fly fishy steelhead

[wormsinker]

You steelheaders out there or fly fisherman think you could land a steely on a 5wt fly rod. I know a 7wt would be the way to go but a 5 is all got. Its a st croix so i believe if i break it i get a new one. If it will work how hard do you think it would be to get one on the bank
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[flyfishingfool]

I have landed some on a five wt before. They were all A-runs though. A B-run could probabaly bust it though. Someone else would know better than me though. I havent done a ton of steelhead fishing.
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[nijimasu]

chrome junky posed this same question a while back- if you can find that thread it had a lot of good info in it.

I fished steelies for a couple years around stanley and did fine until I hooked a renegade B-run there that handed me my ass (I have a St. Croix 5 weight too- I absolutey love that rod).

Before the next year, I bought an 8 weight. It might be a bit over overkill on the 5-8lb A-runs, but I wouldn't be without it on a B-run river. That being said- i broke it on an A-run - luckily it was still under warranty, so I got it replaced for free.
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[SagebrushID]

You're probably going to feel a little under-gunned fishing a 5wt for steelhead. However, there's no reason you couldn't land one, especially if you're fishing late season fish that have lost quite a bit of strength.

You'll likely break your tippet/leader or straighten a hook before you break the fly rod, at least if you're fighting the fish correctly (i.e., hands on the cork only and not grabbing the rod, which puts more stress on the rod).
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[Mojo1]

Can you?, YES. Should you, no. Is it ethical to fight a fish to death, if you have to relaease it? NO. Just better hope you don't hook any wild fish...
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[wormsinker]

Thats what i was afraid of, I agree with you on fightin the fish to death, i have seen guys do it and didnt like it.
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[Belasko]

I used a 7 wt last year and found that offered plenty of fight but didn't completely exhaust the fish either. Not that it mattered since i bonked it, but still.... On the other hand it was an A-run and I agree if you're fishing waters like the clearwater a little heavier rod would be the way to go for sure!
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