Rod Purchase Question

[Swattie87]

jifigz wrote:

So am I crazy that I have been fly fishing for so many years and I've NEVER owned a 5 weight? I probably never will own one, either, I have a bunch of 4 weights and a few 6 weights, a 5 weight has no place here.

Na. I've had a 5 weight come and go in my lineup at various times. I have one now, but it's not your typical standard issue 9 footer. It's a short (7'9) one I specifically use for streamers on small streams.

The 5wt is a jack of all trades, and if you could only FF in PA with one rod the rest of your life, an 8'6 or 9'0 5wt is probably one of the best compromise choices you have. It'll do everything, though not necessarily any one specific thing especially well.

My shorter 3 and 4 weights do the small stream stuff better, and my 9'0 6wt does WW and big Trout rivers better...Why I don't have a 5wt in the 8'6-9'0 range currently.

There's no right answer here. Whatever works for you, works.

That said, as a beginner, I agree an 8'6 or a 9'0 5wt is probably the best rod to start out on, for PA anyway. It will let you cover the most types of fishing, and generally a longer rod is easier to learn mechanics on than a shorter on. The OP in this thread already had a couple shorter, lighter rods, which is why I think you saw some suggestions for skipping the 5wt and going to a 6wt for his next purchase.