re: The Fly Fishing Thread: Questions, pics, discussion all here

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You really don't need to strip set redfish if you've got a decent 8wt with a solid backbone

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I guess with a rod set you at least you're already half way to making a second cast after missing the fish

Seriously though, strip strike. Learn how to set the hook. Many many thousands of hours on a skiff disagree with strip striking not being necessary. There is a reason trout guys come down and blow hook sets the first day of fishing our bulls.

Sure, you might get away without strip striking, but one day you will lose that dirty thirty by trout lifting like a girl scout.

A fun thing to try is tie your tippet off to a scale and pull on it with your rod. I did this with a 9 weight recently and with a rod set, or trout lift, I couldn't generate more than about 3-4 pounds of pressure. Maybe 5 pounds but I felt like any more set and the rod was going to snap. With a low angle and slowly putting pressure, like I was fighting a fish with the bend in the rod butt, I could only pull about 10 pounds. Our heavy forward taper fly lines have a ton of stretch. Combine that with the modern fast action rods, strip strikes becomes all that more important. Unless of course you have a one piece H2 or zenith that you can yank on without it blowing up.