Gearing up for 2006

[Fish_King_7]

Hey future and veteran salt guys! I just wanted to post some essentials that I think evryone salt fisherman needs. For all you that are just starting or are interested in starting to fish for our coasts stripers here is a list of gear I find very usefull. Feel free to join in and fill the gaps I might leave open vets.

Rod
7-10wt depending on preference, flies, wind condition and fish.
I personally prefer an 8wt for everything and sometimes i like to fish my 5wt even for little schoolies early season.

Reel
K.I.S.S. Make sure any reel you use is very simple. I personally love my Teton as well as their tioga. There motto is Beautifully Simple, and thats perfect for any saltwater senario. I clean my gear everytime it touches the salt and I have found that you will have far less problems and even shorter cleaning time with simple reels. Some reels to consider are Orvis Mid Arbor, Teton, Teton Tioga, Lamson Velocity, LLBEAN Orion, Ross Canyon...and some others I cant think of at the moment.

Line
A good intermediate line should handle everything for the beginning salt angler. I fell in love with Rio's striper lines and have there intermediate for my 8wt. I worked everywhere last eyar and i fished it hard. However I found in some cases I wanted to get down lower so I did end up getting there stiper DC 250grain for my 8wt and I know many people who love this line as well. If you are limited in cash I recomend there intermediate and then buy a rio 12' fast sinking tip you can buy for like 9 bucks. This got me down almost everywhere i needed the few extra feet last season, and they cast like a dream combined with the intermediate line.

Leader
I prefer a 40-30-20 leader rig uses a perfection loop for the top and then double surgeons to connect the rest. For material I really like berkley trilene big game. You can vary the leanghths of each section to better suit conditions. or like some people I know just fish straight 20lbs.

Flies
A lot of people suggest clousers and decievers to the beginer so Im going to throw those out there for you gusy to try. I personally have a ton of saltewater flies I use BUT I constantly find myself useing mainly two paterns and some variations of them. a GUITAR MINNOW and a GROCERY POLLACK. you can buy these flies at Eldrdge Brother Fly shop in Cape neddick Maine or contack them for there recipe. You can see pics of these flies and some other good ones at the website, www.eldredgeflyshop.com

Misc.
I have found that a good fanny pack is all you need to carry your essentials and that packing light is nice on hot summer days. I like to carry these things with me always.

-a good pair of polarized sunglasses- I got a pair of smith action optics and love em
-WATER!
-Sun Block- I really like the clear spray on
-Clippers
-tape or other form of stripping finger portectors
-lots of tippet
-hook sharpener

I have also found that a boga grip can be very useful if you get into some big fish or blues

As for fly boxes I really love the flywallets. i cant think of the name of thm but they hold tons of flies, are only like 18 bucks and stay flat. They have a velcro case and little plastic baggies on the inside for your flies.(maybe someone can remember the brand)

And dont forget have FUN!!! :lol:

Caleb

[BugChucka]

I also use a Teton for salt!!!!!!!

Awesome post man!

[Steamtrain]

for your leader what are the lengths of 40, 30, and 20 do you use?

[Fish_King_7]

They are anywher from 3ft each to any combo for you flies, sometime for heavy flies I use 4ft 40-2' 30 and 2' 20 or with sinking line 2'each or w/e best suits the situation

Caleb

[Steamtrain]

thanks

[mtnzone]

rarely use a leaeder, four or five foot straight mono for stripers. the3 weight of the fly will roll it over, but everyone has there own preference.

[Mountain Angler]

I always used a two part leader for years, 25 pound Maxima with a 12 or 10 pound tippet attached by the loop to loop method. A few years ago I went out with a guide who took the time to look over my gear and checked my leader. He immediately cut off my leader and nail knotted a new one on. The new leader was a hand tied one of several sections. The new leader was an obvious improvement over the old ones I had been using. I couldn’t believe how much easier it was to cast the big bunker flies that we were using that day. When the day ended the guide cut off the leader and took it back. I searched in vain to find the source of these leaders and then one day out of the clear blue this guy calls me and tells me that he tied leaders. He happened to mention that one of his customers was this guide. I ordered a dozen stripper leaders and a dozen trout leaders on the spot. That first year I had them I gave a few away to some of my dedicated striper fishermen. They all came back for more. They are tied by a guy from PA and by the name of Gary. Trust me I will never go back to my old system. A well tied leader will out perform a single or two part leaded every time, something that salmon anglers have known for years. Needless to say Gary's leaders are a basic item in our shop.