Fly Rod Bass

[ozark trout fisher]

I've got to say I've gotten the fly fishing for bass bug pretty bad lately. I doubt if they'll ever replace trout in my mind as the coolest fish imaginable, but I must admit they are a lot of fun on a light fly rod. I guess there's not much point to this post, but I guess I'd thought I might as well start a general thread about any and all things fly fishing for bass.

Also, while I'm at it, I hope you don't mind if I ask a question. The heaviest fly rod I have right now is a 6-weight. I'd really like to not have to buy another rod, but if I'm going to get into this seriously, will I need a heavier fly rod? I only fish relatively small streams and lakes, and I don't plan on fishing super large flies.

[trout fanatic]

OTF: My go to rod for bass is a 9"6" 6 wt. I alternate between my 7 weight fiberglass rigs and the 6 weight. Shucks a 5 weight is more than ample for bass, but for throwing big bugs in a wind the 6 is a better all around rod IMO. I would not buy another rod if I were you unless you want to (nothing wrong with that idea either).

Good luck

[ozark trout fisher]

OTF: My go to rod for bass is a 9"6" 6 wt. I alternate between my 7 weight fiberglass rigs and the 6 weight. Shucks a 5 weight is more than ample for bass, but for throwing big bugs in a wind the 6 is a better all around rod IMO. I would not buy another rod if I were you unless you want to (nothing wrong with that idea either).

Good luck

I'm glad to hear you think the 6-weight will be okay.

Thanks a lot!

[Paola Cat]

OTF: Most of the time I use a 9'6" 7 weight .... for smaller streams I use a 9' 6 weight and it works just fine. You should be good to go with the 6 weight. PC

[Flysmallie]

OTF there might be hope for you yet!!!!

I love to fly fish for bass. Trout are just there to fill in some time during the winter.

All I use is a 5wt and a 3wt. Yeah a 6 or 7 would be better for larger stuff but I make do with the 5wt and I throw some pretty chunky flies. I had a 7wt a couple of years ago but to be honest I never really liked it for me. A 6 wt would be perfect.

[Chris Barclay]

OTF there might be hope for you yet!!!!

I love to fly fish for bass. Trout are just there to fill in some time during the winter.

All I use is a 5wt and a 3wt. Yeah a 6 or 7 would be better for larger stuff but I make do with the 5wt and I throw some pretty chunky flies. I had a 7wt a couple of years ago but to be honest I never really liked it for me. A 6 wt would be perfect.

I have to agree with Flysmallie. When I lived in Texas, I used 7 and 8 weight outfits. I felt they were overkill for the real life fishing that most people do. I went down to a 5 weight outfit and feel that would be a great setup for bass. A 'glass 6 weight would be perfect IMO. I now use a glass 3/4 wt outfit exclusively (due to budget AND preference) to fish for bluegill which is my target species, although I've 'accidentally' hooked up with many nice (up to 4 pounds) bass and have released them safely and happily.

OTF, I'd be content with what you have until you get more comfortable with this new chapter of this great hobby of ours.

[fozzie.]

The 6 weight should be fine. If you're looking to burn some cash though, you could always pick up another spool and a sink-tip or sinking line, and play around with that on your warmwater outings.

[stlfisher]

Like anything else there is probably not one fly rod that can cover all bass fishing situations and I am sure many different opinions. So these are my thoughts...that really aren't worth too much:)

I use my 6 weight for bass. It works fine and I have a blast with it, but I will be buying a 7 or 8 weight for two reasons.

The first is I want throw the really big cool crap and this is tough on a 6, especially if you add weight. In my opinion you should match the weight of your fly rod with the size of the fly you will be throwing more so than the size of the fish. My 6 works fine for small to mid size bass flies in open water, but It becomes tough when I start to get into the larger bass flies. Can I get buy with a 6...yea probably...but I like casting too much and in IMO a 6 isn't enough for the large bass flies without sacrificing my casting stroke. It will flat wear you out casting large flies too!

Secondly, when I fly fish open water without lot's of vegatation I think a 6 is fine. However, if I am fishing lakes or ponds with lot's of cover I feel under armed with a 6. In these cases I want an 8 to have a chance to horse fish out of cover if need be. You really need to be fishing in the cover too...that is where the big fish are!

Overall, I wouldn't go lower than a 6 for bass. I think a 7 is perfect for Mo smallies and most largemouth. I would upgrade to an 8 if you live down south with a realistic chance for a double digit largemouth or will be fishing in heavy cover.

[ozark trout fisher]

Thanks for all the help guys. Really interesting stuff.

[zsmith62]

I've been really looking into warm water opportunities a lot here recently as well, mostly cuz I think that it will be easier for me to access quality warm water locations, as I can no longer get into many of the good trout waters.

I have looked at getting a separate rod as well, but haven't made up my mind on anything I would like to get. However, one thing that I would surely stray away from is the Bass Series by Sage. Don't get me wrong, they look like quite a good quality setup, but the rod weights seem to definetly be overkill. They measure the lines by grains not by rod weight. There are 230, 290 and 330 grain rods to choose from. If you look at the grain weights of other fly lines, a 5 weight usually runs at aproximately 140 grains, an eight at 210, give or take. That would mean using those outfits for bass could be like throwing as heavy as a 12 or even a 13 weight.

I think Sage was on the right idea when they came up with this concept, however I believe it would be wise to lighten things up a bit.

But yeah, I have really gotten into the trout alternatives, and I think I actually like tying bass flies a bit more, I see a lot more room for innovation and expansion, things seem a bit less explored, it has a new territory feeling.