Maine offers a great variety of fish species for fly-fishing anglers to pursue. Whether gently playing a native brook trout or wrestling with a heavy-shouldered striped bass, fly-fishing fanatics will try them all on a fly rod.
To maximize time spent on the water, the ardent angler fishes for many different species throughout the open-water season, and having a fly rod and reel for each situation can get quite expensive. For most of us, finding two outfits, a light one and a heavy one that could handle all of angling’s offerings, would be a frugal Yankee’s dream come true. The 8-foot, 5-weight and the 9-foot, 8-weight rods fit this bill by offering a light rod, sensitive enough for smaller fish and delicate presentations, and a heavier one to handle larger flies and trophy-class fish.
The species of fish that you pursue usually dictates which length and weight of rod you should use. However, once the fly-fishing bug bites you, you’ll soon be chasing other fish that you never dreamed of trying for. Modern rod manufacturers have sensed this expanding market and have created specialty rods for every imaginable angling scenario, but these are mere luxuries for most. By looking at where you fish and what you fish for, you should be able to narrow your choices and find a perfect pair of rods to cover the gamut of fishing situations.
On the light side, the 5-weight is an ideal rod for delicately casting small dry flies to waiting trout. The light weight of the line is also less tiring to cast when fishing all day. The 5-weight rod is also very popular with panfishermen. These are the action addicts who love taking a mess of fish on small poppers and wet or dry flies. Just like the ultra-light spinning rod crowd, 5-weight aficionados appreciate the way a small fish, such as a crappie or perch, can make their rod bend as if they had a salmon or pike on it.
The choice of rod length for the 5-weight line is a matter of personal preference, but anglers should look where they are fishing before they make a decision. Fishermen who stalk native brookies in small streams would do well to pick a smaller rod such as the 7-footer. If you’ve ever lugged an assembled rod through the woods to a remote stream or pond, you will appreciate the maneuverability that a 7-footer offers compared to an 8-footer. It seems that every bush and twig reaches out to grab the passing rod, and the shorter the rod is, the easier the trek.
Anglers who fish ponds or broad rivers should look towards the longer rods, such as the 8 or 8-footers. These lengths provide greater line control and more leverage to get the relatively light line out to where the fish are. Both pond and river fishermen appreciate this feature. The angler out in a canoe or float tube has the advantage with a longer rod when they try to cast out to rolling fish that seem to be moving away as they paddle closer. The longer rod is more crucial to the tube-bound angler, since he needs to keep his casts high and away from the surface of the water. Likewise, river anglers reap the benefits of the longer rod when wading in up to their chest. They also benefit from the higher back casts that a longer rod provides, a plus when trying to avoid tall grass or brush.
The arena where the smaller lines really shine is in dry fly presentation. The gentle arc of a dry fly line unfolding onto still water is perhaps one of the most graceful events in angling. It makes sense that the finer the line, the gentler the landing will be. But the smaller you go with lines, the less casting distance you will get. For these reasons, the 5-weight is a good compromise. By using a high-quality double taper line and matching it to the proper leader, the 5-weight rod can handle a vast array of angling situations.
While having a light rod for ease of carrying and presentation is fine, there are times when you just can’t have enough rod for the fish you are after. Today, more and more fly-rodders are tackling larger fish such as striped bass, salmon, pike and saltwater species like tarpon and bonefish, really putting their tackle to the test. Similarly, the heavier rod and line that accompanies it can handle the larger flies and longer casting distances that these species require.
While line weights go upwards to sizes such as 12-, 13-, 14- and even 15-weight lines, the 8-weight line on a 9-foot rod is perhaps one of the best overall rods to handle larger fish. This system is strong enough to withstand the strain of a fish coursing across a river, yet light enough to keep the angler’s arm from tiring after a day of casting.
The ability to buck the wind is also another advantage of the heavier line on a longer rod. I attended Maine master guide Carrol Ware’s talk at a State of Maine Sportsman’s Show several years back, and he advocated the use of a 9-foot, 8-weight rod for fishing on windy days. He stated, quite simply, that the larger rod and line just plain “keeps you fishing.” While an obvious point to some, I took his tidbit of knowledge for granted, but on retrospect, I realized how true his words were. I fish almost exclusively with an L.L. Bean salmon rod, which is a 9-foot 8-weight outfit. When I travel all day to fish a remote pond up north, I am at the mercy of the weather. If the wind picks up, which it usually does, I can’t just pack it in and come back later. The heavier line and rod are what keep me on the water casting, and sometimes catching fish.
With the number of 8-weight rods out there, economic reasons are also keeping this rod in vogue. As more fly-anglers are turning to the saltwater species, the 8-weight rod is drawing even greater support from anglers who already have such a rod in their closet. The savings realized from not having to purchase another rod for the coast are enough to invest in a much-needed saltwater reel.
By owning two rods – a light 5-weight for close-in, delicate work, and an 8-weight workhorse that will handle most any fish – a fly-rodder can outfit themselves to fish anywhere they choose for whatever species they desire.
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