8 wt for trout

[hunter1]

For winter FF I use a T & T 5 wt for bugger's, clousers.nymphs 5 wt seems a little light for them, But I like it if while fishing I switch to drys . I have a custom built 8 wt 9' I used for local small and lg mouth bass. Would this be to heavy for Nymphs , bugger's . love the rod.

 

[afishinado]

hunter1 wrote:
For winter FF I use a T & T 5 wt for bugger's, clousers.nymphs 5 wt seems a little light for them, But I like it if while fishing I switch to drys . I have a custom built 8 wt 9' I used for local small and lg mouth bass. Would this be to heavy for Nymphs , bugger's . love the rod.

An 8wt is a really heavy rod for trout fishing. Between the two rods you own, I would choose to use the 5wt for trout fishing. You should be able to cast and fish trout-sized buggers, clousers or nymphs with that rod.

 

[pete41]

When you are night fishing for TROUT out where TROUT are TROUT,when TROUT are feeding and trout and dudes are hunkered down. 8 wt. right on...[sorry Afish- couldn't resist]

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[troutbert]

Just try it out and see if you like it.

Since you love the rod, it should be fine.

 

[Wetfoot]

It's common for people to say, I use this rod/line weight for this size fly, and usually it is a great recommendation to follow. At the end of the day, I just use what makes me happy as long as it doesn't affect my casting in a negative way (for example I find it is harder to cast flies that are too heavy for a lighter line weight as opposed to casting smallish flies on a heavier weight line). In southeastern PA today, I fished my 8wt medium-fast action rod with an intermediate II sinking line on it throwing woolly buggers on a stream only about three rod lengths wide to combat the rain and increased flows. Would most people consider this overkill? I'm sure many would, but when the fish I catch still put a healthy bend in the fly rod, I don't mind being able to land and release them a bit quicker than normal.

 

[troutbert]

pete41 wrote:
When you are night fishing for TROUT out where TROUT are TROUT,when TROUT are feeding and trout and dudes are hunkered down. 8 wt. right on...[sorry Afish- couldn't resist]

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Reminded me of Allen Iverson:

PRACTICE...........PRACTICE.........PRACTICE........PRACTICE.......

 

[Dave_W]

hunter1 wrote:
For winter FF I use a T & T 5 wt for bugger's, clousers.nymphs 5 wt seems a little light for them, But I like it if while fishing I switch to drys . I have a custom built 8 wt 9' I used for local small and lg mouth bass. Would this be to heavy for Nymphs , bugger's . love the rod.

No, it's not too heavy.

I have used an 8WT for nymphing and streamer fishing on PA trout streams. If your next down size rod is a 5WT, I think you will find that the big gun gives you a lot more power and control (especially since you already like the rod a lot).

 

[CRB]

VG for LE browns and lake run rainbows.

 

[moon1284]

I'm in the camp that would rather use an 8 wt to throw streamers than a 5wt.

 

[poopdeck]

I'm an experienced novice and find throwing streamers with a 5wt less then ideal. I've never used my 8 wt for trout fishing but why not if you like it. Much better then the guys using a 2 wt to increase the size of the fish.

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

An 8wt can be perfect for PA trout fishing in medium to larger streams.
Not all 8wts are created equal.

I could hand you one you would swear was a 5wt.

 

[hunter1]

Thank's all for your advise. I have a 7 wt Pfluger rod also. Only one I don't have is a 6 wt. This winter I'll try them all out. Thank's again.

 

[Bamboozle]

While you are trying the 8wt for trout with buggers, clousers, nymphs; if haven't already, try the 5wt with a short stout leader with a 3X or heavier tippet with the same flies.

Nothing makes a lighter rod feel under-gunned with heavy flies more than a long fine leader.

 

[Fly-Swatter]

+1

Add to "cast short" to that recommendation. At the risk of stating the obvious, the longer you cast, the more line is in the air and the greater the load on the rod. Adding a heavy fly (or flies) to that will ruin you cast. If you need to reach a spot farther than 30 feet out, try shooting line. It's a bit tricky to strike a balance between casting with a tight, energy efficient loop and keep your loop wide enough so you don't take the top off your rod (sadly, I speak from experience on this).

 

[Acristickid]

Journeyman here.

Jack of all trades , master of none.

Have an Orvis TLS 9ft 8wt with large arbor. Used it for steel, salmon and lighter saltwater.

 

[hunter1]

Thank's all. I know I'll have fun trying all the rod's out.

 

[JakesLeakyWaders]

I broke a 5 weight fishing and used my 7/8 weight for trout the rest of the day. Ended up being a pretty good day other than breaking a rod.