Lines for Bass
O.k.
I think I posted this a few days ago but cant find the post so here it is again.
What recommendations for a bass line do you guys have. It will be for a 6 weight rod mostly river fishing with some lake/stillwater. It also might be used for trout on a rare occasion. Thanks for any info.
Seege
Just a standard weight forward line like an Orvis Wonderline or Cortland 444 or SA Ultra 4 should suit you fine with all but the largest flies.
I don't know much about trout fishing, seeings how I'm lucky to fish for them about once every four or five years. When I have the opportunity, though, I'll buy a factory leader and use whatever fly line is on my reel, bumming tippet as I go like a "reformed" smoker does cigarets. My choice of floating fly line is forward weighted, and I have one that in the pictures seems to have a bullet imbedded in the first few feet. This helps with casting the big deer hair flies. On our warmwater board there was some push last year for something called a Rio Clouser line, which I'll probably look seriously at before the season opens this time around. Not much help, probably, but a response from the prairie. JGW
Seege,
All the 'quirky' features of the 'fancy' fly lines, 'bass tapers', 'clouser' lines, etc., are just another way to get more WEIGHT into the forward portion of the line to help with casting wind resistant or heavier flies efficiently.
Plain old weight forwards work as well. Get a good one.
How you decide what WEIGHT is more of an issue than the 'brand' or how a line is 'described' beyond simply being a weight forward. Please don't just buy the 'line that matches whats printed on your rod'.
For your 6 wt. rod, assuming that IS actually a 6 wt. (they often aren't now days), for 'general use': This means that you seldom cast long distances (over 90 feet), most of your casts are OVER thirty feet, you seldom cast very heavy or truly big flies (over say about 3/0) and want some 'delicacy' if you get near a trout stream. For that, a WF6F is hard to beat.
IF, however, you are mostly bass fishing from a boat where you can make shorter casts the norm, fish in wind some of the time, or throw big flies, and need better control/acuracy, then going up to a WF7 or even a WF8 will serve you better (THAT is basically what those 'fancy' tapers do for you, give you a 'heavier' line).
You CAN, of course, buy the 'bass taper' or 'clouser', or whatever name they have this season for a 'heavier' style line. They will work. You just don't HAVE to to get the same results.
Good Luck!
Buddy
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It Just Doesn't Matter....
The Rio Clouser line is a great line if you are going to be casting weighted flies but I don't believe it is available below 8wt. I have used the tropical version and found it to be fantastic for casting big flies.
The Rio Mainstream Saltwater line has a taper similar to the Clouser line, is about $25 less, and comes in a 7wt.
The Scientfic Anglers Mastery Headstart line is a great value, and though advertised as an ideal line for beginners, has characteristics that make it similar to some of the bass tapers for casting larger or heavier flies. Is utility as a bass line have been discussed in a number of online forums. Probably a better choice than the Rio if you are going to fish colder water.
Cortland has some new bass taper WF lines inthe 333 series but I have not tried one.
I also like the S.A. Bass Bug tapers but have only used them in the 10wt sizes, not the smaller ones.
Though I use some of the specialty lines on my 8,9, and 10wt rods, I just use a standard 7wt or 8wt WF line on my 6wt rods for bass since I already have some of these lines.
[This message has been edited by tailingloop (edited 06 February 2005).]
A 6 wt is a good all around rod and a wf 6 wt line will serve you well. Saying all of that, I would choose a 7wt yellow S.A. Bass Bug fly line. It will allow you to throw medium sized deer hair and cork bugs along with small/medium size spinners and spoons. A #2 indiana blade would be around the top limits of a 7wt bass bug taper. It would also handle soft plastics to around 3.5" with a 1/0 hook. Fly rods are always a compromise to some degree. If I were in your shoes, I would have two spools for my reel. One with a standard wf 6wt line, and the other with a 7wt bass bug taper. I would also carry a few sinking leaders in different sink rates when "going deep" is the rule for the day. I hope you find a solution!
Mike B.
I use the SA GPX. It is a good all purpose line and throws my Bass bugs and flies without problem. Also works well with the lighter trout flies.
I would have matched JC's recommendation except for the fact that you mentioned using it with trout as well and would want some delicacy that the Bass line does not provide.
jed
I fish extensively for bass and having tried many of the "speciality" lines, I have to agree with Jed. The SA GPX is the best all around line I've used for this type of fishing IMHO. It will throw bass bugs fine as well as weighted flies and streamers. I believe that it is actually rated 1/2 line wt heavier than the standard line, so 6 wt SA GPX is about a 6 1/2 wt line so you can shoot a mile of line out.
Jim Smith
FIREMAN, specialty bass tapers are not generally available in 4wt, my favorite line weight for bass fishing. I once found myself with a WF6F line I knew I wouldn't use. I cut off all the front taper and a portion of the belly. I replaced it with 3 ft of 40 lb mono then added my normal big fly leader. Homemade 4wt "bass" taper.Worked great.
Jim
The best I have is do not bite anything that is not alive.
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