# 2 wt in the salt :)



## mro (Jan 24, 2018)

i tied a couple 12 and 14 , even weighted two.
I'm planning on testing out my boat as it has yet to be in the water...
BUT I just can't go for a ride so I already put my 2 wt in the truck (fits behind the seat).
perch, jack smelt, shiners and once in a while an anchovy. 
The smelt can run up to a foot or so, the perch (several kinds) can go up to 3 or 4 pounds while most caught are 6 to 10 inches long. Get too close to the bottom and you might catch a "bullhead" (looks like a small catfish).
All of these can get eaten by predators like strippers, halibut white/black sea bass or small rock fish.

So I might have an epic fish report tomorrow


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

mro said:


> i tied a couple 12 and 14 , even weighted two.
> I'm planning on testing out my boat as it has yet to be in the water...
> BUT I just can't go for a ride so I already put my 2 wt in the truck (fits behind the seat).
> perch, jack smelt, shiners and once in a while an anchovy.
> ...


hipshot fishes a 2wt in salt, he will chime in if he sees this.


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## AZ_squid (Mar 14, 2018)

That's gonna be one hell of a ride if a couple pound fish decides he wants what you're offering. Let us know how it goes!


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## hipshot (Sep 29, 2018)

I've caught quite a few slot reds on the two weight. I also use my half weight for specks when the water's cool. The biggest challenge is tying flies on viable hooks that can be cast with a UL rod. That, and finding days when the wind gods let you use a UL fly rod in the salt.


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## permitchaser (Aug 26, 2013)

I don't agree with the use as small of fly rod you Can, just me. Seems it takes so long to land a fish on a 2 wt. That the fish would die of boredom. Am I alone in this thinking or am I just a cremugen


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## hipshot (Sep 29, 2018)

permitchaser said:


> I don't agree with the use as small of fly rod you Can, just me. Seems it takes so long to land a fish on a 2 wt. That the fish would die of boredom. Am I alone in this thinking or am I just a cremugen


Unless I use a very light tippet it doesn't take much longer with a 2 weight than it does with the five or six weight. I fight the fish with the butt of the rod. If you use a 2 weight with an 8# fluorocarbon tippet you can put a lot of pressure on the fish. Try it; you'll see.


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## Gadaboutgaddis (Jan 19, 2019)

When I lived in Massachusetts there was a guide in a drift boat off all things that I went out with several times on the Merrimack river at night. We fished for schoolie stripers on a 2 wt. Great fun and good memories 30-40 fish a night were the norm.


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## mro (Jan 24, 2018)

hipshot said:


> when the wind gods let you
> 
> It was only supposed to be blowing 13 knots, but was more like 15 plus.
> I never left the marina area (and adjacent commercial docks where 100' barges were tied up)
> ...





permitchaser said:


> or am I just a cremugen


Yes.... 

BTW, I use a 10 pound tippet on the two in the salt.
Buggers have never been leader shy.


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## Drifter (Dec 13, 2018)

mro said:


> i tied a couple 12 and 14 , even weighted two.
> I'm planning on testing out my boat as it has yet to be in the water...
> BUT I just can't go for a ride so I already put my 2 wt in the truck (fits behind the seat).
> perch, jack smelt, shiners and once in a while an anchovy.
> ...


You fish for the perch in the surf or freshwater? Surf perch are great.


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## jay.bush1434 (Dec 27, 2014)

I've fished my 7'6 3wt in the canal lights behind my house a few times. Caught schoolie specks and smaller reds up to about 20". I use 6lb tippet that I would use on my 4wt when chasing small browns on my annual freshwater trip. Yes it is fun, not my game though. For playing around in the canal I usually use my 6wt because there can be some tanks on the edge of the lights.


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## mro (Jan 24, 2018)

Drifter said:


> You fish for the perch in the surf or freshwater? Surf perch are great.


Incidental catch in the salt.
i originally bought the 2 and kept it in the closet on our dock at Bethel Island, (CA Delta).
i had several other rods in there too.
Couple push button types, one spinning and one bait caster.
All ready to use. Anyone invited there and was old enough to hold a rod could use them.
The 2 has also accompanied me to Alaska, used in Grizzly Creek below our property and on rare occasions fished in SF Bay.


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## mro (Jan 24, 2018)

Almost all you catch with the small flies I use are what people out here use for bait.
You can buy a Sabiki bait rig, (3 to 6, #14 hooks dressed with synthetic....
and use it on your bait rod to catch your own bait without throwing a cast net at them.
Much more fun with the 2 wt though,


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## permitchaser (Aug 26, 2013)

mro said:


> Almost all you catch with the small flies I use are what people out here use for bait.
> You can buy a Sabiki bait rig, (3 to 6, #14 hooks dressed with synthetic....
> and use it on your bait rod to catch your own bait without throwing a cast net at them.
> Much more fun with the 2 wt though,


How in the name of fly fishing can you compare using a Sabiki to fishing a 2wt. I've caught some Grunts on a Sabiki that would break you 2wt.


