# What weigh fly rod do I get ?



## john66 (Aug 3, 2006)

I am going to give fly fishing a try .should I get a 5 weight or 8 weigh for my first set up . I'll be lake and pond fishing maybe if I get good the bay mostly urban fishing at first .
Thanks for the advice


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## turkn9ne (Jun 25, 2015)

john66 said:


> I am going to give fly fishing a try .should I get a 5 weight or 8 weigh for my first set up . I'll be lake and pond fishing maybe if I get good the bay mostly urban fishing at first .
> Thanks for the advice


Whats your target species?

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## john66 (Aug 3, 2006)

Bass and crappy


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## turkn9ne (Jun 25, 2015)

How big are the bass? I live northwest Indiana and the bass don't get much bigger than 6 pounds. 

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## turkn9ne (Jun 25, 2015)

You will be fine with a 5 weight I'm sure

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## john66 (Aug 3, 2006)

The biggest I have cough on rod and reel pond hopping has been about 5 pounds


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## turkn9ne (Jun 25, 2015)

I use an 8 and its totally overkill for almost all the panfish, bass included, but I target alot of carp and steelhead

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## turkn9ne (Jun 25, 2015)

john66 said:


> The biggest I have cough on rod and reel pond hopping has been about 5 pounds


Get a 5wt with some 6wt line to get those big flies out and I think you will have alot of fun

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## skinnywaterfishin (Jul 1, 2015)

5 weight for bass and crappie. You could get away with a 9 weight for juvenile tarpon. Some folks use a 9 for juvie tarpon and permit.

Bonefish: 8-wt
Redfish: 8-wt
Permit: 10-wt
Roosterfish: 10-wt
Tarpon: 12-wt
Giant Trevally: 12-wt
Sailfish: 14-wt
One rod for both bonefish and permit: 9
Most versatile â€œlightâ€ saltwater rod: 9-wt
Most versatile â€œheavyâ€ saltwater rod: 11-wt

Must-have rods for popular destinations:

Bahamas: 8-wt
Belize: 8-wt + 10-wt 
Christmas Island: 8-wt + 12-wt
Florida Keys: 9-wt + 12-wt (unless specifically targeting permit, in which case youâ€™ll need a 10-wt)
Florida, East Coast inshore fisheries: 8-wt
Florida, West Coast: 9-wt
Florida, West Coast tarpon fishing: 12-wt 
Honduras: 8-wt + 10-wt
Mexico (Carribean): 8-wt + 10-wt
Mexico (Baja): 10-wt
North Carolina-South Carolina inshore fisheries: 8-wt
Seychelles: 8-wt + 12-wt
Texas-Florida Gulf Coast: 8-wt

How many rods should I bring? Some fishing destinations, like the Bahamas, have one predominant species that allows for easy packing. In most destinations, however, youâ€™ll have primary and secondary species that provide compelling variety but also require more fly rods. If you will be distinctly fishing for different species, take a rod for each species class (example: an 8-weight for bonefish, a 10-weight for permit and a 12-weight for tarpon). If you will primarily fish for one species (letâ€™s say bonefish), but might see others (for example permit, baby tarpon or barracuda), then try to cover the range with a second rod that could also serve as a backup for your primary species. In this example, we would recommend taking an 8-weight and a 9-weight. The 9-weight gives you upward capability for permit and small tarpon, but is still in the bonefish range. You might throw your 9-weight on windy days for bonefish, or use it if something grim happens to your 8-weight.


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## Todd Boutte (May 13, 2008)

I'd say get the 5 wt. You'll have more fun with it. It's a little under powered, but if you like the fight, it'll be more fun. I use my 4-5 wt in steams and ponds up here in North Texas to catch lots of bass and bream. It's a lot of fun to catch a 3 lb bass on a such a light duty rod. Even the small bream will give you a good fight on it. My favorite is to fish a stretch of a nearby stream where goggle-eye come out of the water to crush a floating fly (usually a very small cricket or grasshopper terrestrial fly). I only use my 8 wt on the coast when going for redfish and trout.


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## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

john66 said:


> I am going to give fly fishing a try .should I get a 5 weight or 8 weigh for my first set up . I'll be lake and pond fishing maybe if I get good the bay mostly urban fishing at first .
> Thanks for the advice


 There might be another option: 7 wt.

Several reasons for that:

1) excellent bass rod that can handle windy days
2) an overkill for panfish, yes, but just starting out is the time to learn the fundamentals...not technical fly fishing with light rods
3) planning ahead...if you get good, you can easily add a 5wt for smaller fish/waters and/or a 9 wt for bay fishing, etc. What I'm suggesting here is that a quiver of 5,7,9 that starts with a 7 is far superior to an 8/5/whatever in terms of flexibility and growth...always look ahead and always buy now with an eye on the future buys.

I would get a 7wt to start and take it from there.


