I really like my 5wt rods. Now it grieves me to say that because I'm fond of all the rods I own... sort of like having to pick which is your favorite children! Having said that and clearing my conscience, let me say I have three 5 wt's, but one I dispute as being such. With the exception of that one rod, all cast best with the weight line indicated for the rod. Now I've had individual rod makers and manufacturer's say that a good fly rod, in addition to what it's sized for, should be able to handle going up or down a line size and still perform. That my rods do, too, with that one exception. The exception is a 9' 5wt St Croix Pro Graphite - got the rod because of it's action and it had the old full wells grip (reminded me of some rods of yesteryear). This rod serves as my canoing down river, popper rod - and it does this job very well.That is, with a 6wt line; the rod feels like a 6wt, acts like a 6wt and casts a 6wt so much better than a 5wt. - in fact, will even do a decent job with a 7wt on a windy day.

Would not have been able to do all this experimentation had it not been for me finding a source of reasonably priced fly lines - I would have went broke! So now I'm reel poor ... they are going to get you one way or another, ya know.


Dale