 11wt line would be my choice for bones though. More like a 7 with an 8 or 9wt line.

Sean
 
#7 ·
That's exactly my idea Sean.
Weight classes are based upon the weight of the line you will be casting. if you have out about 50 ft of your 9 weight line, that gives a certain force on your rod. Why not use a 11 weight line? Only point is, don't think you can put out 50ft aswell, because then there is a real difference in balst/forces you give to the rod. but if I think of my bonefishing, especially wading in just a bit deeper water (2-3ft) then I think 95% of the fish I spot and cast to are well within 50ft. Think of the 12ft leader and you only have out 35 ft of the 11 weight line. I am sure any 9 weight rod can manage that.
 
#8 ·
Tony,

The main problem here is in trying to set up for two very different species with the same rod. The perfect bonefish rod for just about all situations is going to be an 8 wt. For medium to large Tarpon most usually fish a 12 wt. That's a four weight spread between the two. It's not very practical or ideal to fish these two situations with just one rod.

With that said.... a good sage 9 wt won't have any problem throwing the eleven weight line. I often fish up to a 500 grain shooting head on my sage Xi2 without issue. A typical Tarpon 11 wt line weighs about 350 in the head. The rod won't be in danger but the setup won't be ideal.

As you said before, your best bet is to go with a second rod. I've always been of the opinion that an 11 wt is somewhat of a 'tweener rod. Great for Tarpon but a little light for other big game. Have you thought about a 12 wt? It is also a great Tarpon weight and would allow you to have a rod that matches up well for most bluewater species (Tuna, Billfish, Dorado, etc).

If I had to choose two rods to fish all species in the salt I would go with a 9 and 12. I don't know anything about the Cabelas rod but also check out TFO for a high quality low cost 12 wt.
 
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