Has to be some Fly Fishermen or women on here. I've never done it but have always wanted to. Been watchin a lot of You Tube videos and learning. I'm about to pull the trigger on a complete outfit but was wondering if there is much difference between a 5wt. or 6wt. rod as far as the learning curve and castability. Will be fishing mostly for trout but live fairly close to Erie steelhead so am considering heavier rod.

A 9ft 5wt is probably the most popular trout rod around. It also works well for panfish and can handle some light bass work. It is a bit light for any serious steelhead fishing though.

If I were you I would purchase the 5wt and start with trout fishing. As you gain experience you can then look for a heavier rod and give steelhead a shot.

Depends on where you fish. Here in DR MN where we have a couple hundred miles of trout streams i wouldn't use any thing heavier then a 4wt...9ft is my preference. A 5at might be nice out west in the winds. Check out my site at Healing Rivers.com. If you get into it, there is nothing better then bambo!!

If you're very likely to stay with it and expand, go with the odd number weights. 5 for trout and small bass. 7 for steelhead and fishing bigger heavy streamers for bass. 9 or 10 for salmon. And 3wt for brookies and panfish.

I'd opt for a shorter 5wt if you're going to fish tighter streams for trout. 10' on the 7wt, usually bigger water and more room. Of course if you're really budgeted I'd go with 6wt and make it work for just about everything except salmon. I wouldn't spend a lot on a reel for trout but for steelhead get the best drag you can afford.

Thanks everyone! I knew I could rely on the T-man gang! Think I'll go with the 9' 5wt.

Go anywhere catch any thing, there really is not much difference between 5&6wt. The first 30' of a five weighs ~140grains compared to 160grains for the 30' of the six weight. The 6wt may have a slight advantage with bass bugs or in the wind. 9' 5wt as mentioned is likely the most popular.
My choice would be different, nothing over 8' and for 5wt I'd want 7'-7'6" .
I also tend to advise starting with low cost gear rather than top o the line stuff, lots and lots of variables for you to learn before you can even guess what style you like or if you want to keep ploughing money into a hobby addiction.
feel free to pm, my advise free and worth every penny

A 5wt would be good for pelletheads in our streams.
I wouldn't use one for steelhead until you learn more on fighting fish with a fly rod. I use my 3 weight for steelhead for a challenge sometimes. Most times I'm using a 7 or 9 wt because I fish New York a bunch, and the chances of hooking into a salmon are pretty good.

I use a 9' 5 and 6 wt far more than any other rods I own. The 5wt is a four pc that stays in my truck all the time. If I'm fishing the Allegheny river or one of the steelhead streams it's usually my 6 wt. I have a couple shorter(7'6" or 8' 4 wts) on some smaller stream if I know I won't be moving to one of the bigger streams/rivers.

My favorite rod is a St Croix IV 9' 6 wt followed by a 9' 5wt Sage 4 pc. And I like big streams and rivers with lots of big rocks.

Be careful

I tried it once, but the repetitive whipping action of the cast slings my night crawlers right off.
Makes about as much sense as trying to hit a golf ball where you want it to go with a golf club.

As noted, I find A 4at with most trout to be the most enjoyable. Here, a 5 at is over kill.

Anglers Roost has some decent bamboo rods for the money until you can afford a hand made one. Sage used to be my go to brand and I still use them on occasion

Used to be a bass fisherman until my brother talked me into going to Arkansas with him fly fishing for trout.
Bought a cheap fiberglass rod and he let me borrow a reel. Came home and sold all my bass fishing gear. Started tying flies and building rods - have never looked back. That was in 1985.
I have 2 favorites I built for myself. A 9' 5wt and a 7' 3wt. Use the 5 wt on larger rivers, but really love the 3wt for smaller streams and fishing dries when a hatch is on. Also use it for panfishing - bluegill and crappie.

My advice on bamboo - stay away from them. I've built and fished with them. They're heavy and take on a "set" (droop) that cannot be corrected. Plus they are way over priced. A graphite rod is all I'll ever fish with.
Sage is a great choice but are also pricey...

If got an old fly rod with a new reel that was my dads.I just bought the line I needed for it at Cabelas last week.Its a 5 weight.Bought a few small flies too.Plan to try it out on panfish mostly.

Shawneemaan what brand of rod blank do you recommend , thinking of building some rods myself

To start out, I wouldn't spend too much on a blank like a Winston, Sage or Powell until you get the hang of things.
Kinda like Simms waders - they are $$$. I'll use something else - all I want to do is keep dry!! LOL!

I still like Pacific Bay and St. Croix - with St Croix being my favorite.
Cabelas used to sell some good blanks, but they don't handle them any more.
I'm sending you a PM with web addresses of two suppliers I've used.

Anything else, just ask - glad to help!!

