Heavier lines provide the angler with very stable casting loops, even in wind and with larger flies than light lines do...and in my opinion often reduce effort required and certainly permit casting to more fish in those conditions.
This is where I have arrived with Spey (2 handed) rods. While I see 5 & 6 weight rods and some even lighter springing up around the market and rivers like weeds in my flower beds............ I continue to fish heavy lined rods for all species. I absolutely enjoy catching a trout on my rods even a 16" trout. I'm not in this to "fight a fish" I'm out to catch them. If I wanted a fight I would remember for the rest of my life I could get one in any saloon around here I'm sure
Now before my friends who love their light rods get worked up and think I've turned on them let me qualify what I mean. I fish with my Orvis 3 weight bamboo rod every fall for rainbow trout but I do that in just 2 streams where the rod is a good fit. Every no & then I end up with a silver salmon on the streamer that weighs 5 - 7 pounds and things get a little dicey but I manage to handle the salmon and haven't had to break one off yet. I fish 10 pound leader even on that light rod because not all the trout are 10 - 14" there are always a few surprises.
I have some five weights from 6'3" to 7'6" that I use for trout also and even on medium size streams I sometimes get out sized by a rainbow just too wild to be quickly handled with a short light rod. Most of the fish are not too big and a 5 weight is fine but I now have an 11'6" 7 weight Hardy Swift for some smaller creeks where I've been shamed by a fish in the past.
Now, what I said about the light 2 hand rods; my heavy lines just work better for me. I'm talking 875 grain lines with 65' heads and another 65' of shooting line behind the belly. For slinging an Intruder or a big tube........... or one of those big tasty Sculpins across a river nothing says howdy like a big fat heavy bellied line. Think of these like a giant Skagit head. It's the same concept just bigger and when you do hook a fish, be it an 18" rainbow or a 25 pound king salmon you are ready because the heavy line is attached to a stout rod.
Catching a fish is exciting. Those first few seconds when the fish makes frenzied moves brought on by the confusion of being hooked are crucial to whether you will land the fish and whether you'll do so quickly. Those few seconds I believe are where and when the heavy rods pay out big time. Last July I hooked one of the biggest rainbows ever. I was using my 1968 Orvis Full Flex fiberglass rod, 6'6" 5 weight. I love that rod, I love the CFO IV that I use with it. However when that rainbow grabbed the Sculpin and rushed back toward the root jam and then dove, I couldn't stop it. It ended up tangled in about 6 feet of water where I could see it and it continued to go nuts until it broke the 10 pound Ultra Green leader and escaped.
That was a really nice fish, I don't know how big and never will but I don't think I've caught one like that yet. My rod was way too soft and a disc drag would have been good. Yeah, I was palming the reel but I gave out too much line and I didn't notice the submerged tree until the fish swam under it...........
I'm more prone to use heavy rods and lines unless I get on my little home creeks in late September & October for what should be little trout
Ard
