Anyone trending upward in rod weight?

[turbineblade]

Hi - I finally bought a decent 9', 8-weight fly rod and a nice orvis access reel to match with it. I also own a 3-weight, a 5-weight and a 6-weight.

After using it for bass/bluegill fishing and landing a fairly large blue catfish yesterday on it, I'm starting to rethink my attraction to the 3-weight and/or lighter rods in general. Even in instances where they might be most applicable.

Why? Versatility mostly. Even though the 3-weight is fun to mess around with and casts *most of my flies without any problem, the 8 weight will also do this but will also toss my #4-6 bead head, lead-weighted woolly buggers with ease. Or basically anything else I feel like fishing at the moment. Basically, I can do whatever I want with the 8-weight versus the other rods. Yesterday it also helped me beat the 15-25 mph winds on the river.

I often spot big carp and bass around here, and I could also see this providing an advantage here as well.

My only concern was whether the 8 weight would protect the lighter tippets I may use. Since I only use 4, 6 and 8 pound mono for leader/tippet, this doesn't seem to be a problem at all. I did some breakage tests even using my 4 pound maxima mono and the 8 weight had no issue with it...even with a good bend down to the handle like when you're putting muscle onto a fish.

Anyone else tend to fish "upward" of where the trend now is? I'm strongly considering just using this 8-weight for damn-near everything now . People say the 5-6 weight is the most versatile, but I almost think a 7-8 really is. At least if you fish in warm water anyway.

 

[dabluz]

I heartily agree with you. I have a 7/8 weight and I'm very happy with it. I have been using this weight for over 40 years and have never felt "over gunned". If I want to cast tiny flies, I just use a finer tippet. If the conditions are super calm, I just lengthen my leader. I sometimes go down to 3/4 lb test tippet but mostly use 2 to 4 lb tippets.

I won a 9 weight outfit (Fenwick HMX and a Fenwick Nighthawk reel) in a local tournament and I'm anxious to try it out. I won it about 2 years ago and have not used it yet....lol. I plan to fish with big streamers for landlocked salmon this spring.

I have been fishing with a few fishermen who had 5 and 6 weight outfits and almost every one of them had complaints about being able to cast when it was a bit windy or when it was time to cast large flies.

However, I will buy a 5 weight 4 piece outfit someday. They are far from useless and are perfect for those calm evenings or mornings when the brook trout are rising to small mayflies.

 

[Rip Tide]

No one has ever accused me of being trendy , but I was never into "toy" rods.

 

[brookfieldangler]

I don't know if I'd say that I am trending that way, but I do have rods in even numbers from 2 to 8 plus a 9.

It's all about intended species for me not necessarily the possible accidental catch.

 

[turbineblade]

I guess "intended species" is a good thing to consider, but honestly I probably lean more toward "intended flies and conditions" now.

I like heavy woolly buggers, clousers, and bulky poppers on occasion. I may catch mostly smaller bass/catfish about 90% of the time...but big flies are a lot of work on a 5/6 weight. The 8 weight does it with ease.

Interesting opinions -- everyone is a bit different on this it seems

 

[fly_guy12955]

No. I like lite tackle. I have two 5wt fast action rods,,a BVK and a Thomas and Thomas 'no sanctuary' ..they are my bass rods. They are the biggest rods I need. My trout rods are all 4wt or less.

 

[s fontinalis]

I started with 8wt, then 5, then three, then 6.

 

[MoscaPescador]

I have a range of rods from 3 weight to 12 weight. I use the right rod for the job.

 

[shotgunfly]

For me (out in the eastern appalachian mountains) the 5wt gets most of the work. Good range and with both a mid and full flex I have 2 good tools to cast nearly all of the sizes and patterns (beads/wire/feathers/hair) I need.

I step it up to a 6wt tip flex/streamer for larger/heavier bass fishing.
Further for carp/stripers/shad with a 7wt
I go down to 4wts and 3wts for brookies and pan fish.

I've been told that an 8'6" 4wt is the only rod you need around here. I see the logic in that.

So I guess I DO tend toward the heavier wt as my go to.

 

[fredaevans]

+1 to what MP just said. 'Horses for Courses' as the Brit's would say. A 10'' trout deserves a 3wt, a 30# King Salmon will take more than a bit of 'up-lining'

 

[brookfieldangler]

I guess "intended species" is a good thing to consider, but honestly I probably lean more toward "intended flies and conditions" now.

"Intended flies and condition" is generally in direct correlation with intended species. If I am out fishing for bluegill, I know that most of my flies are going to be pretty darn small so the 2 of 4wt are gonna generally be my choices. If I am throwing tiny dry flies for them in a small creek or pond, then the 2 will probably be my main choice. If I plan on throwing some "bigger" poppers, I'll use the 4.