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## ifsteve (Jul 1, 2010)

So you are using 8# tippet and fighting the fish with the butt of the rod? Great. So what's the point of the 2wt then other than to stroke your ego by telling everybody how cool you are?And of course, when a bigger fish presents itself you just let it swim on by because you know the 2wt is a bad tool for that fish.


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## Brydan (May 31, 2020)

I fished the CA surf for years, mostly from Pismo to Monterey. Almost all the perch fishing was with a 5wt Sage DS in those days. More than enough rod to quickly land fish. While not my cup of tea, a 2 wt I think would've been fine. Especially as was mentioned, the small flies would select out the smaller fish for the most part. If that was my set-up I'd probably target Smelt a lot. They're fun and often caught right up close to the beach in the right conditions.


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## hipshot (Sep 29, 2018)

ifsteve, since you don't know me I'll write your comment about telling everyone how cool I am as ignorance. What I am telling people is that light tackle yields a lot more fun than heavier tackle. You don't have to like it and you don't have to use it. But I've been doing it for a lot of years and have caught several class record fish. None of them recorded. Not looking for the fame and glory. Looking for the fun. So rather than talk down to people who aren't carbon copies of you, try learning from others' experiences. You just might benefit from it. And for the record, since you want to pick at my tackle, I normally use a 4# tippet with the 2 weight. The 8# is reserved for abrasive environments or for short bite tippets. But as a fly angler, you are surely aware that the leader and tippet are the weak links, not the rod. My 5' half weight won't put much pressure on a fish, but my 8' two weight is capable of quite a bit of pressure. There's no need for you to pop off with smartassed remarks about something you obviously aren't up to speed on.


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## ifsteve (Jul 1, 2010)

hipshot said:


> ifsteve, since you don't know me I'll write your comment about telling everyone how cool I am as ignorance. What I am telling people is that light tackle yields a lot more fun than heavier tackle. You don't have to like it and you don't have to use it. But I've been doing it for a lot of years and have caught several class record fish. None of them recorded. Not looking for the fame and glory. Looking for the fun. So rather than talk down to people who aren't carbon copies of you, try learning from others' experiences. You just might benefit from it. And for the record, since you want to pick at my tackle, I normally use a 4# tippet with the 2 weight. The 8# is reserved for abrasive environments or for short bite tippets. But as a fly angler, you are surely aware that the leader and tippet are the weak links, not the rod. My 5' half weight won't put much pressure on a fish, but my 8' two weight is capable of quite a bit of pressure. There's no need for you to pop off with smartassed remarks about something you obviously aren't up to speed on.


Well you don't know me either. I have a lot of experience with ultra light tackle. And as I said in the first place. It can work. Its just IMO, not appropriate for the salt. In all my years of fly fishing there is one thing I have never seen. Now don't get your panties in a wad. Maybe you do this. But I have never seen an angler pass on a potential shot because the tackle they were using at the time was undersized for that fish. 

If you do then great. Knock yourself out. And yes I was probably more flippant than I should have been.But that doesn't change the bottom line and apparently, from the other comments on here, I am not the only one who thinks 2wts don't belong in the salt.

Ever watched a video of how they catch billfish on 4# line? That's a joke and isn't fishing in my book.


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## Steve_Mevers (Feb 8, 2013)

permitchaser said:


> I don't agree with the use as small of fly rod you Can, just me. Seems it takes so long to land a fish on a 2 wt. That the fish would die of boredom. Am I alone in this thinking or am I just a cremugen


I agree, regardless if I am saltwater fishing or trout fishing I want to get the fish to hand and released as soon as possible.


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## Steve_Mevers (Feb 8, 2013)

jackson man said:


> I watched Tred Barta catching billfish and dolphin (38.6# w/6# tippet) with light lines (4-6#). He landed a 215 # bigeye tuna on 20# line but it took him over 5 hrs. to land.


That's fine if you plan on keeping the fish, if you are playing the catch and release game then you are stressing the fish to much.


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## kjnengr (Jan 16, 2018)

Not saying I would do it, but it can be done without fighting the fish for a long time and harming it. 






If one fights with the butt of the rod similarly to how they should with big fish, either one of two things is going to happen. The line will break and the fish gets away and gets a break, or the fish gets whooped in a short amount of time. Fighting the fish like the bassmasters do and most people who don't fight big fish well will however result in a long played fish and problems for both the fish and the rod.


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## Mark H (Nov 22, 2016)

kjnengr said:


> Not saying I would do it, but it can be done without fighting the fish for a long time and harming it.
> 
> If one fights with the butt of the rod similarly to how they should with big fish, either one of two things is going to happen. The line will break and the fish gets away and gets a break, or the fish gets whooped in a short amount of time. Fighting the fish like the bassmasters do and most people who don't fight big fish well will however result in a long played fish and problems for both the fish and the rod.


Yeah. Sounds like some people may be using what I heard Flip call the Orvis position to fight fish.


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## Caddis (Feb 2, 2020)

Good Lord. If you have a 2wt and want to use it in the salt, do it!
Reminds me of posts looking at hunting with a gun or bow.


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## Brydan (May 31, 2020)

I know right! Especially considering the OP is talking about smelt fishing, they're like catching a hot dog with fins


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