salt water question

[geedavell]

I've been fishing for trout in the Sierra and spotties in the bays of SoCal for several years but I am very new to fly fishing.

I'm thinking of getting an 8 wt setup for fishing the bays and surf fishing. (would this also work for salmon?)

What line would you recommend? Floating/sinking?
I see that Airflow makes a line for surf fishing. Will this line work in the bays too?
Most of the areas in the bay are 15-20'

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

I think a 9' #8 weight is good choice for a first larger fly rod.

Get some kind of a fast sinking integrated sink tip, around 20 to 30 feet of sinking.....Rio or Airflo.

Most would use Clouser minnows.

Do not false cast this setup much.

Keep your rod tip in the water to get a straight pull to the hook point.