what size rod and reel for trout streams other than erie?

what do you most of you guys use? i only have an 8wt which seems too bulky.  im thinking about a 4 or 5wt.  what do you think?

A five weight is more versatile for fishing a little bit of everything so that's what I would go with.

5WT, 8'6". THIS IS A GOOD ROD FOR TROUT STREAMS IN P.A. not too long to walk a stream and get caught in overhangs and strong enough to slow down bigger trout and smallies. with wt.forward line you can get more distance and a dt. line you can roll cast short in smaller streams. than i agree for smaller streams and natives, there's nothing like a short 4wt or 3wt. ~dt

I would say a 8.6 foot 5 wt. Small enough to not snag on everything in tight spots and big enough if you tie into Bubba.

ORIGINAL: indsguiz

TransAm
    Personally, I like a 9' 5wt for everything except creeks like spring creek.  The reason I like the 9' is it is easier to reach back under the laurel on some Central PA streams.  There have been times when I had a 9' rod with only about 5' of line and a nymph or muddler on.  I also have a 8'6" 5 wt. and a 7' 4wt.  Never have gone much smaller unless I'm just playing with some bamboo.  My recommendation:  8.5' or 9' 5 wt. for general use, 7' 4wt for very small, open streams.  Boy you have really caught the fly fishing "bug" haven't you?  Good luck and tight lines.

 
ya you aint kidding, so much to learn, so little time.  i love it.

TransAm,
 
Believe me, eventually you'll have every weight rod for most, every occasion!

don't get too anxious about getting less than a 4wt. rod unless you plan on fishing for small native brook trout. i see no need to fight a good size fish 'till it's about belly up and played out from using an underwt. rod for medium size fish.. 
 sure it's a great feel fighting them with a extra light rod but i've read in the long fights it really exhausts the fish. i'de rather fish my old short shakespear fibreglass 5wt. rod. wow you talk about feeling the fish fight and smooth casts. just my observent opinion. ~dt

TRANSAM, i ride a harley and wanted a 5pc fly rod and wasn't sure if i wanted a 4wt. or 5wt.but wanted to stay with a 8'6" for all around. i ended up buying a 4wt-5wt riffle stream rod from the kettle creek fly shop earlier this year. i think i paid about $260.00. best choice i've made since my scott rod. sweet light rod and smooth casting. tried both 4wt. dt. & wtforw & 5wt. dt.& wtforw. lines. both work great. i carry 1 battenkill reel and 1 spool of 4wt. and 1 spool of 5wt. just something to think about. fish for trout and smallmouth, handles all big or small... ~dt

I throw a 8'6" 5 wt. for larger streams.  A 7'6" 4 wt. for smaller ones.  I'd take the 5 if I only had one to choose.

I'm not looking for an argument nor am I looking to confuse anyone here.  I'm simply saying that the conventional wisdom that you shared is not always the case.  I wasn't intending my experiences as good advise to a beginner, just presenting another view so they are not stuck with the same info that they get anywhere. 
 
That said, I picked up my first fly rod about 23 years ago and never turned back.  I started with an 8 weight fiberglass rod outfit that cost about 25 bucks for rod, line and reel.  I had years and years of fun with it and learned a ton with it.  Through experience I learned that I enjoyed fishing with lighter rods, especially for smallish fish (read most of the stocked trout we have in PA).  The folks I have taken the time to teach how to flyfish have all been very happy with "light" flyrods versus "heavy" flyrods.  The frustration I have observed from many newbies has been from too heavy of a rod for the situations they encounter. 
 
Lets be realistic for a minute.  The average fish we hook into may be 11 inches on a good day in a stream that is probably at most 35-40 feet across in the wide spots.  We don't need a heavy rod for such fishing to battle these monsters and definately don't need a rod that we can easily cast 70 feet into the wind.  What a newbie may encounter with an outfit too heavy will be pulling the fish out of the water on the hookset or just plain old breaking them off on the hookset.  The ones that don't get flung or broke off will not be much fun pulling in.  Ever catch a baby bass while fishing a heavy rod for the big guys?  Not much fun.  Not much fun for most folks starting out will equal finding something that is more fun.  Great for me because the more folks who quit means the less crowded the streams are, but this doesn't help the poor folks who are missing out on a great pass time.
 
So for giving advise, the best I can say follows:
 
If you are a newbie starting the journey of a flyfisher, find someone who has experience and a bunch of different types of rods.  Get them to let you fish with as many as you please so you can compare the pros and cons of each rod/line combo until you find what you like best for the conditions you will fish in the most.  It's great to have a rod that will do "everything," but if your typical fishing (what you will do the most) is better with one rod over another, get that one.  You will expand your collection over time if you keep at it, but in the mean time you will be best prepared for what you do the most. 

Sorry for being so long winded, Thanksgiving football games that don't involve the Steelers are less than interesting to me.

A three weight or below is not going to fish medium to large flies very well and that's why a five weight is beneficial because it will fish small, medium and some larger flies just fine. At the same time it's not overkill on your traditional trout streams.

For this area of the state, if you don't have the money to spend on nine different rods, I think an eight weight and a five weight are the two perfect rods to own. An eight weight for Erie steel also doubles as a big bass bug or northern rod and the five weight for just about every other application, including all trout.

Each rod weight has it's place but as I said before, a five weight is the most versatile.

It depends on what size flies you plan on throwing. If you plan on throwing some bigger streamers or bass bugs then your seven weight will be perfect.

Also, I don't know how much a difference it will be in laying line out with a shorter rod (how softly our line lays out has more to do with your forward cast) but I know it won't be good for mending line and getting good drifts. I'd stick with 8'6" or above unless you're fishing tight, tight quarters.

Smallhook,

For the streams you are naming, 7' would be fine.  I use to live not far from Jacob's Creek and fished it a lot.  I also fished the other streams you named very often and never found a long (8' plus) rod necessary and in most cases, it would have been even more difficult with a longer one.
 
Overall, if you learn how to fish with the selected rod length and weight you get, you'll be able to fish how you want without much problem.  A 3 weight will throw every fly that you would consider using on those streams (probably almost all streams in the state).  The lighter rod will help the smaller fish feel a little bigger and will help you with a more delicate presentation that will be needed for normal flows in your home streams.

Slatedrake

 
ok fellas so how is the golf game?

lol slate i have a nice putter for sale if anyone is interested 2 ball odessey white hot is like brand new. i love fishing