A 6 wt. rod was built with smallies in mind. Use a length that fits your situation. The six weight is heavy enough for small deerhair bugs, clousers, etc., and still light enough to be sporting with the average smallie you might catch. An 8 wt. will overpower most smallies, and a 5 wt. will leave you wishing for a 6 when casting the deerhair bugs and weighted clousers.