Choosing the Perfect Fly Rod Part 1: Fly Rod Weight
When I bought my first fly rod I was really confused. Fly rods come in lots of sizes and lengths. They have different “actions.” Some say they are for saltwater and others don’t mention it at all. On top of that, you have to buy a matching reel and matching fly line, of which there are one-hundred more options to dig through…
In hindsight, with the experience I now have, it really wasn’t that confusing. But in that moment, as a beginner, I was overwhelmed. In the end I just called my brother. “What rod do I need to buy to fish for Snook in Florida that is a reasonable price?” He told me and I bought it. It was and still is a great rod. The Temple Fork Outfitter’s 9’ – 8wt Mangrove.
For those of you that don’t have a brother to point you in the right direction, I wanted to write an in-depth article to try to demystify all the lingo around fly rods. I hope this helps point you in the right direction to better understand the basics of what you are looking for.
What Is a Fly Rod?
Hey, you’re on a fly fishing website reading about fly rods. I am not going to waste a bunch of your time (or mine) artfully explaining what a fly rod is or how it came to be. It’s a type of rod used for fly fishing. Good enough?
But what is important to know, is that there are lots of types of fly fishing and rods made specifically for these variations. There is dry fly, nymphing, streamers, euro nymphing, spey casting, and tenkara fishing. There are even more variations beyond these. But in this article we are going to focus on what’s most common, rods that are made to chuck dry flies, nymph rigs, and streamers. If you are interested in other methods let us know and we may just write an article about them in the future.
Fly rods come in various weights, actions, and lengths. In this three part article, we will break these attributes down and try to provide specific examples of how these attributes can be applied. In this article, we are going to focus on fly rod weights, but if you want to jump ahead, links to all three articles can be found here (as we publish them):
Part 1: Fly Rod Weight
Part 2: Fly Rod Action
Part 3: Fly Rod Length
Now, let’s get started.
Fly Rod Weight Explained:
The fly rods weight is usually denoted as “wt” or even “w”. You can typically find the weight designation printed near the base of the rod along with the length which we will discuss in Part 3.
A Temple Fork Outfitters BVK fly rod. This rod is a 5 weight example designated by the 5wt. printed at the base.
Now, are you ready to be shocked? The weight designation of a fly rod doesn’t have anything to do with the fly rods physical weight. Instead, it is a reference to the size of fly line it is designed to be used with. For example, a 6 weight fly rod is designed to be optimally and generally used with a 6 weight fly line. That isn’t always how they are paired. For example, I had a guide pass me a 9 weight rod paired with 10 weight fly line once. There was a purpose behind this setup, but casting it felt very strange. We will get more into this at the end of this section.
Fly Line Weight
So what does weight mean? Well, unless you are looking to impress your friends with some useless knowledge, you can skip this section. What is important for beginners to understand is that the weight designation for the fly rod, the fly line, and also the reel should generally match. But for those of you looking to win a random fact competition, here you go.
Back in the day the American Fishing Tackle Manufacturers Association (AFTMA) decided it would be helpful to standardize fly lines so buyers could understand what they were purchasing. They established weight categories for fly lines based on the actual weight of the last thirty feet of the line. To be clear, this weight does not include the weight of an attached leader, tippet, or fly. More recently, the American Fly Fishing Trade Association took over these standards and they have been adopted by the industry today.
