what have I got?

[goodkarma]

I was poking around in my storage closet this weekend and came across a fly rod that my parents gave me about 25 years ago. It's an eagle claw rod, 8 1/2' and line weight of 7. I haven't fly fished since then and wouldn't mind starting up again next summer. I'd be fishing just in Central Oregon, likely just in the Sunriver area, will this rod work OK for trout or is it too heavy? Seems like I must have fished it for trout years ago and it's still in perfect condition since it's been in a case all these years. What is this rod sized for ideally?

-goodkarma

[Rogue Wader]

sounds like a steelhead rod to me. You can certainly use it for trout, but I'd go lighter. Although with those heavy winds you can get in those canyons, you'll put it to good use I'm sure!

[Jig]

Rouge...is right a 7 wt is a bit heavy for your normal trout...although if you want to fish for steelhead it is a good rod wt and still give you some excitment if you do hook a trout...most folks use a 5wt or less for trout...and again it depends on the size of trout that you will be catching...

[goodkarma]

Thanks for the info. Unless I've gotten a lot better in the past 25 years, the trout I will be catching on flies will be small!
That said, I'm starting to exhaust my enthusiasm for bait fishing, maybe it's time to apply myself to fly fishing. I think I'll stop at one of the fly shops and get rigged up in the spring. Maybe this rod will work Ok for a beginner set up to see if I like it.

[nookslayer]

If you do string that rod I would go with an 8wt line. That short of a rod at that weight would tend to feel like a telephone pole. By using the next line weight up you'll be able to cast it better. Just an idea.