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[DC1980]

Thinking of buying my first fly rod. I have never fly fished before and would plan on fishing for rainbows, pink and coho (image that would also mean the odd chum as well). What would be the better bet, going with the heavier 8wt or 6wt?

I was just browsing cabelas site and see they have 9ft entry level combos for only $40. I know these would not be the best setup but it's something cheap to learn on and give it a try.

[fishfulangler]

mind giving me that link, i'm planning on fly fishing for the first time like you.

[DC1980]

http://m.cabelas.com/cabelas/product?cid=2861531&id=732362

[milo]

Buy an 8-weight to fish for salmon. If you like it, you may later buy a 5/6- weight to fish for trout.
Or the other way around.

I strongly oppose using a six-weight rod to fish for salmon.
For pinks, you might get away with it. But for any other species, you'd be under-gunned.

[TacoChris]

This combo is too cheap in my opinion. It may be OK for trout in the 5 or 6 weight but I would not buy it for fishing Salmon even for a beginner. A floating line is a poor choice for fishing Salmon in most situations. You need some kind of sinking line. The reel is junk they even mention it in the reviews for the combo. I doubt it would last one chum. As they are aggressive biters an inexperienced fly fisher will hook them first if they are present. Every year most of the rods broken are from chum hook ups.

And yes at least a 8 weight fly rod for salmon if chum are around or you are fishing current. I will go no lower than a 7 weight when fishing for Salmon. I have too agree with Milo 6 weight is too light. While it may seem more sporting many are now going with heavier rods and leader to release fish before they are played to death.

[DC1980]

Would an 8wt be ok for trout. Or is it just too big?

[NiceFish]

The first time I tried to fish for salmon on the fly was for chum with an 8wt.....I broke my rod that day. I wouldn't target salmon on anything less than an 8wt, and definitely not consider targeting a chum or a spring.

I like 4-6 wt for Trout, but i believe an 8 wt is totally acceptable. I fished trout with an 8 wt when I was teenager as thats all i had and it was always fun.

[TacoChris]

I fished with my 8/9 salmon rod for trout to start as a second rod. As with Nice Fish I use 4-6 weight rods for trout now. A 6 weight rod is in my opinion the best overall trout rod for a begginer. It will hanlde bigger trout, cast heavier flys,deal with wind but will not seem over kill for a smaller trout. 

If the rod is good you can always upgrade the reel later. Fishing for salmon requires a decent quailty reel. Many trout never get played off the reel most salmon take you into backing quite easily.

However do not expect much from a $40 combo.If you have a good tackle store or better a fly shop near go check them out. Some have good quality combos at resonable prices and advise is free.

[fishbandit66]

Would an 8wt be ok for trout. Or is it just too big?

You would struggle to fish dry flies well with an 8 wt. If you are looking at a lower end set up you could probably get away with fishing a 6 wt line on an 8 wt rod. You would probably start to notice a few problems with mixing line and rod weights with a more expensive set up though.

[typhoon]

You would struggle to fish dry flies well with an 8 wt. If you are looking at a lower end set up you could probably get away with fishing a 6 wt line on an 8 wt rod. You would probably start to notice a few problems with mixing line and rod weights with a more expensive set up though.

The rod doesn't know how much it costs. An 8wt rod will typically load properly with 30+ feet of 8wt line aerialized.
This definition is somewhat up to interpretation of the rod manufacturers but they want people to be able to figure out what line to use on what rod (hence the introduction of 1/2 weight lines).
Using a 6wt line on an 8wt rod will generally be very disappointing - resulting in very short casts and a very sore shoulder.
Using an 8wt rod for smaller fish will function but it won't be nearly as enjoyable as matching the gear to the target. It is certainly better than targetting Chum with a 6wt, for example.
If you're trolling you can do whatever you want.

[FlyFishin Magician]

Buy an 8-weight to fish for salmon. If you like it, you may later buy a 5/6- weight to fish for trout.
Or the other way around.

I strongly oppose using a six-weight rod to fish for salmon.
For pinks, you might get away with it. But for any other species, you'd be under-gunned.

X2

[DC1980]

Thanks for the imput, I think i will try a cheap 6wt for trout first to learn.  If i get hooked, I will buy a better setup for salmon.

