weighted flies to fly line question

[fishsalmon]

To those more seasoned, I ask for guideance.

What is the right size weighted fly when tossing a 7wt floating line? An area I will start to fish soon for stripers is a drop from 5-8 feet and I find I can use an intermediate or floating line there. Often I use the floating so i can change between popper, deceiver and clouser and vary the presentation. So my question - as I tie, what would be the right weight for the eyes to match my 7wt? I have heavier flies for my 9wt as well but seem to have a hard time casting weighted flies with the 7wt.

Thanks in advnce for any feedback

Blake "Fish" Salmon

[BYRD]

Glad to see you preparing. See the boat thread lately?

[Dave Sikorski]

Blake-

You might want to look into a 250 grain line is good for shallow water applications

I had a 250 teeny until it met it's demise on my prop.

but as far as fly weights, go with what you can cast without putting it in your back.

-D

[fishsalmon]

Byrd,
One of us has to tie. Figure if I am going to watch you out fish me it might as well be with a fly I tied.

Dave,
I can successfully keep from hitting myself - unless the wind is hard from my right. I am just trying to get a better "presentation" and figure why not at least eliminate the weight of the fly from my list of poor excuses.

Blake

[CapeMayRay]

Tough question. I do not use 7 wt. but on 8 wt I never use sinking flies on floating line. I use my weighted flies on intermediate and sinking lines. I am sure you can cast them but getting them down is the question. No matter what wt line the size of the weighted fly is the big factor. I have a few that you do not cast, but fling. Sort of the old chuck and duck. Heavy flies can be dangerous.

[rarhomes]

Your right Blake, you don't need a weighed fly if you are using a intermediate or sinking fly line. It is hard to cast a weighted fly. You might try to add a little lead wire to your fly. Just take a short piece, maybe 3/4" to 1" wrap it around the hook shank. That way you can add just enough that the fly sinks at the same rate as the line.

LOL

Capt. Rick

[Dave Sikorski]

Blake-

A weighted fly with a floating line can limit your ability to cover water

One of the major differences between fly and spin fishing is the ability to pause the fly in the face of the fish, and allow it to downright piss them off. Fish also get tired of a lure jigging in their face. If you get that "food" down in their neighborhood and twitch it and let the current move the fibers around you're in business.

I use a floating line and a clouser for flounder, but only in water about waist deep. With an 8-9' leader and some patience I essentially drift the fly in the current and it bounces along the bottom. Much deeper and I'm doing a lot more counting to 10 then I am actively stripping or fishing the fly.

With the sinking line you can take a nice fat deceiver and get it down in the zone....ie 5ft. twitch and strip it, and keep it in the zone as the boat drifts along.

The extra weight of the line really helps load the rod and launch a heavy or wind resistant fly.

of course fish will prove me wrong on any given day, and that's my $.03


-D

[fishsalmon]

Alright, good feedback so far, now maybe I need to ask a different question.

I have a spot that Byrd and I fish for small schoolie stripers. As mentioned it drops from 5-8ft and we are targeting that area. I have seen the fish actively work the surface some days and on others we have to get it to the 8ft area to garner a strike. If I am taking one rod and one reel, am I better with an sinking or intermediate than a floating line? Figure my 9wt is over kill for 16-20in fish, thus the discussion on a 7wt. I had thought floating so I could bring an assortment of flies to work the water column. Is this a wrong approach.

I have been fly fishing for just one year and so far all on my own. Any and all opinions are welcome.

v/r Blake

[BYRD]

Great question, I'm waiting with much anticipation.

[Dave Sikorski]

I think you will be better off with an intermediate line.

I use my Rio Deep lake 7, a full sink, almost exclusively on the chesapeake. I only have a floating line rigged up for popper duty in the shallows around the full moon.

It just takes some getting used to drifting the fly along the bottom, or stripping faster to work the fly a little more shallow.

One day a month ago on some breakers in 10 ft I tore up the bigger fish b/c I fished the edges of the school and down deep. I could also cast into the middle of them, and watch them hit my fly as I stripped it in. It was never deeper than 2ft. b/c I kept it moving.

Even if you want to fish a popper or a crease an intermediate doesn't sink fast enough to drag the fly down quickly.

-D