Of all the fly rods sold in the U.S., fewer 7 weights are purchased than any other. Think about this- fewer 7 weights sold than 11 or 12 weight tarpon rods? Ridiculous, but I have heard this three distinct times from people who are very knowledgable in the fly fishing business. This is a shame, because you are missing out on one of the perfect line sizes for freshwater fishing, and here is why.
The 7 weight is an oddball, but its oddity is that it sits right in the sweet spot that is the compromise between finesse weights and the big dogs. I want to explain why, but first you have to understand line weights.
Back in the day, manufacturers had no standards for fly lines, and each brand was a bit different. They also had labels that were weird letter designations. A was the heaviest, and G and H were fine. A double taper line might have a GCG designations, while a heavy weight forward might have GBH. No one could understand it, and it got to be a problem once glass fly rods became common and everyone could fly fish. The manufacturers standardized lines in the 1970's to the numerical system used today that includes line type (DT or WF), a line weight based on weight in grains of the first 30 feet, and an F or S designation for floating or sinking. It is still in use.
The problem is that most anglers think that, because the line numbers are classed arithmetically, the line weights are as well. They are not. Look at the curve above, and you will see my point. From 3 to 6 weights, line weight does increase in a straight line with 20 grain increments. A 3 weight weighs 100 grains, a 4 weight 120, with a six weight topping out at 160. Jumping to 7 and 8 weights line weight increases by 25 grain increments, and each line weight after than has an even larger progression in terms of adding more weight.
The bottom line is that 7 weights sit right on the inflection point of the curve, and are the heaviest line weight you can get just before things really start to get heavy. To me, they are the heaviest line weight that one can cast all day, and they are the perfect size for casting large dries and big weighted streamers. An 8 weight will handle the big stuff even better, but there is no finesse and try casting one all day. They are a great western trout rod, especially when the wind comes up, and you can cast into the mangroves with streamers all day without your arm falling off. Eight weights and above are nearly always designed for fighting large fish, but that comes with extra weight that does not translate into lightness in the hand.
Another problem with 7 weights is that they really need to be designed like saltwater rods. I see quite a few with wee little cigar grips or the like, and you really need a full wells grip and two stripping guides for them to reach their full potential. That is a rod you can root around with in Tampa Bay, but it can fish large dries quite effectively. The same thing is true for steelheading where you can expect big fish, but only if you do a couple hundred perfect drifts for hours at a time. I use a 10 foot 7 weight, and wish I had one six inches longer. I think that enough poorly furnished rods are out there such that anglers got spooked years ago and no longer long for them.
I use 7 weights for a lot of fishing, and it is my freshwater go to line size just about any time I am not fishing dry flies for snooty trout and for those guys I am usually fishing much shorter cane rods. They are much more versatile than you think, and ideal for any freshwater situation that requires all day casting with medium or large flies. For smallmouth, they are perfect.
I totally agree. I owe my love of the 7 weight to a random guy I ran across in Washington, D.C. years ago when I was in grad school. I came across this guy practicing his casting in a local park in the Georgetown neighborhood. I had only been flyfishing for five or six years at that point, so I was still learning. I owned a $50 5 weight and a $100 Cortland 9 weight outfit at the time. I sat and watched him casting and admired the tight loops he was throwing before approaching him and starting a conversation. He told me he was practicing for a trip to the Bahamas where he'd be targeting bonefish. When o asked what kind of rod it was he said it was a 7 weight Sage and offered to let me cast it. I couldn't believe he'd let some random college student touch that fine fly casting tool he held in his hand and declined the offer saying I was afraid I might break it, but he insisted and when I did cast the thing it just seemed to cast itself. Later when I learned that an 8 weight was considered "standard" for largemouth bass fishing, I couldn't believe it. I knew that was way too heavy for them and even a bit too much for most of the striped bass I caught there in the Potomac.
ReplyDeleteI have been fly fishing for almost 30 years now and my 7 weights are my go-to rods for stripers, smallmouth, and largemouth bass and I occasionally get a good trout on the same streamers I throw at those fish while using the 7. I started guiding almost a decade ago and a fellow guide who helped me get started advised me against ordering 7s for my clients, so I now provide 6s and 8s for them, but my personal 7 weight is always on the boat and when I find a client who has some casting experience and can handle slightly larger flies on lighter rods, I offer them the use of my 7 trying to show them the advantages of casting it and how much fun it is to land larger striped bass on a slightly lighter rod than most folks use.