One cannot successfully match a line to a rod or a rod to a line unless you know four things: 1. The power or strength of your rod. 2. The weight of the line. 3. The distance you wish to cast. 4. The "feel" YOU want your casting "outfit" to have.

Thanks to JC and LF, you can learn what you need to know in order to intelligently approach the subject of lines,rods and feel. Simply go to the left side of this page and punch in -- FEATURES, Rod Building, Common Cents System.

On the other hand, if you are too lazy read all that information, I can tell you that you cannot begin to predict the "right" line for your 5-Wt rod until you first know how strong your rod is. However, you can take the alternative approach, trial and error, if you have the time and money to spare. Good luck.