what wt rod for the back bay

[slamming snizz69]

Hey guys what wt rod should I get to fish around the bidges,sod bank and maybe the mouths of the point pleasant canal. I will be targeting schoolie bass maybe up to 10lbs cocktail blues and possibly the elusive weakfish

[Flyguy784]

Simple, call Bob Filger at Colton rods. He'll hook you up with exactly what you need. Rod/Reel/Line. Fairly inexpensive and nice.

[CapeMayRay]

If you were only going to have one fly rod, I would go with a 9 wt. That puts you right in the middle. You can have fun with smaller, plus any larger fish you might catch.

[Foureel]

I have been fishing with a 9wt and it is a good all around choice for NJ waters. I have floating, intermediate and sinking lines on three different spools and can inter change them on my reel. This gives you lots of versatility depending on conditions and the water depth you are fishing.

[Flyguy784]

As has been said, 9wt is the best all around rod for your pursuit. I tend to fish more on the ocean side of this equation so I use a heavy (350 grain) line on my 9wt. Ray fishes the back all the time, he might recommend a slightly lighter line. What say ye Ray?

I'll say this, just from experience. Although I have spare spools for almost all my reels, (I have a dozen), I very rarely change a spool onboard the boat and even more rarely when I was hoppin rocks or walking the beaches. It's always wise to have a spare along, you can get a fly line caught in a spinning prop or the line can get chewed up in the rocks and barnacles, it does happen. I would say, the most frequent reason for me to change a spool/line, while fishing, is if so much of the action is happening on top water that I can't capitalize on those surface blowups with a sinking line.

[CapeMayRay]

I agree with Yank. I like 300, 350, 400, and 450 grain lines when I am fishing in the deeper water. The 350 would be ideal in the deeper water as you can work it at many depths. It is good from a boat, jetty or beach, plus it will give you a good cast into a strong wind if needed. You can start stripping the second it hits the water and keep it higher in the water or let it sink a bit or allow it to go down as far as you want.

When fishing in the back in 6 feet of water or less I like to fish intermediate lines.

The only time I use a floating line in saltwater is when using a crease, popper or guggler type fly.

Fishing from a boat I am spoiled as I can carry a number of rods all rigged and ready so I can just change rods instead of changing spools. Changing spools is not all that bad you can do it pretty quick and is the most economical way to go when you are just starting out.

[Narragansett]

Simple, call Bob Filger at Colton rods. He'll hook you up with exactly what you need. Rod/Reel/Line. Fairly inexpensive and nice.

I agree with Yank, 9foot,9wt, and call Bob Filger at Colton Fly, he will fix you up fine, and reasonably. I have several of his rods, and they work with the best, and you will be supporting USA industry.