The weight of the last 30 feet is measured in grains, where one grain is equal to 1/7,000th of a pound (0.0648 grams). Each weight designation for a fly line falls into a range of grains. Here is a table that helps lay this out for quick reference:
Typical Fly Line Grain Weight
| Line Size | Low Range (Grains) | Target Weight (Grains) | High Range (Grains) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-Weight | 54 | 60 | 66 |
| 2-Weight | 74 | 80 | 86 |
| 3-Weight | 94 | 100 | 106 |
| 4-Weight | 114 | 120 | 126 |
| 5-Weight | 134 | 140 | 146 |
| 6-Weight | 152 | 160 | 168 |
| 7-Weight | 177 | 185 | 193 |
| 8-Weight | 202 | 210 | 218 |
| 9-Weight | 230 | 240 | 250 |
| 10-Weight | 270 | 280 | 290 |
| 11-Weight | 318 | 330 | 342 |
| 12-Weight | 368 | 380 | 392 |
| 13-Weight | 435 | 450 | 465 |
| 14-Weight | 485 | 500 | 515 |
| 15-Weight | 535 | 550 | 565 |
Now you know. An 8 wt fly rod should generally be paired with an 8 wt fly line which means the last 30 feet of the line weighs should roughly weigh 210 grains. Again, it is also important for the fly line and rod to be paired with the appropriate reel to ensure the entire setup works optimally in your hands. Just like a rod, the reel is also typically marked to show what size line it is designed for. Often times they are built for a small range of fly lines, like the 4/5wt reel below:
One important note here, is that manufacturers are starting to stray from these standards and producing heavier lines. This all has to do with “feel” and accuracy of the cast. Check the grain weights printed on the packaging to understand the exact weight of the line. Note that heavier lines may impact casting distance. But at the end of the day, find what works best for you!
Fly Line Weight - Overlining:
Disclaimer! I feel like this section is a bit out of place. I probably feel this way because, in my mind, before you mess with overlining you should probably have a good understanding and practical experience with everything written below. I also don’t have a lot of experience here, as this is not a setup that I have used more than once. So, at least know that as you read through this section.
In some instances, you might want to use a heavier weight line than your rod is designed for. This is called overlining. In the scenario I mentioned above, I had a guide give me a 9wt rod paired with a 10wt fly line. We were in Belize fishing for Permit which are notoriously spooky fish. He hoped the 10wt line would allow me to get the larger fly (crab pattern) out easier and cut through the wind a little better. It was not for me. The cast just felt heavy and unnatural and was hard for me to control at much distance.
You can usually overline your fly rod by a weight. Your rod will still work. It will slow down your cast, which might be helpful on a fast action rod because your rod will flex more, and give you a bit more “feel” and accuracy at short to medium range.
There are mixed reviews on using this strategy in the wind and they both make sense. The heavier fly line can result in higher line velocity helping you punch through the wind with more accuracy. The heavier fly line is also thicker, meaning there is more surface area for the wind to interact with causing it to act like a sail.
At the end of the day, I am not going to tell you overlining is a good strategy or a bad one. There are probably anglers that sit firmly in both camps. I will leave this one up to angler preference and specific scenarios. If you have a reason to try it out, then get out there and try and let us know how it worked out for you.
Fly Rod Weight Selection:
If you skipped that last part, start reading again! So we have established that the weight designation of a fly rod has nothing to do with its actual weight, but correlates to the type of fly line that should be used. So does this mean it’s not important? No! In my mind, it is a very helpful tool to use so you can quickly and accurately pick a rod for the fishing excursion in front of you. Let’s get into a few details.
Fly Rod Weight Selection - Species:
The primary question to ask yourself is, what are you going to be fishing for? Fly rods aren’t exactly cheap. Do you want a rod that covers as many bases as possible? Are you targeting trout, bass, or maybe tarpon? Or do you know you want to fish for carp in a large, muddy, shallow pond? These are important factors to consider as you approach this purchasing decision. Generally speaking, small weight rods are for small streams and smalls fish, and large weight rods are for large rivers or the oceans where you are targeting big fish. Here is a table for quick reference:
Choosing the Right Fly Rod: Weight, Species & Water
| Fly Rod Weight | Target Species Examples | Typical Water Size |
|---|---|---|
| 1-Weight | Small trout & panfish | Small streams & creeks |
| 2-Weight | Small trout & panfish | Small streams, creeks |
| 3-Weight | Trout, small bass & panfish | Small to medium-sized streams |
| 4-Weight | Trout, bass, panfish, small streamers | Medium-sized rivers, streams, ponds |
| 5-Weight | Versatile FW: trout, bass, panfish, light saltwater | Medium-sized rivers, lakes, ponds, saltwater |
| 6-Weight | Versatile FW: trout, bass, panfish, light saltwater, small carp | Medium to large rivers, lakes, saltwater |
| 7-Weight | Bass, larger trout, steelhead, light saltwater, carp | Large rivers, lakes, light saltwater |
| 8-Weight | Versatile SW: Large bass, steelhead, salmon, permit, bonefish, snook, carp | Large rivers, lakes, saltwater |
| 9-Weight | Versatile SW: Salmon, steelhead, large bass, permit, bonefish, snook | Large rivers, lakes, saltwater |
| 10-Weight | Tarpon, musky, pike, small shark | Large Salt and Freshwater Species |
| 11-Weight | Tarpon, musky, pike, small shark | Large Salt and Freshwater Species |
| 12-Weight | Tarpon, musky, pike, shark | Large Salt and Freshwater Species |
As you can see, as the fly rod weight goes up, the size fish goes up. Unsurprisingly, the size of the water body you would be fishing also typically increases. You find big fish in big water.
