What would be an ideal flats fly rod for Florida redfish in the 5 to 7 pound range? Better to stick with 9' or 10' ? What would be a good all around weight ?

This is pretty subjective but if it were me, I'd use a 9 foot, 7-weight rod. Perhaps an 8-weight at the outside.

I'm sure there would be some advantages in going with a 10 footer, but for me the additional length and the line weight involved tends to be more tiring over the course of a day's fishing. That's why I tend to stick to 9 feet maximum for this type fishing.

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Most of my fishing is inshore snook and redfish. The standard rod for this type fishing is a 9 foot, 8wt. I like the 8wt over the 7wt due to wind conditions you encounter on the flats, but on calm days I will often go down to a 6wt. My two favorite blanks are the Batson RX 8+ and the less expensive RX 8. I lean toward medium fast to fast action rods with backbone. In my opinion, you gain nothing going to a 10 foot rod other than a tired shoulder.

Bob Riggins Wrote:
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> Most of my fishing is inshore snook and redfish.
> The standard rod for this type fishing is a 9
> foot, 8wt. I like the 8wt over the 7wt due to
> wind conditions you encounter on the flats, but on
> calm days I will often go down to a 6wt. My two
> favorite blanks are the Batson RX 8+ and the less
> expensive RX 8. I lean toward medium fast to fast
> action rods with backbone. In my opinion, you
> gain nothing going to a 10 foot rod other than a
> tired shoulder.

Of the two blanks wich one do you find to be faster? I've really been falling in love with the new Rainforest II blanks lately. I built an 8wt a while back that is a real cannon. I'm not the best caster in the world but I can nail 95 to 100 feet in a breeze with these. How do the RX8+ and RX8 compare? Have you tried the CTS blanks yet?

I use the exact same blank as Bob for freshwater bonefish rods. I've even built it in a 7wt and used a 8 wt line.
single foot guides also.

Here in the Lower Laguna Madre, TX I use a Dan Craft FT 5wt most mornings lined with 6wt line, 7wt lined with 8wt when the wind is blowing.

The Dan Craft's can fire line through the wind and have plenty of power deep in the rod when you got your drag wrenched up.

Built mine with single foot wire guides all the way, exept for stripper, realized having a clean line is more important than guide type. Fishing the sand and mud flats can dirty your line, along with the use of a stripping basket, casting to the backing is no problem.

The RX 8 is the faster of the two. It is more raw power and has a slightly stiff feel. The RX 8+ is much more sophisticated. It is fast action, but has a deceptively smooth feel and is lighter. Of course, it costs about twice as much as the RX8. As far as "feel", I would probably put the Rainshadow II somewhere between the two, but in actuality, I think both of the RX blanks are faster. I have not cast a CTS.

I fish the flats for tailing reds often and also blind cast anywhere in the salt. I have at least 10 8-weight rods in all configurations. Last year I built on a 9-foot, cobalt blue, Fishcreek 8-weight blank and I also built a matching rod for a friend in SC. We fished the flats last summer in SC with these rods and found that these rods are not only beautiful but they are also absolute cannons. At $100 bucks, they are a steal. You won't be dissapointed. David Spence, Cape Custom Rods, Beaufort, NC

I'm not familiar with Fishcreek blanks. Where do they come from and who makes them?

9'0" 7wt ... St Croix 42F907.4.

FishCreek blanks are sold by Scott Parsons at Fish-Sticks-a board sponsor at the left.

i have many 8wts and that is my all around rod for the coast. i like the 8wt as the all around to handle wind and the flies i use. i have dan craft, st croix, fish creek, and even have one of the new mhx blanks that will be available soon. they are all good blanks that i recommend. i have cast may others and the batson lines are very good as well as CTS. the fish creek blanks are a great deal for the money and i dont think you would be dissapointed, but all of these are very nice

I'm not sure where in Florida you plan to fish for reds, but in my area (Space Coast), the reds run a whole lot larger than that. While you can try to target slot-sized fish, we see lots of schools of reds in the 20-40 lb class on the flats. That would be Mosquito Lagoon, the Indian River and the Banana River.
Must of the flats guides who have me build fly rods for them are getting 9' for either 9 or 10 wt line.