If I am chasing smallies, I'll be using weighted clousers or some smaller deer hair poppers so the 6 is my usual rod for that. If conditions are extra windy or if I am throwing bigger poppers, I'll generally throw the 8 instead. Same goes for large mouth.

My point is that intended species and intended flies generally go together.

 

[itchmesir]

With tons of trout water surrounding me and then the Mississippi River and lakes in the area... I need a lot of different tools for the right job... I own a 3, 4, 5, 6, 7/8, 9, 10/11... All have their own place and time

 

[shimloom]

I have to say I too have a rod weight for every possible situation I face for the fish I chase. 2 x 3wts , 2 x 5wts, 1 x 4,6,7,8wt. Seems to get the job done.

Craig

 

[turbineblade]

With tons of trout water surrounding me and then the Mississippi River and lakes in the area... I need a lot of different tools for the right job... I own a 3, 4, 5, 6, 7/8, 9, 10/11... All have their own place and time

I think it sounds sage to say something along the lines of the "tool for every job" thing but I don't actually believe it. Honestly, an average
moderate action 5-weight fly rod will protect the lightest tippet you might want to use making anything smaller not so much a "tool" as just as "personal preference" -- and don't get me wrong, I own a great little 3-weight. I enjoy it occasionally, but I honestly wouldn't consider it a tool for any particular job -- it's just a toy to me. And there's nothing wrong with that. It's fun, but its "utility" is basically just a subsection of what my 5-weight already does.

And then for my waters and targets, an 8-weight does just about everything I need...minus brook trout. And honestly, brookies aren't line shy so far in my experience on the Dry River and the Rapidan, and if I really wanted to be a moron I could probably use the 8-weight for it. I know, driving nails with a sledge. That's how I got to thinking about it -- that's all.

And no, I don't really know anything and I haven't been fly fishing my whole life. I'm often wrong and shouldn't be taken seriously, my wife learned that a long time ago. I should also probably mention that I always fish 2 softhackles on a swing when I fish a new trout stream -- nymphing only comes if I don't get hits on the wets . Is this old and crotchety?

Good opinions -- thank you for the input!

Obviously the trend is toward lighter line weights, probably because the technology for rods/lines is so much better now -- I get it. I was just curious whether anyone either didn't jump on board with lighter rods, and/or outright rejects them . It sounds like a few folks have taken the former route. Luddites!

 

[dpreller]

for me it just depends on where im fishing and what i need to use. i like to get some enjoyment out of my fish so if im fishing eight inch bluegills or 12 inch trout its gonna be my 3 or 4 wt. if im after 10 pound plus carp then its a 7 or 8. i could use a 7 for small trout and bluegill but why i wanna see the rod bend!

 

[s fontinalis]

basically you can fish the world with a 5 wt and an 8wt. But at a push you can fish it all with the 8wt.
I fished 4 US states with only an 8 wt, catching small brookies in Maine, Rainbows and browns in Colorado, Pennsylvania and NY, and steelies and GL salmon in NY...

then i got the other rods.

 

[brookfieldangler]

The problem I have with big rods like an 8wt for fish like blue gills, brookies, and other smaller fish is not so much presentation. In fact, I think it's quite well shown that you can make an 8wt work for anything. It may not give hte best presentation in the world, but it can still be done.

Instead, my problem comes in the fun factor. Catching a little blue gill or a 6" wild rainbow in the mountain blue line creeks of California is just plain old boring. It reminds me of using a bait casting reel that is spooled up with 60lb braid and attached to a 7' medium heavy broomstick for a 2lb bass. The initial hookset is fun simply because of the "take" which in all fairness is the pinnacle of the entire process to me. However, it is a plain old snooze fest after that. Skating this fish across the surface in record timing leaves nothing in the enjoyment bank.

 

[Ard]

Heavy rods are great, I do still like my little rods for small brooks but on any real river I find myself using a big Spey rod even for trout and grayling fishing anymore. The idea that catching smaller fish on a heavy rod isn't fun is (in my experience) not accurate. When I catch a 12 - 14" fish using an 8 weight 13' rod with a 12 pound tippet I can just reel them in and quickly release them. The faster you can do this, the more fish you will be able to catch in a given period of time. When a nice one grabs the fly you are ready and there aren't many theatrics when you land them either.

I don't 'Fight Fish' I catch them.

Ard

 

[Guest1]

No one has ever accused me of being trendy , but I was never into "toy" rods.

Same here. The way I look at them: Toys < 5 wt. > Real rods

 

[Rip Tide]

Same here. The way I look at them: Toys < 5 wt. > Real rods

My cut off is 4wt. They're a good size for dry flies, but I find that I don't need anything south of that.
I had a 3wt once, sold it.