It is worth saying that if you are buying your first rod for freshwater fishing, a 5-6 wt rod would be my recommendation. When I started fly fishing, someone gifted me a 5wt as my first rod and I still take it on nearly every fishing trip I go on today. I use it for trout fishing on small streams and medium sized rivers, farm pond fishing for bluegill and bass, I take it smallmouth fishing and anywhere else where I am not expecting to see a monster fish. It is great for chucking out a mix of flies from dry flies, to nymph rigs, to streamers and poppers.
If you are looking for your first all-purpose saltwater rod, I would recommend looking in the 8-9 wt range. You can target nearly the entire range of salt water species with this size including juvenile tarpon! At the beginning of the article I told you that the first rod I purchased was an 8wt, and I did so for just this reason. I have used it for tarpon, bonefish, permit, snook, and jacks, in addition to whatever else will bite on a blind cast. They have good freshwater use as well. I take mine carp fishing and down to Florida for those monster largemouth.
Honestly, these were the only two rods I owned for a long time. I used them for everything. They are both excellent versatile rods and will get you out on the water covering the most species and scenarios possible in the most cost-effective way.
In case this isn’t obvious, using the wrong size fly rod for the situation can result in missed fish and/or a poor experience. Back to my brother, he and his friends hooked into a big tuna with an 8wt in Costa Rica.
Fishing for Yellow Fin Tuna with an 8wt.
They did end up landing it by hand-lining it in, so that’s cool!
On the other hand, I caught my first tarpon, a juvenile, on a 12wt. The experience was not exciting at all because I just lifted it out of the water. You can’t help what fish decides to bite your fly, but bringing the right rod for the job can help ensure you land the fish and are able to going fishing again the next day.
Fly Rod Weight Selection – Fly Size:
Are you throwing big chunky clouser minnow or mouse patterns? Or are you aiming for a delicate presentation with your dry fly? Larger weight rods generally do a better job casting heavier flies. You might consider stepping up a weight size for heavier flies.
There are other fly rod attributes that may be considered for casting specific types of flies. Primarily, the action of the rod which we will cover in more detail in Part 2.
Fly Rod Weight Selection – Casting Distance:
Casting distance has a lot to do with your casting skills and practice. However, smaller weight rods are better for shorter casts and larger weight rods are better for longer casts. This is clearly represented in the table above where smaller rods are used for creeks and larger weight rods are used on the ocean.
The action of the rod can also affect casting distance. Again, we will cover this in more detail in Part 2.
Fly Rod Weight Selection – Wind Conditions:
It is harder to cast a fly rod well in the wind. Generally, you should consider going up one weight size for windy conditions. This will help you cut through the wind a bit better and improve your accuracy. I may be opening myself up to some hate here, but this is probably a better solution than overlining your rod.
Fly Rod Weight Summary:
Hopefully, this left you with a better understanding of what weight is in relation to a fly rod. If you still have question, we’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment below, or shoot us an email at contact@guidebookco.com. Also, don’t be intimidated to go and ask the salesperson at your local fly shop, or a guide on your next fishing trip. In both cases, they will most likely let you try a few rods out so you can get a feel and be able to provide you a good hands on education.
In the next two parts of this series, we will talk through fly rod action, and finally we will cover those different rod lengths.
