4 wgt vs 5 wgt?

[Ear4]

When would you take. 4 wgt bamboo over a 5 weight?

I know directionally, smaller flies and shorter distance skews to the 4, with bigger flies, longer distance, and more wind going to a 5 weight, but where or how do you draw that line? I am curious as to people’s thought process.

Thanks and happy new year, Ed

[Caneghost]

No detailed thought process involved, the choice has become habit. I tend to use my threes and fours during the summer and low water. One can cast as far with either given a comparable rod. There is only twenty grains of line weight between a four and a five after all. Many bamboo rods will easily let you go down a line weight. Leader length and casting ability make more difference in delicacy of presentation than line weight. A heavier line is more advantageous with larger, more air resistant flies, the five being more versatile during those times of the season when there are a lot of different hatches. Some days you can match anything from tens to twenties! In summer that's not generally an issue unless you fish huge western style hoppers which I do not. A size 14 Letort Hopper will do just fine if hoppers are about.

[davemaine]

For me it's the size of the water. 4 for small streams or low slow flows. 5 for medium rivers. And a 6 for big water.

[DireWolf53]

I always am at a loss at how to approach questions like this.That being said let me give this a whirl. If you could make two rods the only difference being the optimal line size then my concerns would be fly size and wind. Delicacy and presentation would not enter the picture for in my experience a 5wt can be fished as subtly as a 4. Since I tend to choose dry flies more often I don't worry about the extremes of action too much. In the end I usually choose which rod to pull out by the type of water I'll be fishing rather than line weight. If the day will be mostly prospecting over pocket water I'll grab a slightly quicker rod. Long runs and spring creeks (for me) fish better with a more delicate action. As the saying goes YMMV.

[Canewrap]

I make my choice based on size and type of flies, potential for wind, and size of water. If using any flies with weight for nymphing it's a 5. If only dry fly, like real small high mountain streams, it's a 4 unless there might be wind involved and then it moves up to a 5. If fishing a medium-size water I would use a 5 for versatility. Larger water, like a tailwater I personally wouldn't even use a 4.

[Holdover]

Easy for me, 4wts are for dries or dry and dropper only. Straight nymphing I want a rod of at least 8' and no less than a 5wt.

[Slate Drake 9]

Almost purely based on the size of the typical fish I expect to encounter and often in relation to current strength.

[owenscaddis]

For larger rivers where you have a chance of connecting to a good size fish it will be a 5 or 6 weight. For new water that is larger than a 2-lane highway, I tend to grab a 5 weight (8/12 ft). Over the past year I had the good fortune to spend most of the year sequestered in southwest Montana. I approached it based on the rod I wanted to fish and then matching the water to the rod. This is especially true in the summer where there are more choices. I generally bring a couple of rods in the car and may not make a final decision until I have suited up. Four weights seem to be the sweet spot on most of the rivers this past summer.

[mac7x]

For trout and LL salmon, I usually use a 5, just because of the versatility. Flies like #8 weighted Woolly Buggers aren't a lot of fun on a 4 weight.

[mer]

7-6 4wt (Payne 100) or 7 4wt (Gnome Mutt Rod) is my basic rod most of the year.
Early Season/higher water, Para 15 taper (Gnome rod or Thramer) that is either 5 or 6.

I don't really pay much attention to it. Bigger flies, larger water, sure the heavier rods. But put a long leader/tippet on and they are fine for smaller flies.

Depending on the waters, I'd almost say "get a shorter 4wt and a longer 6 wt to cover everything". A 5, in the right length (8 ft) is sweet spot in the middle that may be a little too much for small water and not quite enough for big water.

Now if you are asking about "how do I justify to the accountant my needs for a 4 and a 5" that's a different question

[PT48]

A four weight is as low as I want to go with a bamboo rod - I find that it possesses the necessary delicacy for low water presentations and has sufficient power to handle the odd larger fish. For an all-rounder, a five is hard to beat.

[DrLogik]

I make my choice based on the size of the water and fish. For me the fly is inconsequential. I'll go to a 4 weight on small streams with smaller fish and the occasional big one. I'll lean toward a 5 weight for tail races, larger rivers and big fish.

I'll base the length of the rod on the type of canopy or trees I'll encounter. Lots of canopy and trees I'll opt for a 7 footer. Open water 8 to 9 footer.

I agree with PT48 that it's hard to beat a 5 weight for an all-round rod.

[Bud]

Wind

[PYochim]

When would you take. 4 wgt bamboo over a 5 weight?

When I can get a better price on the 4 weight.

[Brooks]

I’ve never regretted erring on the heavy side between a 4 or a 5.
Can’t say the same about being under-gunned when the wind kicks up.

[red 1]

I love my 4&5 WT rods. My decision on which rod to grab depends on what type of pocket water I will fish. Big deep runs and a cast of 3 wets is a five weight. Smaller shallow runs is a 4 WT.
I have a rod that casts like a pool stick that I grab sometimes because it offers great leverage in high fast flies.

[winston59]

Almost purely based on the size of the typical fish I expect to encounter and often in relation to current strength.

I agree.

To me it has nothing to do with size of water. I would not expect any need to cast further a fly of the same size just cause I am on a larger river. I would expect to wade more, not cast.
It is all about the fish size and fly.
Robert

[Vaughanwilson3022]

Fishing only dry flies - 4wt. Fishing with wet and dry flies - 5wt.

[Perry Palin]

There are a lot of good answers here to the question. But I have a hard time isolating the line weight from some of the other characteristics of the rod.

My go-to small to medium sized stream rod is a modern, hollow-built interpretation of a Perfectionist taper, 7 1/2 feet, for a 5wt. I can do most anything I need to do with that rod.

When I am fishing only small flies, say BWO's or tricos, I will use a PHY Midge for a 4wt. It's a quick little rod well suited for small dries.

But in small streams fishing in close quarters I will often use a 6'9" 3wt rod, which has a slow taper, and tweaking the leader, I can fish everything from small dries to unweighted streamers to about size 6. Based on the taper of the rod, I can use this 3wt with flies that I would never use with the Midge.

Some of the posters write about using the 5wt when fishing to larger fish, and I get that. But I have caught the occasional 20" brown with the Midge and with the 3wt and never felt undergunned during the fight. However this may be because I am fishing relatively small and low gradient streams where the fight is in close quarters and the fish are not usually running out of the pool or down rapids and waterfalls to get away.

[Loogie]

I like 4 wt rods because they are lighter and easier to carry and cast all day vs 5wt rods in bamboo. The lighter the rod the better it is for delaying fatigue at the end of the day. If I'm going to fish all day, and I can get away with a 4wt I'll definitely do that. I don't fish a lot of streamers when I'm chasing trout. My 4 wt handles big bugs just fine. Off course if the wind conditions are not favorable and I'll be fishing in open country then its time for a 5wt. So I guess I make my decision based on carrying the rod all day. If I'm just going to hit a spot for a couple hours, I'll just pick the rod that says take me today...