I have been laughed at more than once for my "wrong" set-up, yet only loose fish because I screw up and not due to the gear. I recently got an unexpected invite to fish for Black rock and Blue rockfish in Bandon, OR. The only equipment I had was my 5' bass rod with #10 line. I tied on a borrowed #40 leader rig and hoped for the best, this was after all, more than backwards!! The fishing was hot and we caught our limit in about 30 minutes, and I never once broke my line. The person who owned the boat was pleasantly surprised in my rig.
Given a well balanced rod, reel and line along with the room and ability to fight the fish, you will be surprised how large a fish you can fight with light gear. Go with your lighter gear, you may loose some fish, but when you land one the thrill will be worth it!!!