Fly Rods For Cuttthroat Trout
I have a really nice 7wt rod+reel and some other rods that are a 6 and 8wts that are just ok. I fish quite a bit for Cutthroat trout that range in the 5-15lb class and also I fish smaller rivers for trout that range in the 1-8lb class. Then I sometimes fish lakes from a toon for trout again in the 1-8lb class. My question is would the 7wt rod be to heavy to use for all these fishing applications or would that be a decent rod to use for all 3? If it is to heavy of a rod for the lakes and the river what makes it to heavy and why would you use a lighter rod?
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Tagged with: 5 WT Fly Rod • 6WT Fly Rod • 7WT Fly Rod • Cutthroat Trout • Fly Rod
Filed under: Fly Fishing
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A 6wt fly rod is all you would need for the 5-15lb trout, where as a 4wt might do better for the 1-8lb trout.
But if you want one for all 3 applications, a 5wt may be the answer. 5 weight fly rods are very common and well loved for their diversity and capability to hand anything.
I own a redington crosswater 5wt that bends for redbreasts, but has the backbone to handle a 6lb rainbow that scared the crap outta me.
A 7wt fly rod will work just fine in all those situations. What your losing is the excitement factor of a lighter weight rod. With the heavier wight rods and lines you don’t need to use as much of your fishing skills. You don’t really have to play the fish out and have your drag set properly or use the correct tippet. Just set back and turn the knob on the reel. I personally believe that a good 5wt will carry the day almost anywhere. Of course if your going to be throwing big streamers or bugs the 7wt will come in handy. My 5wt really gets wild once I get a big streamer going on a 50+ foot cast. Also consider the wind in your area. Will you be casting into a lot of wind? The 7wt line will be much easier to control over a 4 or 5 wt line. Also consider the size of the majority of the fish you’ll be catching. How many 15lb Cutthroats are you catching a year? If the majority of your fish are in the 1-8lb range a 5wt will be much more fun to fish with.
Your seven weight would be fine.