Newbie Question
- This topic has 2 replies, 2 voices, and was last updated Sep 7, 2011 at 1:13 pm by
.
-
Posts
-
I have a question for the experienced anglers out here…
After some advice Saturday evening from Zach, I was able to hook a striper in the Chattahoochee Sunday evening on my 7.5′ 4 wt. rod. Let’s just say it was an exhilarating 30 seconds but unfortunately I lost the battle. Any advice on how to land it for the next time?
I appreciate the help as it was quite a rush to seem him hanging out in a seam and throwing the fly just upstream. Now I just need to get him into the net. Thanks!
Hey Tim –
You helped me load my boat, right? A 4 weight is just not a striper class rod. You *could* theoretically land a striper up to maybe 6 or 7 pounds on it but it would be an epic battle. Problem is there are a lot bigger stripers than that in there. You did very good to hook one! That isn’t easy wade fishing.
Let’s say a 4 weight is all you’ve got. My advice is to get a 15 lb. tapered leader and crank your drag all the way down. If you hook another, don’t try to fight it off the rod much; just point your stick at the fish and reel. If you can move him a bit, lift with the butt of the rod and don’t lift it beyond 45 degrees. Otherwise your rod is probably toast.
If you want to target stripers more efficiently look into an 8 weight rod, which will also do double duty for largemouth bass and redfish if you can get to the coast. A 10 weight is probably the true striper class rod but it’s less versatile and you don’t really need it unless you hook a 20+ lber. I would look at the TFO Lefty Kreh Professional series for a nice good quality but budget friendly 8wt. You’ll also need a reel with a drag and a line, obviously. I’d recommend an intermediate or a sink tip if you want to focus on stripers.
Zach
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.