Fishing Answers
What Weight Fly Line Should I Use For Steelhead Fly Fishing?
I am a begginer and i dont know much about fly fishing.
Public Comments
- I'm only 14, but I usually use a 6,7, or 8 weight when I'm fly fishing for steelhead with my dad.
- You need to match the line weight to the rod. Depending on where you are fishing you can use a 6, 7 or 8 weight rod.
- Depends entirely on the conditions: -Where are you fishing -What time of year -Size of the river -Type of flies -Type of water -Size of the fish For instance, if you are fishing WA state's olympic peninsula in late winter, you'll want at *least* an 8wt rod. If you're fishing for rogue river half pounders, you can get away with a 4. Since I don't know anything about where you plan to fish, I'd recommend an 8wt. It's a good all around weight, and it'll handle silvers and chum in the off season. And as mentioned above, since you are a beginner, it'd be best to match the line to the rod. As you become more experienced, you'll see the merits in underlining or overlining your rod depending on the situation, but for now, stick with the rod weight. If you're interested, Trey Combs' classic "Steelhead Fly Fishing" has a lot of useful information. ********** Going as light as the water will allow can be fun, but we must take into consideration the well-being of the steelhead, and in some cases, that may mean adding more backbone at the expense of play. This is why I recommend the 8wt as an all around rod--it'll handle the odd 15+ pounder without overplaying the fish, but it won't feel too overpowering for the more common 5 lbs (especially in heavy winter flows). In the summer, I'll go down to a 6-7wt depending on the situation, and even occasionally lower. But warmer waters in summer mean a higher mortality rate, so I try to stick to heavier than I might prefer otherwise.
- You can fish for steelies with anything, if you do it right. I use anything from 5wt. up, and i prefer to use a lighter weight rod. It is more challenging and makes it more fun. You also have to consider the type of water that you will be fishing as well, if it is a large river or lake, you will need a heavier wt. rod to cast large streamers far enough. Overall i would say use the rod that you feel the most comfortable with, I will sacrifice distance and fighting strength for accuracy anytime. You just want to make sure that whatever you do use is in good working condition, ie: drag on you reel, line has no frays, rod is not cracked. Steelhead are like hooking into a small freight train and they will break lines and equipment. Have fun! Tight lines!
- There's no specific answer to what you asked since it's wholly dependent on where you are and what type of water you're fishing (fast, deep. slow, shallow.....) and how large the fish are that you're targeting..... If you can let people know where you are and what conditions you're going to be in, then you will receive a more detailed answer....until then, you're going to get generic answers, not what you're looking for... However, ThumbsUp to Bob and Adam for at least recognizing the relative difference between using a 6/7/8wt rod and dropping to a 5wt or lower for the completely different sizing of steelhead.
- My brother has been trying to get me into fly fishing - we went a few times this past summer; looking forward to next spring. My brother always shops from FishFreakOnline.com He says they have really great prices on fly fishing supplies and was really impressed with their inventory. You may want to take a look around at what they have in terms of the fishing line and and other fly fishing lures and such.That is where he has picked up most of his fishing tackle, reels, rods, etc. They are a really great fishing site - a few of this Christmas gifts are from that site. http://www.fishfreakonline.com/ Hope that helps!
- 69 weight
