A listener named Ben recently sent in a great question about one of the most debated topics in fly fishing: line weights. He shared his own experience of buying a high-end 5-weight rod, only to find out a year later that it performed best with a heavier line—essentially making it a 6-weight setup. His frustration? The industry’s blurred definitions and the confusion it causes for anglers trying to match rods and lines correctly.
To dig into this topic, I invited three experts who know rods and lines better than just about anyone—Tim Rajeff, Jeff Wagner, and Simon Gawesworth. In this episode of Into the Backing, we break down the line weight system and discuss why manufacturers push the boundaries.
