So I mostly use baitcasters, and spinning gear, but when the conditions permit, I pull out an older Redington 8wt, and fish for Reds/trout/anything that will eat a fly. Thing is, I like the actual casting of a fly rod, but as I've "matured" the 8 wt just wears me out if I do much blind casting. Looking into a 5 or 6 wt to alleviate the strain. Having only used an 8 wt,, how much difference do you feel at the end of the day using a lighter rod, and do many/any of you use a 5wt? I fish for the pull, not the stringer. TIA.

I’ve got from a 2 weight to a 10 weight, plus one or more 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 weights. So if you are talking about speckled trout and redfish and other inshore fish, I’m usually using one of three rods for those, A 7/8 weight 7’6” g.Loomis short stix, a 7/8 weight 7’6” Cabelas CGR and a 6 weight 8’ Echo BAG Quickshot. I’ve also used most of the other rods, fir example a TFO BVK 8 9’ Weight, a Gary Borger Pro 9’ 7 weight, a G.Loomis IMX-Pro 9’ 6 weight and more, I currently have or once had for those fish. BTW, I’m not young, about to be 60 year old.

A lot of things can wear someone out while fly fishing. I get that a heavier rod in a heavier line weight rating can wear someone out. I have an 8’ 9 weight BAG Quickshot and that rod will tire me out after a while. It just freaking heavy. Too big, fluffy and/or heavy of a fly for the rod, leader and line will wear a person out. Too light or slow a rod for the wind will make a body tired.

Those 7/8 weights I have I can usually fish all day. The fiberglass one if it isn’t windy, if it is windy, then that one tends to wear me out. If it is windy, the short stix makes casting in the wind a whole lot less tiring since it is such a fast rod. Wading deeper than thigh deep is a wear me out activity with casting the fly rod for a lengthy period.

Trying to always max out the range on fly casting will tire me out, no matter which rod. Trying squeeze that last 10 feet out of the cast is not worth it in my opinion beyond a perishable shot at a good fish.

A five weight isn’t really ideal for redfish and trout, it can be done, but for the flies I typically use at the distances I typically fish in the typical conditions on the coast, a 5 weight is more work and more fatiguing than moving up one or two weights. Just my opinion. A cannon of a 9’ 8 weight might be more than you want to be swinging for long, especially if you are trying to reach out a little.


Anytime I fish, I try to think about closing the distances with the kayak, boat or wading over if at all possible. Fly rods in that 6-8 weight range generally really are easy to cast in the 30-60’ range. Five weights are too, but the fly is going to need to be lighter and less bulky than some of the typical redfish, speckled trout patterns might be. So if you are using extra sleek and light weight patterns as a rule, then downsizing the rod to a 5 weight might make sense. Or if you are casting mostly close to medium ranges, then it could work also.

I’ve fishing 100s and 100s of hours fly fishing the inshore here. For me, the overall 6-8 weight zone works best for redfish, trout, sheepshead and assorted other fish. Five weights and below are at times doable, but they seem sort of specialized to specific styles, maybe creeping around slowly in a kayak, or really close in casts under lights or light, light weight offerings on low wind situations.

Thank you for a very detailed answer! i learned on an old glass Shakespeare with a Perrine automatic reel in the 70's in western Colorado/ northern New Mexico, and never gave a thought to throwing it all day while wading. Throwing a #16 Adams is a lot different than trying to get a spoon fly out there though. Now at 63 my best friend is ibuprophen,
Sounds like a 6wt is the weigh to go, even if my fly selection gets thinned.