On my largely fruitless trip to Hawaii recently I brought along a Redington Predator 9 wt. to cast. Now, bones are usually an 8 wt. fish… sometimes a 7, rarely a 6 and fished for with a 5 wt. by one of the folks I once interviewed. Nines really don’t make the list too often. The trade-winds in Hawaii are a reason to move up a weight and so I brought a 9 and not an 8.
There were times I’d get bored of not catching bonefish and when that happened, I’d go huck some flies in the dropoffs and see what I could get to bite. That meant making a few hundred casts in the wind with a 9 weight and trying to lay out as much line as I could.
I’ll tell you what… the Predator did just fine. I wish I could tell you how it handled with a fish on the other end… but… well… yeah… not so much what I got a chance to experience. What I can tell you is that I laid out some serious string with this thing.
The price point is $249 and that’s not bad. That’s 1/2 the cost of the Orvis Hydros and for that price you get about 2x the weight. This isn’t one of those Ultra Light rods. It is more a traditional saltwater rod… fast and up to the elements. You cast it a lot all day and it is going to start feeling a little heavy. You actually find yourself fishing in a place where there are a decent number of bonefish, you’ll do just fine.
It isn’t a rod that blew me away. That’s not what this rod is. It is a workhorse, not a show horse.
I’d fish it.
The Predator
- Unique Post
Bummer on the fish but it’s always fun looking. The 9wt is the standard here on Aitutaki and more than likely Hawaii if for no other reason they are big fish.
Getting a bone would have been the icing…kinda felt for you as I was one of the folks that suggested Haviiieee when you were asking for suggestions of places to go. Kauai isn’t Oahu (in more ways than one), but hey, at least you had some shots. I’m sure you learned some valuable lessons in your short time there. As you know, if you want a sure thing regarding shooting fish in a barrel, it’s the Bahamas, or better yet the Yucatan, but this doesn’t necessarily make you a better fisherman. Catching a bone in certain places is worthy of 10-15 in other spots. Speaking of the Bahamas…several years ago, a group I led there had 25-30 m.p.h. winds facing us all day, every day for a week. The good ol’ 9 weight saved our butts. It’s my rod of choice here in the salt of south Florida becuase of the wind, huge bonefish & should Mr. Permit show that nasty, black tail, I’m ready without having to switch rods. So, 9 wts. aren’t only for the Pacific tradewinds.
I really am not bothered by not getting fish in Hawaii. It was just a tougher place than I though it would be, but I did have some shots. I just didn’t convert them. I have seen eager fish and I’ve seen their polar opposite. That’s just fishing.
I bought a predator 10wt and I have it loaded with an 11wt line.you hit it on the head, a complete work horse. It handles high loads very well.
Thanks for sharing.
Sergio