Up here...there are Bass fisherman.....and there are Trout fisherman....you either one or the other...just for the record ,when I catch the non target bass....iam not a happy camper..

Thanks shawneeman

I'm just a novice with a fly rod but when I get to visit my sister in Montana and mooch the use of her 9 ft 6 wt Sage I almost kind of feel like I know what I'm doing.

With the right rod and line there is no repetitive whipping back and forth. 90%85% of the time I use a single stroke.

I tend to fish for steelhead with a spinning rod and salmon with the fly rod. For salmon I use a 9wt sage. Not the most challenging but I have had many pull me down to my backing. I am far from knowing much about fly fishing but casting and controlling the fish are things to look at. They are controlled by where you are fishing.

I would get the best trout rod you can buy and practice on them. If you like it and would like to go after steelhead I would a heavier weight rod. It will make landing them easier.

Jerry Jr.

I would not start with a bamboo rod. Of the rods I have, I like the St Croix IV the most. I build it many years ago and fish with it probably about 75% of the time I fish. My Sage is pretty close, but I think they are overpriced.

Some great advice has been given already. When I started out I went with a 5 wt for WV trout. I used to make several trips to the Erie tribs every year. Used mostly a 7 wt up there with a large arbor reel. For the money keep your eyes open for a Cabelas Three forks rod they can be had very reasonable. I own one in 7wt and 1 in 10 wt both aren’t bad, but are used for economical backup rods or loaner rods for the newbies on the trip that want to try out the fly rod. I went to Alaska two years ago for Salmon and fell in love with the Echo Ion XL in a 9 wt it took everything the salmon had to offer. On the same trip I broke an Orvis Clearwater 9 wt after 3 fish and probably 75 casts. I am returning to Alaska this summer and I purchased another Ion XL in 10 wt to go with my 9 wt.
I had a buddy fish nothing but a 5 wt in the Erie tribs. He lost a lot of fish due to not having enough backbone especially on the fresh ones.

I typically trout fish western PA once a year as part of trip to see friends. Much of the water reminds of some of the smaller tight quarters I fish here at times. My normal trout rods are 3, 4 and 5wts. My 4wt is just under 8 foot and gets the most use; it's a good choice for what I picture you might encounter. My 5wt is a nine & half footer and more useful in open places. Recall some wide open water around oil city that lets such a rod shine. Not that you can't learn to use that much rod in tight quarters it'll just be more of a challenge. And generally I find a 5wt to be lacking when fishing steelhead (at least in these parts where we fight lots of woody debris).

I'll repeat some of what others said--don't pour alot of money into rods and reels until you have fished long enough to know what you like, how you fish, what action type matches up best, etc.

for smaller trout streams, I use a 7'6" 4 wt
larger trout streams - a 9' 6 wt

for bass i have a 8'6" 7 wt

for anything bigger, 9' 8 wt

most of it sits in the garage most of the time

the 4 wt gets the most workout, b/c I enjoy dry flies on small brookie streams the most.
the 6 wt gets out a few time here and there when i get to go to a bigger trout river

I haven't touched the other two in years

Again Thank You All, some great info here. So is it possible to get a decent complete outfit for a beginner for around $100.00 or would that be cheap junk. I feel this is something I will stick with because Trout fishing is a passion that I truly enjoy. I will be learning on lakes, ponds, and larger streams but most local trout streams are fairly small.Now thinking 5wt 8'.

take a look at Cabelas and Redington combos in the 100 to 125 range, or a st croix if you can find one in that price range

I found some complete outfits at Bass Pro here and bought a white river 3 wt that is really good for the small stuff. I always had off brand rods from Walmart and decided to buy a good rod a while back. I looked at new ones but couldn't make myself spend the money and decided to look on ebay. I found an excellent Sage 5 wt and only paid $180.00 for rod that was $700 new. The cheap kits are not always junk- see if you check out the rods for the action. It's not a bass rod so the action is closer to a piece of spaghetti compared to a walleye or bass rod. I have used my 5 wt for all kinds of fish. There are more types and styles of line available for the 5 wt than the smaller rods plus you can typically cast further with the 5 wt than a 3 wt. That can help with spooky fish. The biggest thing I caught so far was an 18' brown. I don't have big water so that's probably the biggest thing I will ever get around here. Large arbor reels are nice. Blue gills are great fun on flies. Here's a couple pictures of my 5 wt Sage.

Spend the money on the rod and a GOOD LINE-save the money on the reel. And learn to tie your on leaders(they cast alot better than the knotless ones)

I tie my own flies, but the are websites where you can find some for around 50 cents a piece which would be the way I would go when srating out.

What are some of the streams you fish in west PA. I fish many of them in the NW, NC, and some in SW and SC.

