Fly rod/reel help

[Jthawks]

I have a 5/6wt 8' fly rig. I like to dry fly fish and have trouble using streamers, but do pretty good dry fly casting with this rod/reel. I buy 7.5'--6X tippets for dry fly fishing. If I want to fish with streamers and other flys other than dry fly what's the best set up? Any other info on the limitations and advantages with 5/6wt 8' rod would be appreciated.

cheers to spring fishing

 

[tjm]

If  the trouble with using streamers is in casting them, I would be changing the line. What line are you using?

I make my own leaders and like  them to be different lengths for different water depths, but for streamers the tippet should probably be 3X or larger. On the bass creeks my standard tippet is 8# or 1X.

Should also ask what waters are you fishing and what target fish?

[fishinwrench]

Unless you wanna huck giant streamers to big browns then a 9' 6wt. is perfect IMO. 

You can pull it off with a 5wt. but 5wt. sink tip lines are a joke.   Sinking or sink-tip lines don't become useful until you get to 6wt and above.

[tjm]

@fishinwrenchhave you tried the Teeny T-100 or T130 on the 5wt?

[Gavin]

Most 8' 5wts are not  really well suited for deep nymphing, or streamer fishing. Small lightly weighted streamers, or shallow nymphing w/o an indicator should be doable with your rod though. I prefer a 10' rod for deep nymph fishing. Usually use a 9' 7wt for smallmouth, or 9' 9wt for saltwater, or really big flies. I would not put a sinking line on anything under a 7wt.

[fishinwrench]

1 hour ago, tjm said:

@fishinwrenchhave you tried the Teeny T-100 or T130 on the 5wt?

No I haven't.   Anytime I want to fish a sink tip for trout I reach for the 6wt. 

7wt. would be better, but I don't trout fish with my 7 or 8wt. rods.   

I've tried a variety of lines and sinking leaders on a 5wt. and for me they either don't get down quickly enough.....or they are too heavy to quickly pickup and cast.   I mean, I can do it, but not nearly as efficiently.    I hate missing a good shot because I couldn't get control of my crap before we drifted past it too far.   

I guess if you're standing in one spot at a trout park all day.....then it wouldn't matter, but that's just not my gig.   

[tjm]

I don't use sinking lines enough to know much about them, for me they are essentially for still water only and I can't recall the last time I used one. In streams I'm almost always using a floating line for easy pickup, and almost always a 7wt.  I asked that be cause of a discussion on another forum where they were touted as far superior to other sinkers for light tackle.

[fishinwrench]

10 minutes ago, tjm said:

I don't use sinking lines enough to know much about them, for me they are essentially for still water only and I can't recall the last time I used one. In streams I'm almost always using a floating line for easy pickup, and almost always a 7wt.  I asked that be cause of a discussion on another forum where they were touted as far superior to other sinkers for light tackle.

I trim all of my sink tips down to 10ft. or less, and actually have come to prefer Rio sinking leaders.   Some guys whine about the "hinge effect" of them.....but I don't have any problems with them at all.   You just have to alter your stroke a bit.....Cast it like you do a Clouser (in an oval path) instead of trying to cast it like a dry fly 🙄

[tjm]

1 hour ago, fishinwrench said:

Rio sinking leader

I couldn't find a grain weight listed for those and they still sink too slow for me to believe I'd like them in creeks.

[fishinwrench]

14 minutes ago, tjm said:

I couldn't find a grain weight listed for those and they still sink too slow for me to believe I'd like them in creeks.

Sink too slow?    I think you're confused.   3.5,  5.6, or 7 IPS 

If that ain't fast enough then you might as well grab your baitcaster and a handful of  casting weights.    

That 7 IPS will scrub the bottom of a fast and partially flooded run in 8-10 foot of heavily rolling water.  And I catch White bass out of 12 FOW in the lake using the 5.6 IPS