hi there i have a 7wt rod but i would like to know if i have to stick to a 7wt fly line or can i go one higher or one lower i would be very greatful if any body can answer this

There's no unbreakable rule. It's likely a 7wt line will work well.

However it could be if you have a very stiff rod and 8wt line may suit you better, if it's quite soft a 6wt may suit better. A 7wt is a safe bet but you may want to see if you can try a few mate's lines or something.

Also fishing distance could be factored in, if you're always casting far you may wish to drop a line weight, if you're fishing very close you may wish to use a heavier line, to bend the rod more.

After all that, i'd go for a 7wt, it should work well. If you post what rod you have someone will likely give you specific advice.

What rod are you using? basically the airflo 40+ lines are one line up or at least act like it.

Pete

__________________
Thanks to all who donated to 999 comp 2011
New rainbow PB 22 lbs Bangour 23/10/2011

HI', As Scotty rightly says, the rod should load properly with the right amount of 7Wt line, about ten yards outside the rod tip. That means you can aerialise about twelve yards of 6Wt and it should feel about the same, or eight yards of 8Wt.
To give an example of the advantage of under-lining a rod, I have a 12ft, double-handed salmon rod, rated 8/9. I use DT (double-taper ) 7Wt lines on it for summer work in low water, when I need to be able to pick up a fair length of line, and put it down again, gently. I was using this rod and line combination today on a very low River Eden. You could use it for trout almost, but there were no salmon showing on our club water -- plenty four miles further down the river, waiting for rain!! Cheers, TerryC

I have always been a firm believer in if a rod is marked 7wt i always use a wf7 line, lets face it these rod firms have put a lot of research in to their rods.

Why do you want to consider stepping up or down a weight?

What rod do you have, have you used it with a line on it, what stage are you at i.e. beginner, improver or experienced caster?

If a beginner, have you had any instruction yet?

The Pirate.

__________________
Sonik Sports Team Pitsford Pirates - No pressure, just pleasure! Pip pip!

http://www.flyforums.co.uk/trade-cla...e-bonanza.html

http://www.soniksports.com/

http://www.flyforums.co.uk/fly-lines...unkistbob.html

hi thank you for your time and advice on this matter i have a angel smuggler 9 6 7wt and have been fishing for about 2 years with the 7wt line to be honest it it just a case of curiousty

Many good rods such as yours will handle a line weight above or below the rating but if you are comfortable with a #7 then stick with it.

The Pirate.

__________________
Sonik Sports Team Pitsford Pirates - No pressure, just pleasure! Pip pip!

http://www.flyforums.co.uk/trade-cla...e-bonanza.html

http://www.soniksports.com/

http://www.flyforums.co.uk/fly-lines...unkistbob.html

Sound advice. Its very easy to get confused with lines and ratings for rods but i can see no advantage being gained by using a #6 or #8 rated line on your rod.
I would say stick with what you have too.

At the risk of departing from the received wisdom of those who know much more about this subject than I do, I'll drop in my pennies worth.

I'm not a very good distance caster and find that overlining my rods by a factor of 1 is good for me.

You don't have to aerialise so much line to make the rod work. Holding a lot of line in the air on the back cast is somethng that has always confounded me.

Additionally, on rivers where distance is seldom a factor I find overlining invaluable to quickly load the rod.

__________________
Roy