One of the biggest choices, besides the "action" of a fly rod, that anglers have to make when fishing around for fly rods is what weight of the rod they want to get. And by weight, we're not talking about how much the fly rod itself weighs! Instead, we're talking about what fly line weight the fly rod is designed to properly cast. While a fly rod can indeed cast any fly line weight, using a fly rod that is designed for a fly line weight of 4 with a fly line that actually weighs 7 will make for a very long and frustrating day on the river. Thus, it is imperative that the fly rod match the weight of the fly line you will be using.
Well, that's fine and dandy, but the problem remains, then, what fly line weight should an angler use then? The answer to that, happily, is quite simple. It all depends on what you will be fly fishing for! Once you figure that out, the weight of the fly line you will be using will quickly fall into place - thus making it easy to figure out what weight fly rod you need to get.
So, let's get started figuring out how to determine what fly line weight you want to use.
Fly Line Weight 1-3: Smaller trout, panfish, other small fish. Used when casting small flies on short casts.
Fly Line Weight 4: Small to medium sized trout and other similarly sized fish. Used when casting small flies and medium sized flies using short to medium-short casts.
Fly Line Weight 5-6: The most versatile of the line weights. This line weight fishes well for all but the smallest and all but the largest trout. Also performs adequately for smaller bass (not the lunkers in some Florida lake). Fishes well when using small, medium and larger sized flies (not massive streamers, though). Allows for longer casts yet performs short casts fairly well.
Fly Line Weight 7-8: Designed for very large trout and large bass as well as some saltwater species. Used for pitching large streamers and large flies. Longer casts are excellent. Not the best for short casts. And most definitely not designed for smaller fish and smaller flies.
Fly Line Weight 9-14: Large fish territory. Mainly used for saltwater fishing and fishing for Salmon and Steelhead.
As always make sure you use a proper furled fishing leader such as http://www.cutthroatleader.com/
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