Good rod wt for freshwater Steelhead?

D

downriver79

Steelhead
My fly fishing experience is mostly limited to CO trout so my rod selection is an 8' 4wt and a 9' 5wt. I also have a 9' 9wt my dad gave me that he used for Largemouth Bass and Hybrids on lakes. I think I'll be fine with the 5wt through summer, but once the bigger fish start entering the river in the fall I'm afraid it wouldn't be enough rod and would have to really tire out any bigger fish I hook into. Is a 9wt too much rod? I'll be fishing the Trinity in northern California. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
 
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Robert Engleheart said:
A 9 weight is too much for the Trinity, most fish are 4-8#, later winter fish can be larger, my personal best is 34”. I fished the T since 2000, a 5 is a bit small but will work for summer and fall. I use a 6 or 7 weight single hand rod or a 5 weight 2 hand.
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Thanks for the input, Robert. I've been thinking I should keep an eye out for a good deal on a 7wt.
 
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I use single 7wts predominantly even for our summer runs up here. The only downside is when I want to chuck heavier flys where a 8 would be beneficial (I tie some heavy nymphs for steelhead). But you tend to learn the chuck n duck cast style quickly, a couple smacks to the head later.

You could probably get by with a 6 for your fish, but that’ll severely limit what you can throw. 7 is a nice mix between weight, ability, and fun.
 
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downriver79 said:
My fly fishing experience is mostly limited to CO trout so my rod selection is an 8' 4wt and a 9' 5wt. I also have a 9' 9wt my dad gave me that he used for Largemouth Bass and Hybrids on lakes. I think I'll be fine with the 5wt through summer, but once the bigger fish start entering the river in the fall I'm afraid it wouldn't be enough rod and would have to really tire out any bigger fish I hook into. Is a 9wt too much rod? I'll be fishing the Trinity in northern California. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
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What those guys said, but if you have to use what you have, which you can work with if you need to, just go with the 9 weight. It’ll have the guts to throw weighted flies, bigger flies, and sink tips.
 
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With a 4 and a 5, you are pretty set for most trouting. You’ve got a 9. This is a great reason to get a 7. You’re on odd weights. Then you can look for a 3 and an 11. 😁
 
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Sounds like I should dig the 9wt out and re-spool the reel. My dad, being a bass fisherman and using a baitcaster 99% of the time, had it set up to cast and reel right handed. Plus, the lines got to be 20+ years old.
Thanks for all the input! If anyone's ever looking to fish the Trinity and needs a fishing partner, feel free to shoot me a PM. I just might have enough chores from the honey-do list completed to go fishing.
 
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Before the spey era, I used 7-8 weight, 9- 9 1/2 foot rods for summer steelhead, and a 9 foot 10 weight for big flies for winter steelhead. Those sizes were typical - well, the 10 weight was a bit bigger than the norm for winter fish. But they worked fine!
 
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I fish the trinity with a 6/7 Spey but would want a 7wt for a single hand rod. If planning to bobber fish for them a six wt would be fine
 
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A 7 wt will definitely be my next rod purchase. The 9 wt will have to get me by for now. Problem is, I can't find the reel anywhere. It's totally MIA since we moved. I know it's not gone, it's just in some weird place and will probably turn up as soon as I buy a new reel for it. With that being the case, I was thinking about getting one that has a range from 7-9wt. When the 9 wt reel resurfaces I'll already have a reel I can put on a 7wt. I was looking at the Teton 7-8 large capacity. Teton 7-8 LC Any of you own or ever used a Teton? I'm looking for something that won't break the bank, trying to keep it under $200.
 
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The Pflueger Medalist is cheap, plentiful, prole-classy, and tougher than a fifty cent steak. The Lamson LP series, (3, 3 1/2, 4, 5, and 6), the Scientific Anglers System II in several sizes, the Cortland Magnum 140D and 200D, and the Okuma Sierra series are all black, perforated, small arbor, disc drag with balls, and usually well under $200 ... all qualities I appreciate in a medium to large fly reel. I've bought all I need, so now it's your turn.
 
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One could do very well in the $200 range with a brand new Danielsson F3W.
 
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