I've done the stupid thing & bought some fly gear without seeking advice first.

I plan some trout fishing & have an Airflo Hardwear 9' #6/7 rod & a couple of reels, one with wf7 floating & the other with wf7 sinking line.

I'm a bit worried I may have messed up on choice.

Don't know about the actual rod, but I beleive Airflo rods are generally reasonable budget rods. The rod size and rating are fine if you are planning to fish stillwaters, or for seatrout. It is too heavy for most river trouting applications. For stillwaters that rod size/rating is fine for beginners (maybe a 9'6" would have been better but that would be in an ideal world) and you should have plenty of success. I would urge you to use the floater and leave the sinking line at home until you are fully proficient.

What weight would you recommend for river/stream fishing?

Would using the #7 mean I would likely blank on a river every outing?

No - plenty of people catch fish on rivers with a similar setup. It just means that fishing/casting will be more difficult. Depends on the river you're on really. The weight (ie rating number) of the rod boils down to how far you want to cast and the size of the fly. Typically stillwater fishing requires a longer cast on occasions so you can strip a lure back, which are big heavy flies, so you need a powerful rod - ie with a higher rating. the fish tend to be bigger as well so a stronger rod is often helpful.

Rivers tend to require more delicate fly presentation over shorter distances, so more delicate rods are needed. These have the added advantages that they flex more, helping protect your tippet from fighting fish, and are typically shorter (not always).

A small stream rod might be 7'6" rated #3 whereas a big river rod might be 9' rated #5 or #6. A good general purpose one is probably 9' #5.

This is all perfect world stuff though. People caught fish with sticks and string for years after all! You'll be fine - go for it!

If you are fishing on a large river I wouldn't worry too much about using a 7 weight rod, you are a bit overgunned for small rivers or streams. A 4/5 weight would be better.

I fish a medium river for salmon and sea trout using a 10 ft 7 weight when the water is on the low side and I still find I catch trout on this gear despite using larger flies than I would use if actually fishing for trout.

Use your current gear and when the budget allows I would recommend an 8ft 6" 4/5 wt as a good all round river trout rod.

No doubt there are others on the forum who will disagree

Hi Mark, tis one of those questions where there's no wrong or right answer.
For me a rod is just a tool,tools are funny things really. Basicly you can use a screw driver for removing screws,yet you can if you are stuck without a hammer,bang things in with the handle. So the point I'm rambling on and trying to make is if you have a 7# rod use it. Fish where you fancy.

I can blank equally well with a 7# or 4#

Sean

Can't we all.............Mark don't worry, get out there and enjoy. #7 will get you by on just about any water. It won't be perfect on some, but to try to get perfection on all waters you will fall into the realms of tackle tart (like most of us) and end up with more gear than ebay..................birdsnest

__________________
Fear not if I steal from your side, as of yore, from paradise streams to fish Teifi once more.
BN based in Wolverhampton

Tell me about it. My coarse gear has accumulated at an alarming rate and must stop, if for no other reason than to save my marriage.

Determined to "travel light" with the fly gear.

Just a rod, small satchel with basics in & small landing net, thus enabling me to stay mobile.

No! You're putting far too much emphasis on the the role that the gear plays in fly fishing and far too little emphasis on the role that the fishing plays in fly fishing.

Knowing how to fish is practically everything. The difference between a #5 (which would be closer to optimal for most rivers) and a #7 is not nearly as great as the difference between knowing how to fish and not.

While a #7 is not exactly optimal in small river situations, there's no reason not to go with what you've got. No one ever caught anything except a cold while sitting at home looking at tackle catalogs.

At the very least, if you wanted to adjust to get a little more delicate presentation, you could buy a cheap #6 floater. Your rod is dual rated, so it'll cast just fine. It won't make a big difference, but it might be easier on the arm and shoulder, which is one of the principle joys of fishing lighter weight rods.

That's a great theory and many beginners start out with that "less is more" mantra. Let us know how that works out for you. I'll be in aisle 16 of the warehouse I use for storing my sporting gear.

Grouse

How true, Grouse. Mark will probably find he'll need less kit than many UK coarse fishers, where something akin to an airport luggage trolley is commonly used for carting kit to the swim. But a typical UK reservoir boat fisher certainly goes out in SWAT team mode, with 2 or 3 rods and reels, at least 5 or 6 fly lines, waterproof clothing on hand, cold bag for provisions and the catch, landing net, boat management gear and all the usual incidentals besides....

__________________
"In wine there is wisdom. In beer there is strength. In water there is bacteria." - German proverb
JH based near Southampton