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## 2thDr (Jan 25, 2014)

*wt rod*

Rods are weighted by line size. Larger lines are needed to throw larger flies. If you want to use big poppers for bass get an 8wt. A 5wt is fine for redfish and trout if you are happy only fishing smaller flies on less windy days. Larger lines generally work better at the coast. The larger rods are needed for some stronger fish like jackfish and bull reds simply because you do not want to chase them all day with a boat. An 8wt will throw a small fly also, but a 5wt will not throw a big fly. Eventually you will find yourself accumulating an arsenal to choose from depending on conditions and fish. IMO a 6 or 7 is a good compromise. I use a 3wt for panfish and a 12 for jacks.


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## john66 (Aug 3, 2006)

Thanks for all the info it will help alot


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## Sea Aggie (Jul 18, 2005)

If you go with a 7/8 weight, you can fish just about anything. If you go lighter, it won't be enough "spine" to cast some fly's or fight some of the fish. It's up to you if you want to start with the lighter rod or not. I have over half a dozen flyrods of varying weights and lengths so I can fish the different situations.

At the end of the day, it is like picking a shotgun or a rifle and the 8-wt / 8-foot flyrod is the 12 gauge or .30-06 of fly fishing.


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## Pocketfisherman (May 30, 2005)

You need to first figure out what size flies you want to be throwing with the rod. That will in turn determine the weight of line needed to cast those flies, and that in turn will determine the rod needed.


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## skinnywaterfishin (Jul 1, 2015)

2thDr said:


> Rods are weighted by line size. Larger lines are needed to throw larger flies. If you want to use big poppers for bass get an 8wt. A 5wt is fine for redfish and trout if you are happy only fishing smaller flies on less windy days. Larger lines generally work better at the coast. The larger rods are needed for some stronger fish like jackfish and bull reds simply because you do not want to chase them all day with a boat. An 8wt will throw a small fly also, but a 5wt will not throw a big fly. Eventually you will find yourself accumulating an arsenal to choose from depending on conditions and fish. IMO a 6 or 7 is a good compromise. I use a 3wt for panfish and a 12 for jacks.


I respectfully disagree.

If you're looking at crappie and typical Texas sized bass you want a 5 weight/9 foot rod. An 8 weight would be way too much rod, you'd launch a crappie, panfish or white bass out of the water. It's plenty fine for bass...unless you're fishing places like Fork and hunting trophy bass.

Go in to your local fly shop and ask them the same question.


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## skinnywaterfishin (Jul 1, 2015)

Sea Aggie said:


> If you go with a 7/8 weight, you can fish just about anything. If you go lighter, it won't be enough "spine" to cast some fly's or fight some of the fish. It's up to you if you want to start with the lighter rod or not. I have over half a dozen flyrods of varying weights and lengths so I can fish the different situations.
> 
> At the end of the day, it is like picking a shotgun or a rifle and the 8-wt / 8-foot flyrod is the 12 gauge or .30-06 of fly fishing.


You can cast bass flies all day long with a 5 weight. I think you mean 8 weight/ 9 foot.


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## Joe T (Dec 13, 2012)

it really don't matter if your like most of us will in the long run have multiple rods fresh or salt .since your stating in a pond i would choose the 5wt to see if your even going to enjoy fly fishing.17 years ago i started with one rod and now i have around 8 and im sure most people on here have way more than that.


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## SaltMan (Jun 15, 2012)

5wt is plenty big enough for bass up to #5-#6, you can run a redfish leader on it and go fish the lights with it for trout and reds(lower slot). I have an eight weight but almost always take my 5wt to the lights cause the fight is so much more fun.


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## Sea Aggie (Jul 18, 2005)

skinnywaterfishin said:


> You can cast bass flies all day long with a 5 weight. I think you mean 8 weight/ 9 foot.


Thanks for catching the typo - 9 food rod.

Honestly, I started fly fishing when I was in kindergarten and model insect building in the 2nd grade. I'm now in my late 40's and firmly believe that while yes, the lighter and heavier rods are nice, I can fish any water, any fly with an 8-weight rod. If you are going to pick one to fish with / learn with, then a 7/8 weight is my choice. It may be stiff for the smaller fish & flies, but it still works just fine.

I've used an 8-weight in 27 states and 6 countries, inshore & offshore.

I'm just saying it's a good choice to learn and a size that will work in many situations. Once you get into the sport, you can get lighter / heaver rods, longer & shorter rods. You will want large arbor reels and small arbor reels. You may even want a 15-weight spey rod by the time it's all said and done! Lot's of choices out there and endless varieties for targeting any species that swims.


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## fish1onthefly (May 19, 2013)

So I will take the lightweight approach and say my 4-wt gets most of the work on small streams and ponds I fish. It is also much easier to work in tight spaces. Like most things you will find what works best for you. I prefer to enjoy the finesse of working a bigger fish with a small rod and use mostly ultralight equip anyway.


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