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Salt Water Rod Question

5K views 2 replies 3 participants last post by  bonehead 
#1 ·
What makes a salt water rod a salt water rod, as far as casting goes? Can they be used on fresh water species of the same size? Thanks for any replies.
 
#2 ·
Of course they can.

We often use Sage RPLXi's for Sea Trout fishing in 6wt and 8wt's.
They were designated at saltwater sticks.

We also use spey rods in the salt (moving water of course).

You don't want to get bogged down with advertising.
They'll tell you you need a different rod to throw both white
and yellow clousers if they had their way.

A saltwater rod will usually have more resistant hardwear and maybe
have a different shaped handle.

That said, find a wood turner or do it yourself.
I changed my RPLXi 6#wt to a half wells with a bit of thought and
careful pre practice.
 
#3 ·
Salt/Fresh...

Best I can tell there are two general differences in freshies and salties. As myfishcasting mentioned, there's the hardware, which is a big deal, trust me. Also, saltwater rods are often expected to be used on bigger, tougher fish, so they'll have little extras like fighting butts to help.

The other difference is rod action. Most saltwater sticks are a faster action than freshies. Saltwater fishing often takes place in windy conditions where long casts and heavy flies are called for. Faster action rods generally generate more linespeed and (all things being equal) will throw bigger flies farther into the wind. However, lots of your high-end sticks (and some of the lower ones now) are sort of anthing goes. Take the Winston's BIIx for example. In smaller sizes it's a great trout rod. It loads easy, casts a smooth loop, and, when you need it, the butt end can bomb a big streamer out there. In bigger sizes it's a great bonefish rod and I've also heard of folks using them for tarpon in the 12-weight size. The soft tip makes short presentations easy but the big butt-section can really put the heat on fish.

So, if it were me and I wanted to do both fresh and salt I'd buy a rod I liked to cast that had the appropriate saltwater hardware.

Hope that helps.
Bonehead
 
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