Rod wts do make a difference ... a BIG difference. My main stay rod is a 5wt - have three of them: a med action 9' and 8' plus a 9' fast action. However, when I made my trip to Alaska for salmon, the ole 9' 9wt was the order of the day. Did take the fast action 9' 5wt, too, for the cutthroat on an inland lake. Compared, the 9wt is a broom stick to the 5wt, but the 5 is no match for big fish like the salmon we were after.