6 or 7 Weight rod

[Wharfrat]

Looking to exapand my horizons beyond stream trout fishing. In 2012 my goal is to fish the WB Deleware, Erie Steelhead, and do some Bass and Pickeral fishing also. Would a 6 or 7 weight rod cover these fishing conditions ? Woud I need to buy two rods to cover them all ?

Any help from the board is appreciated.

 

[The_Sasquatch]

If you want to do Steelhead, get a 7 weight. It'll work well for bass too (I use an 8 weight when I go for largemouth, a 6 weight works for bass too, but you need a 7 for steelie).

 

[Wharfrat]

Thanks Sasquatch. Do you think a 7 weight is overkill for the West Branch ?

 

[The_Sasquatch]

Don't know. Never fished it-sorry. I'm a SE PA and NCPA "angler". There's tons of guys on here who fish it though, so I'm sure you'll get an answer quick.

 

[RichK]

I fish for smallmouth a LOT. I also like to use an 8.5" 4wt a LOT.
Sometimes it doesn't work out the way I'd like. When fishing the Delaware for smallmouth, I use a 5 or 6 wt rod, and do alright. Most of my smallmouth fishing is done on Neshaminy Creek, however, and my biggest smallmouth have all been caught there.
Smallmouth in the 16-17 inch range are about max for me, with
12 inch being much more common. Same for Delaware. The issue
I run into on Neshaminy Creek is being able to turn a smallmouth.
Thre bottom is littered with large rocks, and they love to run for cover. The 4wt doesn't turn fish well, but I manage. This measured 16":

That smallmouth ws landed less than 10 yards above this section:

The current flow is tremendous there. The stream narrows from nearly 200 feet wide to less than 30 feet, and it's deep. The trick is keeping them from running downstream. A couple days before Hurricane Irene, I went fishing on the Neshaminy, and hooked into
a HUGE smallmouth. I'd seen these monsters cruising the water above that bottleneck section before, but resigned myself to the notion that they couldn't be caught. WRONG! I was able to get the monster in close enough to know I brought a knife to a gunfight, and he dwarfed the other smallmouth I had caught there previously. As he got clser to the bottlneck, I knew that I was going to loose if he made it into the swift current, so I slammed thebrakes on the reel. He leaped higher than I thogh possible for a fish that large, fell backwards, and spit the little hook. The whole ordeal lasted about 5 minutes, and my heart was pounding. If I had a 6-8wt rod, I might have been able to turn the beast before he reached the bottleneck. Once he reached the bottleneck/swift current, the tiny #12 hook was the next issue, with or without a heavier rod. There was another angler watching, and he said he should have followed the smallmouth downstream
a al' Brad Pitt...LOL!

Conclusion: If you're targeting large smallmouth, go heavier than a 4wt. I would have given anything for an 8wt that day, and even a s6wt would have done the trick. Most of the larger smallmouth I catch dive deep and look for rocks. The trick is having a rod heavy enough to turn them. Casting an 8wt for 2-3 hours sounds a bit ouchy for my shoulder, but I have fished a 7wt for that long.

 

[gfen]

I don't care about no steelheads, but I'm gonna throw out the leftfield suggestion: The Cabela's 7'6" 7/8wt CGR is sublime. This may not be a practical suggestion for many people, but its absolutely pleasant to cast and fish with. YMMV.

 

[pete41]

9' for 8 wt. if you are going to wade past your ankles IMHO.

 

[pcray1231]

For PA steelies, a 10 ft 7 wt is perfect. Length is a huge advantage. As far as action, how it casts is not of primary concern, casting is easy and not your primary focus for a rod. Length for getting good drifts, soft tip for protecting tippets, stout backbone for leverage in fighting.

You can get away with a 6 or even a 5. Sub optimal, but it'll get the job done in a pinch. Would not go less than 9 ft for sure.

For NY tribs, I have little experience, but my understanding is that a 7 wt would be on the light side of optimal. 8 wt or even a 9 is better.

For bass, I think anywhere in the 6-8 range is fine. But it really depends where you fish. For smaller streams, a 4 or a 5 is fine, just like trout. For the big rivers, things are different.

