Hi Otto,

Some great advise above from Mikie, Bluegill, Joe, and all the rest.

One thought I had, essentially very similar to the above, is that it is no fun to try to throw a really heavy nymph such as a big stone nymph, or a heavy Klauser either. The weight is a problem on these heavy type flies, even if they don't catch much air. It can get to the point that it feels like you are using a spinning rod. With heavy flies, such as those described above, a heavy rod makes life much easier and more pleasant.

For bluegills, and the typical flies I use for bluegills and crappies, the 5 weight I use is fine. On those few occassions that I have fished with heavy bass flies, a 5 weight was inadequate, and an 8 or 9 weight was totally superior.

Regards,

Gandolf