line weight differences

Bear in mind, im am begginner:
I often hear that ligher weight rods may not be strong enough for bigger fish. I dont see exactly how that is. For example, what advantages(as far as larger fish) would a 10 weight have over a five weight if they both had the same strngth tippet?

[Jo]

well actually the question yo are really asking is this. Is a 5wt equal in rod strength to a 10wt?
It depends, but the 10wt would be stiffer under pressure. Its like the difference between a branch and a limb of a tree.

[ET custom flyrods]

First off I wouldnt be using the same "tippet" on a 10wt as I would be for a 5wt. The ten weight is able or should be able to pick up the line off the water quicker and cast much larger offerings. Second, that 10wt would or should have a lot more backbone for playing and lifting a bigger fish. Example: Salmon is your choice of fish. Average wt. of that fish say is 15lbs. You can use a 5 wt, and that fish makes a run or leaps out of the water. Lets say you play the fish perfectly and even land it. In a word, you did everything right and luck was with you. The next time you take that 5wt out and fish for a 10" trout, and the rod snaps in half through no fault of your own. What happened? Chances are that ol' 5wt gave all it had landing that salmon the trip before and even though you didnt notice it, little hairline cracks appeared.

This by the way is a true story that happened to a friend of mine 2yrs ago. He said he could land a salmon on his 5wt and did. Was a little costly though! There's not a rod out there that will do it all , all the time.

[l1ranger]

anthony - a good question.
I'm not going to go too in to depth with this. But given two rods of exactly the same model etc - but one is 5 wt and one is 10 wt.

a 5 wt line is much lighter than a 10 wt line. Both rods are designed to cast the perspective line with the same action. It would make sense that said rod is going to be stiffer as a 10 wt over the 5 wt. However, if you have a 2 lb tippet on both rods, it doesnt make two farts in a windstorm. but in reality, you don't want a 10 wt for small mtn trout and you dont want 5 wt for giant tarpon. You also don't want a 2lb tippet for giant tarpon, nor will you be fishing a size 18 dry for tarpon; both could be used for small mtn trout though.
A larger wt line has more mass, requires more energy, and will, through physics, turn over a larger fly with more ease. a larger (stronger) tippet can be used with a larger fly, but you can only go so big with the size 18 or the tippet won't thread the hook eye.
it will seem like a lot of 'pieces' to put together for the beginner, but its not that bad really, and as time passes you will start to figure out what works for you.
I have a 4, a 6, and an 8 wt. I use the 4 for the smallest of fish I'd care to catch and 8 for heavy freshwater and light duty saltwater. I'll probably never go smaller than a 4 wt, just personal preference.

[Fly Goddess]

1ranger makes a good point. To add to that is the fish. You could land a 28" cutt on a 1 wt. but it will be that last time that fish will get hooked. Chances are the fight to land it and play it will kill that fish. I have several friends that love to use their 4 wts on fishing holes that really require a 5 or 6. They say they like the challenge, but they are killing those trophy fish (maybe not immediately). 5 wt is a good starting place for trout and brookies and some bass.

So let me get this straight:

The difference is in the rod weight, not the line weight(although they depend on each other)

Heavier line can turn over bigger flies, which are generally used for larger fish

So I use a 6 weight. WHat is the heaviest fish you would go for on this weight?

[This message has been edited by Anthony (edited 09 February 2006).]

[okflyfisher]

Bigger fish tend to eat bigger food which
equates to bigger flies. Bigger flies require heavier leaders & flylines to easily cast and turn the leader & fly over.
Heavier fly lines require heavier fly rods.
A heavier rod line & leader will have a better chance of turning a big fish away from snag than a light rod line an leader.
In other words size of the fly determines the size leader, fly line & fly rod.
This is of course an extremely general

[This message has been edited by okflyfisher (edited 09 February 2006).]

[billknepp]

okflyfisher,

I bet your well more than an ok flyfisher.
And I'll not hold you being an OK flyfisher aginst you .

Short sweet and yet very Concise post...very well put..even a knot head like me could grasp it!!!

[ET custom flyrods]

Anthony, somehow I get the idea your looking for one fly rod that will cover a wide spectrum of fish. If that's the case you can get a 7wt. Lot of companies term it an "all rounder" it will handle those dinky little trout, 5 lb bass, and will even get you into some saltwater fish.....That being said, after you try to finess a small dry fly over a finicky trout without much success or latch on to a fish bigger than your geared up for, the term "all rounder" will take on new meaning. I'll venture to say if you stay with this game long enough you'll be like the rest of us and own multiple rods to cover different fish and applications. Tuff starting out I know, but hang in there it only takes 20-30 yrs to think you got it all figured out and then your still not sure.

[Pisces by Birth]

The best description that I have heard is what OK said, but different. If you have dial up it takes a long time to download info. A larger cable tranmits more info and so it happens quickly. If info were energy, the same theory applies. So if you're needing to cast large flies, you need to generate more energy, and the heavier the line weight the more energy it can carry and transfer. As for the fishing aspect I have a theory there too, but I like the internet allegory, so I thought I would pass that on.