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3. Rod/line weight for bass?

What weight rod/line is recommended for largemouth bass? 30 or so years ago I had a fly rod set up with a Cortland bass taper line, I believe it was one of their 444 lines but I don’t recall the weight of it. What would u all recommend?

An 8 wgt. is about standard, although depending upon where you are fishing, the size/type of flies you are using and the expected average size of the bass you expect to catch, a 7 or 9 wgt rod can also have applicability/utility. But generally, an 8 is the most useful compromise.

Thank You! I thought it was an 8 but it's been a lot of years so I wanted to make sure.

So, what are the new Bass Taper lines called? I believe the one I had might have had a shorter taper to help turn over the big bugs easier?

Most of the companies that market fly lines have a product they call "bass taper" or "bass bug taper". Some, like Cortland, use a catchy name like "Big Shot" to identify their lines with the heavier heads designed for throwing bigger, wind resistant flies like popping bugs, etc. You could just pick your price range for a new line (they vary widely..) and search on that or a preferred brand identified as a "Bug Taper", "Bass Taper", etc. All it really means is a floating line with a relatively short and heavy front taper. While there may be some relatively minor differences, you could probably be just as happy with a standard WF8F line and using a relatively short and stout leader. The bass don't care...:)

I agree with RleeP. Especially if you get a sinking line, the 8wt will handle the extra weight of the line well.

Personally, my go to for bass is my 6weight. Plenty of backbone to fight their more aggressive style and still light enough not to wear your arm out casting all day 😉

Well I might as well offer my opinion on this subject. I live just a few miles from the Susquehanna River. It has very good smallmouth bass fishing. I have fly fished it for over 25 years and use just two line weights. I use a 9' #6 and a 9' #7. I can throw all but the biggest Clouser minnows or poppers with the WF#7. I like to use the #6 for throwing smaller Clousers, #6 - #8 and most any nymphs. I use BB's to get the fly down and just roll cast the nymphs with split shot. I use the WF#7 for #4 - #1 streamers and really air resistant poppers. I have no trouble casting a #2 Clouser 50' - 60' with the #7 line.

I'm a little different - I use a 9' 5-weight for my bass fishing. I can throw bass bugs and weighted #6 streamers on it, but when a hatch comes off, as they do on Cooke Pond when I'm smallie fishing, I can go to a big dry fly with ease, such as a Hex pattern - and smallies love Hex and other big mayflies just as much as trout do! But, I guess I'm a little different, I've caught an inordinate number of large bass on my 3-weight...and let me tell ya, bass will give you one hell of a fight on a 3- or 5-weight!!

Having said all of that, I am in the market for a 7-weight rod, as I have some 7-weight lines on reels already weighting for a rod to go on...

Jonathon

Jon wrote;



Well that must be exciting! I seldom get a strike on a Clouser less than 40 feet from the boat. That is why I use heavier rods. Even with my bionic casting skills I could never throw a #2 Clouser 60'.