I was recently give a cheap set up and after practicing at a local lake I have to admit I’m hooked. I am now looking to up grade and was wondering if a 5-6 wt rod and real will work well for the species in the subject line. I will mostly be fishing for the panfish and smallies in my area, but I do make a few trips a year to Mo. and I plan to fish for rainbows in the Current river. Thank in advance for any info that will help.
you bet - that weight outfit will do you just fine. With it you can cast a vast selection of flies and sizes of flies. Have fun. 
There are several companies who make fine products that will serve you for a long time.
cougarss2,
Contact a local Fly Shop to get info on fly casting classes. Hire a Guide(s). It will accelerate your learning.
Welcome to the BB!!!
Doug
Good Rod Choice. For smallies I’d recommend a reel with a disc drag. Stock up on Wooley Buggers and Clouser Minnows and you’re good to go.
Semper Fi!
Sounds like you have a perfect starter outfit. It is perfect for smallies and trout. Take a casting lesson or at least check out a video. Most of all Go Fishing!
Thanks for the info, yeah I have been living on the local lake practicing my cast so far I’ve managed to catch several blue gills and a small large mouth bass. I’m looking into places that will help me fine tune my casting and looking forward to hitting the small mouths. Thanks again.
cougarss2,
First let me welcome you to the best web site going to learn and ask questions about fly fishing. LF and JC run a good site here and a site you can let your children/grandchildren look at without worrying about what they are reading.
Your post said you had a “cheap” outifit and you were wanting to upgrade and wanted opinions. Let me warn you that you will be upgrading many more times as you get into this great sport of fly fishing. As your first upgrade, you will not go wrong with a TFO Series I outfit. The rod is only $99 and I think Cabela’s has them as a combo with a fairly good reel and line combo. I only recommend this because I do not know how much money you wish to spend at this time. The Series I is a 2 piece and if you got it in either a 5 weight or 6 weight and in a 9 foot or 8 1/2 foot length, it should serve you well.
The above is just a recommendation based on your question. Keep us posted on your progress.
Stick with a 5wt for most applications. It is very versatile. A 6 is too much for small fish(small bluegill) and 4 is not enough for larger fish(~over a 4-lb bass). I find my 5wt works a huge variety of situations. That doesn’t mean to say I’m not using my 4wt a bunch though. I rarely use my 6wt at all but will take it along if I think there will be big fish where I am going.
The five will work just fine on the Current, too. Fish below Montauk Park in the trophy water for a nice mixed bag of rainbows and browns. They’ve got some nice hatches there that get the fish really active. When no flies come off, head downstream and strip streamers (like olive woolly buggers) for some big browns.
Welcome to the board, I to just started flyfishing in the last month, I am using a Hobbs Creek 8ft 6 in. 6 wt.
There’s certainly nothing wrong with that rig. WarrenP and Jack Hise have seen me catch rainbows, rock bass (black perch, to them), and ‘gills on a 7.5’ 5 weight rig if the same brand. Mine isn’t as fast as a lot of rods and I like that more and more.
Ed
Hey Cougar,
I couldn’t tell from your initial post if the cheap rig you were given is a 5/6-weight rig, or if a 5/6-weight rig is what you are thinking about upgrading to.
I’ll make a guess here: what you anticipate catching the most often are (in order of frequency) panfish, smallmouth bass and trout. Which would make sense.
Panfish are far more widespread, far more numerous and generally provide the most “fun per outing” for those very reasons.
Smallmouth are less widespread, less numerous but apparently common enough where you live. They’ll give you a jolt of adrenalin every time you hook one. (Don’t worry, you’ll survive.)
Rainbow trout in the Current River are a “sometime fish” you will try for only occasionally. Rainbows you encounter in the Current will in all likelihood be stockers recently released from the Montauk hatchery, which means they may tend to run a bit small in size? Still wonderful fish to catch, but because they’ve not yet grown big and powerful they don’t, in my mind anyway, justify the use of 5/6-weight tackle.
So my recommendation (since you are soliciting advice) is to make your first upgrade be nothing stouter than a 3-weight. A 3-wt. will whip about any big fish you tangle with so long as you do your part correctly and have a bit of good luck with underwater rocks and snags. Also, casting a 3-wt. is easier on your body over a day’s time, compared to wielding a heavier, stiffer rig.
I say all this, but do you care to guess what MY very first rig was? The rig I bought on purpose? You guessed it: a 5/6-weight! :lol:
Joe
“Better small than not at all.”