When you get into the steelhead the drag on the reel gets real important. I suggest cruising the fly shops around Erie tribs and talk with those folks. Buy some "basic" flies there too.

Amen on the drag. I have flyfished for trout for over 20 years in WV and have only put a handful of fish on the reel where drag was needed, but up in the tribs you learn to get them on the reel fast and learn to appreciate a quality drag.

Look into thrift stores, pawn shops and flea markets. Some of the best fly rods are 40+-yo now an many never got used past the first two times.

Read up on fly line mechanics, what makes it all work. The line may be the single most important factor in your system.
There is not a fly rod made that won't cast a line far enough to catch good fish. My favorite bass rod came from a barrel in a big discount store 40 odd years ago for less than $10. Fiberglass 8' 9wt. The graphite Orvis 9' 5wt only got sweet for me after I used a 7wt line on it. Another rod rated for 6wt likes 5wt line better.
Your height+arm length+dexterity will cause your casting stroke to be a bit different than any one else and this means any rod will act differently in your hands than in mine.
The half or 60% of the cost of the famous brands goes into the guarantee fund to fix or replace forever. Say you are a manufacturer producing a product that can retail for for $50 but by adding in a lifetime or forever guarantee you can sell more at a higher price, you may find that the guarantee will cause customers to buy your product for $150-$300. Rod makers understand this.

Just a side thought on reels---I started chasing tiny brookies in tiny water where reels were not much more than something to hold the line when it wasnt in use. But when I started spending the nights seeking big browns learned that you had better master the use of a reel and making myself use the reel was somewhat of a challenge after having spent years not doing so. If you are chasing ordinary stream trout at first, I wouldnt worry about spending much for a reel as I think most any, even those in the starter packages, will work for you BUT I would learn how to get a fish on the reel and then use it even if it isnt needed for smaller fish. If you move to chasing big fish and steelies you will probably find yourself wanting specific reel/drag system to get the job done but you will at least know how to use it.

And you never know when you will hit a big fish in small water and wish you had some experience with the reel. I remember a 24" PA brown in a big pool below an old trestle that took me all the way into the backing.

A cheap fly rod will frustrate you. Get a decent one to learn with. It's not difficult to learn a couple of casts that work about all the time in small streams. I have the same weight/length rods Shawneeman has. Really like the three in small streams.

I've caught a bunch of Steelhead in Ohio's Rocky River with a 6wt Orvis. Never felt a need for anything bigger.

I have caught a couple hundred or so steelhead. The only drag I use is my palm on the spool.
If you want practice fighting really big fish, you need to find somewhere to catch carp. They are very wary and tough to get to take a fly, but they will often take you into you backing.
The only reel I ever burned up was when a carp took off and got into a long riffle in a river.

I started my sons with 8'6" or 9' 6wts.

Do you fish Big Sandy or Little Sandy? Think those are the two they take me to most of the time when I'm there

Been there yet Marty?

Wow, what a hook up! Cool video.

Nope just need to hit one more lottery.

One of them 3wt fishermen, eh? Back away cast. Matching the hatch always works.

Couldn't remember the name of the Cabela's rods when I first posted here...
Fish Eagle - great rods for the $$. They don't make them anymore but you may be able to find one used.

Get something and go fishing!!!
For panfish, any kind of feather mess tied on a hook with catch them, especially if they are on the beds.

You mean like I can do with my spinning rod and reel?
Next, I expect you to tell me that a golf club is the most efficient implement for making a golf ball go where I want it to.

How come?

I really want to start fishing with a fly rod. Especially salt water!

I'm thinking of trying some flyfishing from a kayak this year. Might be the hot ticket for maneuvering around a trout pond

I have caught some smaller Giant Trevally's on a fly rod. A 10 pounder will give an 8 weight all it can handle.

I kept seeing great reviews on the Cabela's Three Forks fly rods, so I ended up buying a 7' 6" 3wt for some small stream fishing. I think it was only $69 or so and is a really good rod for the money. Unfortunately Cabelas no longer sells them! If you poke around enough you might find a used one that can probably be bought for next to nothing.

I have a couple of Cabela's fly rods. Overall they seem they seem to be pretty good rods, especially for the price.

I really like the Echo rods you mention as well. Great rods.

Salt water is a blast. Bonefish, Permit, Giant Trevally and many other species are all a real thrill on a fly rod.

Do research your gear as you will want something that can handle the salt, and of course rinse your stuff off in fresh water after every use.

Salt water fly fishing is where a quality reel with a solid drag system really comes into play. For most freshwater fishing, especially trout and panfish, your reel really doesn't matter much as it serves as little more than a line holder. Salt water is a whole different game. Bonefish will strip line like crazy and even the small ones can take you well into your backing, and quickly I might add. The same goes for other species you may encounter in the salt. You need a drag and reel that can handle this.