what weight fly rod should i buy to fish the little juniata

[c_nesbella]

im looking to buy a new fly rod. either a 5 weight or 4 weight. i mainly fish the little juniata and just am not sure which weight i should go with. i currently have a 6 weight and i think i would be better suited with a lower weight rod. any suggestions as to what weight rod would be better to purchase to fish the little juniata?

 

[DaveS]

Well that depends on your particular style of fishing. I perfer a 9' 4 weight, but that's my style. If I can find a few risers I'll forsake more and larger fish to fish dry flies. But I'm a fair caster and can still lob a wooly buggers or a few nymphs with the four. If you like small flies or pick your spots, a four is fine. And that's important on the Little J, with such a good population of fish you can usually find the water that suits your style and still get some action.

Unless you just have to spend some cash, you could try changing line wieght on the rod you have now. It might be a little faster, and cast a little better with a five weight line. Just a thought.

 

[jdaddy]

9' 4wt. Also, check some of the other threads, there are a bunch of current threads discussing merits of 3,4,5,6.

 

[albatross]

I usually fish my 9 foot four weight. I'll take the five if I'm planning to chuck streamers.

Since you already have a six, I would go down to a four for my next rod. You can always fill in later with a five.

 

[bam]

Five, unless you do a lot of dry fly fishing... and then I'd still suggest a 5. I use my 9' 4 a lot, but like a 5 or 6 on rivers.

 

[jayL]

The little J is a textbook 5wt river in my opinion. It's nearly impossible to be overgunned by a weight, but it's entirely possible to be undergunned.

 

[afishinado]

jayL wrote:
The little J is a textbook 5wt river in my opinion. It's nearly impossible to be overgunned by a weight, but it's entirely possible to be undergunned.

Ditto

 

[PennKev]

I fish a 4wt a lot on the LJR. If flows are 250 cfs or less the 4wt can cover almost any situation without trouble. I also have a 6wt which sees a lot of use but lacks the finesse for dry fly fishing that the 4wt has. A 4wt is plenty of rod for the late spring through fall months unless you intend to spend a lot of time throwing larger than average streamers, in which case I would recommend the 6wt.

However, I don't think you can go wrong with a 5wt either. ;-)

Kev

 

[MKern]

I would also say that a 9' 5wt is perfect for the LJ.

However, I would by a 5 wt. rod speciafically for that stream if I already had a 6 wt.

Now, if yu want to get yourself something nice or new go right ahead.

There's not a huge difference between a 6 and 5 wt.
So if you wanted another rod, I'd go 4wt.

 

[Chaz]

It's a matter of taste, I'd use a 4wt 9 ft. Unless it's windy then I'd go heavier. Maybe a 5 wt.

 

[dryflyguy]

I fish an 8'6" 4 weight on it all year - but a 9' 5 weight would be better for high flows in the early spring.

 

[flipnfly]

Just a suggestion. I have a 4 wt tfo signature series and I can toss a #4 wieghted bunny streamer with it if I have to. Tfo makes em a lil faster thban most....... iREALLY LIKE THAT ROD and it wasn't. Too expensive