I have a 9ft 4pc 5wt rod that I use for the bigger waters around here. ( I mostly fish small streams and use a 3 wt). My question is what about big articulated streamers. I’ve been watching Kelly Galloup you tube videos about his big articulated streamers. I’d love to try tying a few and fishing them in our Caney Fork river, but I’m concerned about my rod size. Will it be enough rod or do I need to try something a little bigger?
Thanks in advance,
hNt
6/7/8 weight rods are more suited for fishing big streamers.
God Bless,
Don
I find that a medium fast 9 foot 7 wt works great for an all-around LM bass rod. I fish from size 6 leeches to size 1/0 large streamers.
Jim Smith
I have cast the Sex Dungeon on an 8 1/2 ft 5 wt but it wasn’t pretty. Would rather have had a 6 or 7.
hNt,
They are right, at least a fast action 6 wt but a fast action 7 wt would be better when casting huge streamers, sometimes double streamers.
Larry —sagefisher—
Just depends. If you are throwing the big weighted flies like Galloup and some of the new tiers like, then a bigger rod is useful. No reason why you cannot size down and still throw them with a 5 weight. Personally I hate throwing something as heavy as a 7 weight for just trout, unless they are REALLY big or perhaps very large water. A 6 weight is nice especially if throwing heavy heads along with bigger bugs. A 5 weight can work in moderate situations, but you really have to lighten up your patterns and rely on the line to get the right depth.
Yeah, have (8.5) 7wt that’s my streamer windy river rod. Performs very well.
By my main stay rod is a 5wt, either in the 8’ or the 9’ depending on what I’m intending to do or going after.
why don’t you try it and see?
In many ways I am blessed to have learned, as a child, to fly fish and fish in general, with modest means. I had one hand-me-down fly rod for trout, bass, and panfish… if I was fishing nymphs or wet flies, or fishing dry flies, or poppers, or streamers, I did it with that rod. For quite a few years that was it. I adjusted my techniques to fit what I was doing. I caught lots of fish and learned a lot. I’m happy I didn’t have people telling me I “needed” different equipment for every style of fishing, because if that was true, I probably would not have kept at it.
After years of trying to toss larger flies on smaller sized rods, I have come to the conclusion that it is more effective and more enjoyable to use a fly rod and fly line that match the size of flies that I want to be casting. Casting a big, heavy, bulky fly on a five weight trout rod is not much fun to me.
My opinion is that the fly line that you use for tossing streamers can make a difference. A couple of years ago, I replaced a standard trout taper six weight line with a 6 weight RIO Smallmouth line on the six weight rod that I use for small stream smallmouth bass fishing. The Smallmouth fly line made it much easier and more effective to toss heavier and bulkier flies. The Smallmouth line did not have the subtle presentation of my old fly line, but I don’t care about presentation when I am fishing streamers or poppers.
I have to say “AMEN” to this. I finally bit the bullet and got a 7wt to throw the big stuff for smallies, and it is outfitted with a 7wt bass line. It is just the right tool for the job.
So true. I started fly fishing with a small collection of used rods and reels gathered here and there; in fact I had a little story about it published here a while back. Then I fell into the “gotta have a rod in every weight and for every use” trap. Am I sorry I have them? Not necessarily, but I find I end up using the same two or three rods all the time, and has the “newer and better” made me catch anymore fish? Nah.