I was introduced to this rod by Denny Rickard in a 6wt. I could not believe the power this rod has which matters when you are fishing from a pontoon boat with sinking lines. It is a "rocket ship" when you line up by one weight ( a 7wt for a 6wt rod). Loads nicely. What really impressed me was the hook set on larger flies like leeches, seal buggers, and especially zoo cougars. When you are consistently catching fish in the 20+" you know how tough their mouths can be - not a problem with this rod. It fights fish really well and helps to get them to the boat for a quick release. I would re-emphasize that it should probably go up one line size to get the most out of this rod.