Can a guy get a 9wt combo for Saltwater and downsize the line for freshwater trout for smaller flies.
Trying not to spin a lot of money till i get this master.

Yes, you could use a 9 weight in the salt and then use it to streamer fish for freshwater water species like cold water trout. A 9 weight might be just the thing to sling those giant meaty articulated streamers like you see from Kelly Galloup at the Slide Inn.

Might be tough to get a delicate presentation on your dry flies with a 9 weight. You could try much lighter line, but then it�s going to be tough to load the rod to cast. I once fished 5 weight line on a 7/8 weight rod because I grabbed the wrong reel and it was doable but not desirable. A 12� trout isn�t going to bend a 9 weight much at all.,either.

But really big trout, really big or heavy streamers, really big water and your 9 weight might be fine or even just about right.

You could also downsize your salt combo depending on where and when and what you are typically going to pursue in the salt. A 7 weight will easily get it done for most Texas inshore situations and average casting type of skill. I�ve taken out my 4/5 weight CGR and tamed slot reds, but it�s about having the right leader/tippet, smaller flies and not too much wind. Lots of folks fish 6 weights in the salt as their primary rod.

I do use an 8/9 weight inshore sometimes when it�s windy or I need to sling something heavy. But I�ll fish when it�s blowing 15 and a bunch of saltwater fly folks stay home when it�s like that.

The first fly rod set up I got was a combo off STP. It was a 7weight, Gary Borger Pro rod made by Targus. The reel was a Ross and the line a mystery. The line was the worse part and I soon replaced it with Cortland 444 peach.

I used that both in the saltwater and on a trout stream. I first took it out in the marsh where I knew there would likely be redfish. Maybe 5 minutes into my paddle, sure enough, a red shows, I make the 25-30 foot cast, get the take and ping! The leader snapped. It was one of those tapered leaders, maybe a 3 or 4X that came with the combination and was not up to a mid slot redfish turning direction and a fly fisherman with poor line management.

I took the rod, reel, New Cortland line and a self tied leader on an Elk hunt situated next to a small/medium sized freestone stream. I tied up some bead head woolly buggers and caught a few rainbows and browns up to about 16-17�. They were wild fish and the current was strong and they were fun in spite of having a 7 weight.

That was thousands of dollars, a dozen or so rods and reels, and countless flies ago.

Honestly? No not really. You wouldn't fish reds with a tuna stick, and the same thing applies here.

Also depending on what you mean, you can't just "downsize the line." If you mean the leader, yes, you could use light leader on a heavier rod, but you can't (or wouldn't want to anyways) fish a 5wt fly line on a 9 weight rod.

My suggestion would be to buy the saltwater gear (8 or 9 weight, spend on the reel, save on the rod) and see if you like it. You can get a cheap (~$100) freshwater combo that will be just fine if you want as well.

trout and salty feeshes are world apart in approach & equipment, decide which you want more and get that first, then get the other, one size fits all rarely (if ever) fits fly fishing

There�s also really serviceable 5 weight combos out there for around $100. My BIL picked up one off Amazon and it had line,leader, a few flies, plus the rod and reel. I cast the set up and thought it was super easy to cast. That could be your freshwater rig. Eagle claw makes a very popular fiberglass fly rod that�s super cheap. Quality Line can usually be found at discount on various web sites. The reel on a fresh water set up can be just about anything and can be had for very little. It�s typically a line storage device only. You can make your own leaders out of ordinary mono. There�s tons of formulas out there, but I wouldn�t get too worked up about making a perfect leader. Don�t get caught up in having to buy tippet spools at Fly shop rates. That can happen later if you want.

I do a lot of my saltwater fly fishing here on the upper coast with slow fiberglass CGRs that cost me ~ $65. I�ve caught hundreds of fish on them including redfish, Speckled trout, flounder, Drum, croaker, and others. You don�t normally need a several hundred dollar flats rod to connect with salty fish. It�s not long casting. If you can advance the line 40 feet, you are in the game. Shots and casts are often less than that. I�m not really advocating you get a 5/6 or 7/8 weight CGR for your saltwater rod, but know they are up to the task. The point is you don�t need expensive gear to have a chance to have success in the saltwater fly scene at least inshore Texas.

Maybe you plan on going somewhere where you need to make long casts, but here in the upper and middle texas coast I just don�t ever really run across those situations. Even some of the accounts I hear from tropical places like Mexico or Belize they aren�t making long casts.

The reel you get should be machined aluminum and anodized. That�s the main requirement for an inshore Texas saltwater fly reel. Cast aluminum doesn�t do as well in our environment. I like sealed drags with synthetic materials like Rulon.

But I�m way in deep on this fly stuff. I usually carry 3 fly rod set ups strung and ready out on my kayak when I�m in the marsh or bay. Each one has a role so I�m all about a specialized rod for special tasks.

No two people that really get into fly fishing ever make the same choices. There are just too many variables and options. You will get the wrong stuff, spend too much, spend too little, possibly regret purchases. Your tastes will change the more you fish and cast. It�s on the job learning and some things are impossible to know until you�ve been out there a while. You�ll think, boy, I wish I had a rod for this or that. Many people way into fly fishing end up with somewhere north of ten rods.

"Many people way into flyfishing end up with somewhere north of ten rods."

I hate to admit it, but I'm somewhere north of 30 rods by this time and still going. I swore I would stop acquiring rods when I retired, but my resolve has been weak. I may have to go through some type of 12 step program. Aw, I think it's just the winter time blues. When the weather is nice, I'm out fishing. When it's cold and I stay at home, I find myself online, looking at rods and reels. It's all Al Gore's fault. If he hadn't invented the Internet, I wouldn't be in this fix.

Larry

This won't help OP very much, but way back in the bamboo era, they made 8 wt 3 piece rods, and provided a different handle to use the two skinnier pieces to convert to a 4 wt. I bought one of these 8 wts, and I had (believe it or not) a telescoping steel fly rod from the early 1900s I used for wall decoration (well, actually, as an antennae for my old tube radio). I was a simple matter to un-solder the steel rods reel seat/handle, and use that to covert to a bamboo 4 wt. Why doesn't some rod maker do that today? My guess...so you have to buy more rods. Today's multi-piece rods, say, a 6 piece 8 WT could allow the same conversion using 4 pieces. You'd probably want two handles...the larger with a fighting butt, but it would seem pretty straightforward. Sorry if this came out as a rant...