I am going to the DARK side

RCF

RCF

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Never thought I would do it. 60+ years fishing for trout, SRC, and steelhead.

Going to start Warm water fisheries and even indicators. GASP!!!! SMFH too. But gotta do what I gotta do...

I need some advice too. Rod and line suggestions for bass fishing please...

Thank you in advance.
 
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I fished the dark side in my Youth. I prefer to fish in the light. Try fishing on the dark side with a fly rod. It's more fun that way.
 
RCF said:
Never thought I would do it. 60+ years fishing for trout, SRC, and steelhead.

Going to start Warm water fisheries and even indicators. GASP!!!! SMFH too. But gotta do what I gotta do...

I need some advice too. Rod and line suggestions for bass fishing please...

Thank you in advance.
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The biggest issue with bass is the bigger bugs that you might throw, this the reason why many people will use 8wt and up.

I’ve landed 1000s of bass though on 6wts using smaller flies. So there is that.

Now if you want indicator advice and rods/lines to use in Lakes, that’s where I can really help you out.
 
@Billy is the bass-on-the-fly guy. Dude is a master.

But generally, folks use a 7wt or 8wt (typically on the shorter end, though not required). Get a line with a short heavy head so you can turn over big flies. Then get a handful of foam or deerhair poppers and just cast along the edges of lillypads or structure like docks etc.

If you want to fish subsurface, I think most people use a sinking line of some sort to get things down quicker. But that's not really my game, so perhaps someone else has advice on that.

For panfish, a 3wt and some little poppers will be fun all day long. They also eat just about anything trout eat. They aren't picky. Buggers, nymphs, dries, etc.
 
RCF said:
Never thought I would do it. 60+ years fishing for trout, SRC, and steelhead.

Going to start Warm water fisheries and even indicators. GASP!!!! SMFH too. But gotta do what I gotta do...

I need some advice too. Rod and line suggestions for bass fishing please...

Thank you in advance.
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Knowing your preferences, I'd look for a 7wt Loomis IM6, and put a Titan line on it. I really like mine for bass!
Edit to add more info: that IM6 will easily handle almost every line I own between 5 and 8+ Titans. Nice because I can use my other rods with the specific line for the job, and throw any of the others on the IM6 to fill the missing function. For example, if I decide I want a dry fly line on my 5wt, I can switch the 5wt Type5 to the IM6 for a sinker without needing to buy one in 7wt also.
 
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If you're throwing Billy's poppers, you may even need a 10wt....😆
 
Smallmouth or LM? Lakes or rivers? Ok to be a dedicated stick for whatever you’re planning or trying to pull multiple duty?
 
Billy said:
I got an 11 wt Musky Echo rod this year to play around with😁... But I'm also expanding down too and will have an 8wt Epr strung up at all times for my smaller poppers.
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I've got my eye on the 8'8"....as if I need another musky stick.


@RCF , If there's one thing I've learned in the handful of years I've really been serious about targeting bass (smallies for me) is that when those legit 20" fish climb on (there aren't many of them and I've only touched 3 in the last 5 years), I've been thankful for the 8wt. Shoot, even a 16" fish will often give you all you can handle on a 7 or 8wt rod.
 
I have only fished bass on the fly a handful of times, but I had a blast throwing simple frog-style gurglers at dawn and dusk on a few LMB ponds last June. A 5-6wt and WF floater were fine for this limited purpose. No monsters but definitely some decent fish to be had. I may add some damsel/dragon patterns this year.

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rattlesnake said:
Smallmouth or LM? Lakes or rivers? Ok to be a dedicated stick for whatever you’re planning or trying to pull multiple duty?
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LMB in a local Western Washington lake. Not necessarily dedicated rather focused toward LMB.. There are large catfish in the lake that I will need to have at least a 7 weight (based on limited experience - see my avatar). If I travel it will be for trout. My 5 and 6 weights have allowed me to catch lots of large trout. If I needed a larger/heavier weight, that would be worthy of the tussle on my 6 weight - just saying...
 
RCF said:
LMB in a local Western Washington lake. Not necessarily dedicated rather focused toward LMB.. There are large catfish in the lake that I will need to have at least a 7 weight (based on limited experience - see my avatar). If I travel it will be for trout. My 5 and 6 weights have allowed me to catch lots of large trout. If I needed a larger/heavier weight, that would be worthy of the tussle on my 6 weight - just saying...
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As Irafly and I think others mentioned, the main reason why some elect for heavier weight rods is to make it actually fun to toss bigger bugs, which require lines with more mass. You could see what you can get done in your lake with the 5 and 6 and then if/when you want to throw bigger poppers or heavy jig flies look for that 7 or 8 weight.
 
Other than large bugs, I like the 8wt for the sloppy shit bass live in. I fish a lot of edges of weeds/lilies, stuff I cant cast into but bass will ambush from. I want to turn them to open water immediately, and even a 2lb bass can make that tough on a 5wt.
 
Matt B said:
As Irafly and I think others mentioned, the main reason why some elect for heavier weight rods is to make it actually fun to toss bigger bugs, which require lines with more mass. You could see what you can get done in your lake with the 5 and 6 and then if/when you want to throw bigger poppers or heavy jig flies look for that 7 or 8 weight.
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I have caught some LMB in the lake, as a bi-catch, when fishing for trout. My IM6 6 weight handled them fine. They were 12" to 15". Casting sinking lines is not a lot of fun. I just need to cast better I think.

I will keep an eye out for heavier rod, used of course, but it is not a priority for now. First learn to cast better...
 
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I think one of the easiest ways to start bass fishing is to grab your 6wt and floating line and head anywhere on the Columbia east of Bonneville dam. Get some buggers, clousers and some poppers and just have fun till you decide where to go from there. No real special gear. Just get out and give it a whirl.
 
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Rob Allen said:
I think one of the easiest ways to start bass fishing is to grab your 6wt and floating line and head anywhere on the Columbia east of Bonneville dam. Get some buggers, clousers and some poppers and just have fun till you decide where to go from there. No real special gear. Just get out and give it a whirl.
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Actually I am going to the darkside is so I can fish the lake I live on all summer. If I target warm water species, there are lots, I can avoid the trout and have fun daily.

Once I get better fishing for them then I can go elsewhere. At least that is my plan...
 
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