Recommendations:

I receive no compensation for the following endorsements. These are the products I use and enjoy. These are my personal opinions and observations.

Rods:

I own rods by Sage, Loomis, Orvis, T&T, and L.L.Bean (both factory built and custom built by my father from blanks). My favorites for the flats are:

9.5 ft. #7 Loomis GL3, great for schoolies and small blues, an easy rod to cast all day.

9 ft. #8 Sage RPLX-3, my #1 flats rod for all fishing right now. Use a #9 line.

9 ft. #9 Sage RPLX, the single most usefull rod for this type of fishing. Use a #10 line.

10 ft. #10 Loomis IMX, a cannon.

 

If I were going to simplify I'd go with the #9 Sage. It's a little heavy for schoolies. I prefer casting the #8, but it's a little light for big fish in current.

Reels:

I prefer heavy, machined reels with a lot of line capacity. My favorites for the above rods are:

Lamson LP 3.5, a workhorse that's never missed a beat in 8 years.

Fin Nor #2 AR, second generation. A beautiful little reel.

Fin Nor #3, third generation. Nice reels, but finicky drag settings.

Tibor Everglades. A joy to use. I'd like to buy a Riptide in the future.

 

Fly lines:

Wulff Triangle Tapers. I very seldom use floaters, but if you desire one, this is the way to go. The longer front head (by 10 feet) loads fast-action rods very well.

 

Scientific Anglers Uniform Sink (Type IV). Good casting, fast sinking line. Good contact with the fly. Prone to tangles and not a very durable line. I usually have to replace these at the end of the season.

 

Cortland Saltwater Quick Decent. Great casting sinking line. Reaches the fish quickly.

 

Airflow Fast Intermediate, Clear. My first choice for all flats fishing right now. Great casting, tangle resistant, and I think that the clear line is a big advantage.

 

If I were going to simplify I'd go with the Airflow and the Cortland SW QD. Yes, you need both.

 

Leaders:

9 ft. leader for small streamers:

4 feet of .024

2 feet of .021

1 foot of .017

2 feet of fluorocarben tippet, 12lb.

 

7 ft. leader for crabs:

3 feet of .024

1.5 feet of .021

9 inches of .017

1.75 feet of fluorocarben tippet, 12lb.

 

I use RIO Saltwater for the leader material. I tie a perfection loop in the butt end for connection to the flyline. All of the connections are barrel/blood knots. Tie many and keep them in little Ziplock bags.

 

 

Spin Fishing: Say it isn't so!

 

Polarized Glasses:

Buy the best you can afford. I use tan, but having a pair of yellow lenses for cloudy days would be nice as well.

 

Recommended Reading

 

Misc:

If you're buying yourself a treat...

Boga Grips are very nice to have, especially for blues (but also large stripers).

Abel Pliers are fantastic.

A good stripping basket

A good hook file

A good knife

Plenty of sunscreen

 

I fish from a 1994 Hewes Redfisher. It replaced a 1986 Boston Whaler Outrage 18, which was a good fishing platform, but big and heavy for the flats. The Hewes is spectacular. I adore that boat. If you want to talk boats, e-mail me off of my main page.

 

 

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