7wt or 8wt??

[boom2it]

Looking for some advice. I want to put together a streamer rod but also use it as a steelhead rod. I haven't gone steelhead fishing yet, but plan on it this fall and winter. I enjoy streamer fishing and was hoping to put together one rod to use for either situation. 7wt enough? 8wt to much? Or does it not make much of a difference between the two?
Thanks

 

[JeffK]

One weight difference doesn't make much difference. That said, I really like 8 wts for long distance casting and I like a little more power on the Salmon R. Seven wt is generally fine to land a steelhead in a perfect world, but the issue is often to land a steelhead surrounded by a bunch of idiots, some who don't notice you have a fish on, in water that may be a little high fast, or maybe you hook a giant steelie, a fresh coho, or the Atlantic of a lifetime. I would rather be overgunned than undergunned in those situations. Plus, I like using deer hair bass bugs with the 8 wt. June is the month for bass bugs BTW.

Your mileage may vary - I feel comfortable with 8 wts.

 

[LyNcH]

I concur with the 8wt suggestion, although a 7 is enough. If the purpose of the rod is for fishing streamers, I suggest you consider at a two handed rod. At a minimum a switch rod (8wt), which will eventually graduate you to a spey rod (7wt fine). Seriously, don't mess around trying to sling streamers with a single hand, you can kiss your shoulder goodbye and it's not nearly as enjoyable.

 

[CMoser]

Really depends on the length of the rod. I would go with either a 9'-7 or 10'-8 with fighting butt. You could stretch it to 9.5' or 10.5'

 

[Trout Nazi]

If you're going to spend the majority of your time trout fishing, and a minority of it steelheading, I'd get the 7wt. If its going to be the other way around, get the 8.

 

[Trouser Trout]

The question is kind of vague, what why can't you fish streamers with whatever you are using now? I understand wanting a larger weight rod for steelhead.

 

[PRomano]

If you're going to spend the majority of your time trout fishing, and a minority of it steelheading, I'd get the 7wt. If its going to be the other way around, get the 8.

I have landed Steelhead on both 7 and 8 weight rods. I agree with Nazi that you should go with the 7 weight if you're fishing primarily streamers for trout and only stealheading once or twice a year.

I also agree with Lynch on going with the two handed rod. Trust me, I just had my fourth cortisone injection in my right elbow! :crap:
That repetitive casting all day long for several days on hand will do your arm in.

 

[Twism]

If you plan to not fish salmon, then I would say a 7wt will get the job done. I use a 10' 7wt (pretty common) and find that its more than suitable for most situations. I primarily nymph however, if you want to swing streamers I would look toward a switch rod. Something two handed to make the spey casting easier. It all depends what you want to do but after some time on the river you will really know what you want.

 

[Future Fanatic]

Looking for some advice. I want to put together a streamer rod but also use it as a steelhead rod. I haven't gone steelhead fishing yet, but plan on it this fall and winter. I enjoy streamer fishing and was hoping to put together one rod to use for either situation. 7wt enough? 8wt to much? Or does it not make much of a difference between the two?
Thanks

Where you fish might make a difference to you, too. Lake Erie steelhead average a bit smaller than their Lake Ontario counterparts. I believe one might be able to get away with using a 6 weight on Erie.(if that were your destination of choice).
Some DEC info:

Lake Erie: Steelhead Fishing in Lake Erie Tributaries - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation
Lake Ontario: Steelhead Fishing in Lake Ontario Tributaries - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation

 

[Trout Nazi]

The question is kind of vague, what why can't you fish streamers with whatever you are using now? I understand wanting a larger weight rod for steelhead.

You can streamer fish with whatever you have. I have sinking line for all of my rods, down to my 3wt. However, if you were going to put together a dedicated streamer rod, you'd probably want to look at 6, 7, or 8wts, and 8wt being an option if the salmon/steelhead thing is going to be a big part of your future. I just put together a 7wt streamer rig for trout, steelhead for the 2 times in 10yrs that I actually do it. Turns out that my particular outfit nymphs really well too, and can lay-out a dry fly pretty delicately to boot.

 

[JeffK]

I guess I might go back to some basics. A heavy line is needed to throw heavier flies and to cast longer distances. Streamer fishing covers a lot of ground from flicking a little size 12 feather wing to throwing a 7" long monster that has the aerodynamics of a dead squirrel. The weight of line is largely determined by the weight of the streamer. I hear "well I toss size 2 cone head buggers on my 2 wt" all the time. IMHO, it is easier on your casting arm if you match the weight of the fly to your line. Manhandling a large streamer on a light line is more work than it ought to be and I like an 8 wt to chuck big articulated streamers for bragging size trout. Those sinking tips can get heavy too. I often go to a 6 wt for size 6 or 4 streamers in the Finger Lakes. All depends on what you want to do.

You can throw a heavier line further. The old very rough rule-of-thumb is you can easily cast 10 feet for each line weight. If you are streamer fishing a NJ stream you don't need a heavy rod. On many lakes you will need all the distance you can develop. On big waters wind can be a problem - heavier lines cut through wind easier.

I'm not a great distance caster, but chucking heavy streamers is helped a lot by developing better casting skills. Let the rod do the work, use your body and legs as well as your arms, get nice loop control, etc. You can get by having a lot of casting flaws with a light weight outfit at normal trout fishing range. Doing the heavy work is where casting efficiency really matters.