[HOOK]

If your buying a setup for trout only then go with a 5wt. I fished a cheap 5wt for the first year I started, caught tons of fish on it too

When I buy salmon fly rods I don't even go middle of the road cost wise. Your primarily casting sink tips and fighting large strong fish so if your cheaper rod has a bit more backbone I'm ok with that. I currently run a Redington Pursuit 10' 7wt that cost me less than $150 taxes in.

my 4wt & 5wt trout rods are lower end Sage rods. still in the $3-400 range which is what I would call mid range cost wise. Yes higher end rods may cast a little smoother, be lighter but honestly they wont help you catch more fish

[Sandman]

While all the above advice is sound, I will be the voice of reason.  I began fly fishing as a youth and my first "real" fly rod (ie: not a $20 fiberglass pole from Canadian Tire) was a 4 piece 6wt dragonfly rod.  I fished this rod for everything from trout and bass in lakes to salmon and steelhead in rivers.  I was able to land every fish I hooked without breaking the rod (although I did snap off a few large male chum that proved too stubborn to come to hand quickly), and not one of them appeared over tired (still had plenty of fight) as I released it.  While an 8wt allows you to muscle in fish for release more quickly (so it is better for the fish), if you do not have the means (and I did not either) to have the luxury of multiple rods for multiple prey, a six weight rod is the most versatile option, not too heavy for any but the smallest trout, and not too light for any but the largest salmon. However, be sure to pair with a reel with a decent drag as that will ensure if you do hook a large coho or chum, that you can tire it out on the reel, as opposed to trying to haul it in with the rod.  You can also help yourself by not fishing fast heavy water (not the best for fly fishing anyway), and sticking to slower slack water for coho.  Also, use a lighter leader (I used the weight test of the average size fish I planned on hooking ie: 6 pound for coho), so that you can break off a big fish that either is too big for the rod or that gets into that faster current.  Better to leave them with a small fly in the jaw than tiring them too much trying to get them in, especially if you have to release it.  When you can afford it, go ahead and expand your arsenal with an 8 wt (I use one now for all salmon and steelhead for all the above stated reasons) and a 5 or even 4wt for smaller trout (I still use my 6 wt dragonfly).

[RalphH]

I have been fishing for about 50 years. First cast a fly rod over 40 years ago and have been serious about fly fishing for over 30. I have been a 'student' of tackle recommendations across 6 decades and it's been interesting to see how those recommendations have changed. Considering all of that it surprises me how emotional and black and white people get about using nothing less than an #8 rod for salmon or  no more than a #5 for trout. Back when glass rods were the standard equipment #8 rods were often recommended as the best general choice for all BC fishing. Even in the 80s and later #7 rods (seems no one in BC uses that size anymore...too bad) were recommended for streamer fishing for trout in the Rocky Mountain States. People often forget it's not just about the fish but the size, type and weight of the fly, wind, how far you need to cast, size of the water etc.

Similar to Sandman my first fly rod was a #7 - a glass Hardy rod. Then I got a #7 Lamiglass. Then a #8 Fenwick HMG. I caught all manner of fishe trout salmon steelhead and bass on all 3. Then I got a Loomis #6. It was my favourite for many years so I used it for everything I could and caught steelhead salmon trout etc. I remember a 10lb summer run on that rod that took a dry fly and then ran hundreds of yards downstream. It was small river with boulder shores but I was still young and my knees and legs in youthful shape and I chased that fish down and landed it after it went over a low waterfall. I even hooked Harrison Springs while fishing for trout and while I didn't landed any the rod didn't explode nor did my legs turn to jelly.  I later got a #4 Orvis and by accident hooked steelhead, chum and coho wile fishing trout late in the fall or in early spring. I landed most of those fish too.

There is no optimum recommendation but I'd say go with what will be most of your fishing. For most of us that will be trout. A #6 is not too heavy and a 12 inch fish is still lots of fun on a #6. A # 6 will also handle coho and pinks in the right situation. A rod that size is more than capable of handling the size of fly we normally use for those species. For salmon I wouldn't recommend less than that but there will be and are guys who fish lighter rods for pinks and even coho.
Remember as with all tools it's not how big it is but how well you use it.