Hey,
I'm not trying to justify it, I'm simply commenting on his preference for
4-weights for Deschutes steelhead. I'm sure that Frank has enough common
sense (as well as experience) to be be aware of what he's doing. If he
wants to use a 4-weight for steelhead, so be it. I have, while fishing for
sea-run cutthroat, inadvertently hooked (and landed) a few steelhead on
5-weight rods and one on a 4-weight. Fortunately, they were all small fish
of five pounds or so, but the light tackle handled them easily and those
that were released swam off vigorously with little resuscitation. That
said, I would not consider deliberately fishing for steelhead with gear that
light, but have routinely used a 7-weight for summer runs for many years and
am leaning more and more toward a 6-weight Orvis PM10. I do hope I have
not committed an offense against orthodoxy.