WB??? No idea, never fished it in my life.....

 

[bikerfish]

go for the 7wt.
it will be a better bass rod and be better at throwing big streamers for bass and trout and like said above, perfect for erie.

 

[ryguyfi]

Here's Rick's Pics

That smallmouth ws landed less than 10 yards above this section:

 

[RichK]

Thanks for getting those pics up!
If you can't turn a fish in that section, you're done. The stream has a six foot deep channel right where it narrows, and the rocks are about the size of large microwave. Smallmouth love that sort of water, so it's the price you pay. I almost always use 3X tippet there, and almost always replace the entire tipet after each decent smallmouth: it's shredded from the rocks.

 

[mcwillja]

a 10 foot 7 wt I prefer for steelies.

A 7 wt for streamers on the W.B would be ok, but I think a 5 and I know some who prefer a 6 wt. for fishing dries on the D.

Personally If a 6 or 7 wt is your only option I would go with a 6 wt. over a 7 for the D. It's windy in the spring and sometimes I wish I had a 6 wt for cutting through some of that wind.

 

[jdaddy]

Having fished all these situations, definitively 7wt.

 

[gfen]

He's not just looking for steelhead, though, but bass and other assorted feesh. A 10' 7wt is gonna be alot of rod to use in situations that aren't tribs.

 

[jdaddy]

gfen wrote:
He's not just looking for steelhead, though, but bass and other assorted feesh. A 10' 7wt is gonna be alot of rod to use in situations that aren't tribs.

Having fished all these situations, definitively 7wt.

 

[TimRobinsin]

I like my 7wt 9'9".

I've decided to go the way of the odd weights.

I use the 7wt for streamers in general on streams wider than 20 - 30'. Although It was "designed for" nymphing, it casts a dry fly beautifully and has taken many fish on top as well as below.

Pcrays 7wt 10' loomis was fantastic last year in Erie. Not only did it make high-sticking more enjoyable than my shorter rod, it made playing fish a breeze. if it wasn't for sas's brother needing a rod I would have...should have never traded it! BTW Pat, he LOVES that orvis, thanks again!

Listen to Jdaddy, he's got some great advice if you can wade through the sarcasm.... : ) but seriously, he knows his stuff.

Jdaddy, we doing that beer exchange?

 

[The_Sasquatch]

My brother barely even fishes anymore haha! He should just give the reel to me

 

[TimRobinsin]

It was a rod, and if you really want to catch fish take him with you next time. He got me started in this and he is still amazing to watch for as little as he gets out.

 

[pcray1231]

Pcrays 7wt 10' loomis was fantastic last year in Erie. Not only did it make high-sticking more enjoyable than my shorter rod, it made playing fish a breeze. if it wasn't for sas's brother needing a rod I would have...should have never traded it! BTW Pat, he LOVES that orvis, thanks again!

Hehe, I feel a little guilty actually. I haven't used the Loomis much yet, just haven't gotten out for that type of fishing. Though I do LOVE the rod. I fell in love with it right away in my yard. I was strippin out line test casting till I got to the point where my cast started falling apart, standard yard playing. I at first felt a little dissapointed, to be honest, it didn't have that "cannon" feel that most Loomis's have as you get into their reserve power, I love that feel. Then I looked down at the reel, and saw all BACKING. I was throwin a whole line and still not into it's reserve power! The cast falling apart was just exposing my timing issues.

The Sage it replaced, I also liked and made a few good memories with. It now resides with Csoult and will get some steelhead action this fall. The money I got for that bought a 4 pc off of k-bob, which fills a nice gap in my arsenal between short stout brookie rod and 9 ft 5 wt.

Glad he likes the Orvis. That was a great rod that I simply didn't like much. Just didn't fit me. It happens. Glad it found a happy home.

Funny how equipment gets passed around. Everything ended up in hands where it's well appreciated. I did some wheeling and dealing this year. Got rid of a rod I didn't use, upgraded my steelhead rod, and got a new gap filler I do use. For free. In fact, I gained a bit of $$$

 

[The_Sasquatch]

Dude Tim, just about EVERY single time I go fishing I ask him. He always has school or work.