Going to have the opportunity to go off the Oregon coast in a couple weeks for albacore. I've been told that a 12 weight is the way to go. Any suggestions for a budget blank that will do the job?

Scott Kinney
The Longest Cast Fly Rods
[www.thelongestcast.com]

St Croix will do fine. Legend elite or one of the lower lines will be fine. I use a legend elite out here on the east coast for breaking albies and it has plenty of muscle and still performs perfectly.

Kevin

You might wish to consider the CTS Revo 9', #10. It is designed to have tremendous lifting power. very fast tip for casting and stiff butt section. You may like it i/o casting a #12 all day.
Herb

Not familiar with fish species on the west coast, are you talking about albacore or false albacore (little tunny)? When I lived in NJ, I spend a decent amount of time targeting false albacore. I used a 9wt, with an intermediate clear tip line, and flouro leader. Flies that worked best were sparcely tied, small glass minnow patterns. The 9wt was a bit light, but did the trick. I used it because it is what I had at the time. If I could pick a rod for albie fishing, it would be a fast 10wt. A 12 wt is way too much rod for albies. You use a 12wt for BIG fish like sailfish or big tarpon. Albies put up a good fight, but you don't need a 12wt to do it. You want something fast as you will probably have to deal with some wind. As far as actual rods, that is personal preference. A 10wt is more or less a 10wt reguardless of who makes it. They all cast different, and my ideal rod might be very different from your favorite rod. I like Sage and the higher priced St Croix. I thing Loomis are a little too stiff. As far as budget blanks, I like TFO for saltwater applications. They are a little heavy, but faster than most of the other budget blanks on the market.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/19/2009 06:12PM by Dennis Dixon.

I agree. I used a 12 weight for sails and it was plenty for them. A 10 will be easier on the wrist!

Sounds like a fun trip.

Les

Regular albacore. I haven't been out before but from those who have, they run in the 15-45lb range, with most around 20-30. A 12 seems like a bit of overkill to me too but the standard is 14s for trolling (!) and 12s for casting using 500-600 grain lines. I have a couple of 10s that will be coming along but I would like to have at least one 12 so that if indeed I do need all that firepower, I won't be left in the dust.

And then there's the whole "if I have a 12 weight, I will need to make some trips to Baja and/or Florida in the near future" bit...

Scott Kinney
The Longest Cast Fly Rods
[www.thelongestcast.com]

I think I've found some clearanced Sevier TigerEyes for super cheap, they have both 12 and 14 weight models. For the price they're asking, I'll get one of each and be prepared for any trip that may come my way... :D

Scott Kinney
The Longest Cast Fly Rods
[www.thelongestcast.com]

The longer, heavier line weight fly rods are where differences in physical weight and speed really begin to be recognizable. This is where the upper end, so called "premium" blanks and rods do tend to offer an advantage.

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