What wt. rod should i get

[newfly]

OK i have a 3wt. a 5wt. and a 9wt. now. I now want a rod to use for bass and would like to use it in saltwater on my trips to florida. Should i get a 6wt or a 7wt. i was think 7wt. would be better. Is this overkill for bass? also any reels you think would work good for this?and line also? thanks

[Flash005]

I don't think a 7wt is overkill. I use an 8wt. Not so much for the Bass, but to throw a big heavy popper or streamer. The bigger rod lets me get push those big flies into a wind. Truthfully, I never met a bass I couldn't whip on my 4wt, but that rod doesn't work very well throwing that 3/0 frog pattern.

[Windknot]

If nothing else, it keeps the numeric sequence going! And that 7 will cast a larger fly with relative ease.

Try to balance the rig so it isn't too tip heavy. Bass won't tax your reel, so spend only what you want to spend for one.
Don

[dv]

7 weight should work great for bass,If your going to fish salt also, I would go to an 8. Keeper size redfish will sometimes even put the 8 weight to the test..Don

[GUTHOOKED]

I use an 6,7, and 8wt rods for bass, and all do the job pretty well. Since you want to use it in the salt also, I'd definitely recommend at least a 7wt, maybe an 8.

I agree with Don on reels for bass, but again, you may want something more in the salt. There are lots of reels out there that will get the job done, but I'm partial to Galvans. The Galvan open-back is a great reel with a smooth drag, and it will last you a lifetime. At around $250 - $300 its not cheap, but it doesn't hurt your wallet nearly as bad as most of the higher end reels.

[NickelCigar]

make sweet salty rigs, will handle bone,trout,reds, and any bass that swims. Check out Old Florida reels.http://www.nautilusreels.com/

[GonetoSeed]

Something to try when testing rods would be to test cast a fast 7 wt with an 8wt WF (bass taper line if you can), testing casts at ~30 to 45'. At the shorter distances usually fished for bass, a fast 7wt will very likely load easier and certainly carry light but big wind resistant flies. Then test cast a 7wt line at cast longer distances. If it works out, you can buy a good, mid priced reel and extra spool. Line one spool with an 8wt WF and line the extra spool with a 7wt intermediate for salt.

[mmarkey]

My choice would be for the 7 wt. Just to keep the even progression.

[Ivan]

I routinely use a 7 ft 4wt rod for Bass with an Orvis battenkil 3/4 reel. It has caught bass up to 6 lbs with no problem. Bass don't really put that much demand on my gear. I will go to an eight weight if I'm fishing large 3/0 to 7/0 streamers,divers or bugs. The wind or heavy cover Weeds, blowdowns and such are also considerations for Bass.

To asked for a rod that would be good for salt and fresh water is a wide open question.
I have used 3 and 4 wts for weakfish(seatrout), small blues, small stripers and flounders (fluke in the Northeast). Fished for bonefish where a 5wt was good one day and the next day you couldn't cast a 9 wt into that wind ( we all tried; impossible).
I own every rod wt between 2 and 9 some multiples of some size (4wts). like a golfer I like to have the right tool for the Job. I am not saying go out an buy one in every weight. It took me a lot of years and I build my own but you have to have an idea of what type of fish you are going to go after with next rod and then take a quess about what would be the best general rod for your that type of quarry. If your not going after 30 lb stripers you won't need a nine weight.

As for reels I go for high quality low to Moderately priced reels like the tiogas, Orvis: Mid Arbor, Bar Stock and Battenkill, STH and the Okuma Reels; all well under $150.00, (the Okuma large arbor is under $100.00). I own Okumas (standard arbor) that I use for everything from 4 wt to 7 wt that I Compare to any reel out there in terms of reliability and service (under $50.00). In fact the Okuma Sierra 456 ($42.00) has taken many a bonefish. I use 100 yds of 12 lb backing (No Problem Man):cool: . No need to spend a lot of money on Salt Water only reel if you are only making a couple of trips a year! That way I can buy three or four reels for the price of one of those reels supposedly designed for salt water only reels. Then I'm a cheapskate anyway!

Get a 7 wt (Just a quess!)

Just my 2 cents.