If all goes well this summer, I plan to spend some time in my NuCanoe Frontier 12 fly fishing for smallmouth bass. I have caught some on my fly rod while trout fishing and now want to explore areas on the river where the water is too warm for trout but perfect for smallmouth.
What I need to know is, for those who actually fish for smallmouth with a fly rod, what weight rod do you use and what kind of leader system do you use. I need to know the leader lengths you are using. Leader material you are using. Do you use tippet and if so, what length and pound test.
I am thinking that straight 8 pound test material for leader and tippet, but, do not know. Do you use floating fly line or sinking?
I know there will be many different set-ups and I would like to hear them all and I will be able to decide which will work for the river here.
I usually use a 6 wt rod, either 8 or 9 feet long depending on the water I am fishing. The 9 footer is overlined with a 7wt line. These 2 set ups will cover 99% of the smallmouth water that I normally fish.
I have several leader/ tippet set ups. For swinging streamers, I use a Flourocarbon furled leader, 4 or 5 feet long, and 2-3 feet of 6 or 8 pound flourocarbon for a tippet.
If I am fishing poppers, I use a “Big Game” furled leader 5’6" long and 2-3 feet of 8 pound mono for tippet.
I also use a standard 5 foot thread furled leader with 4-5 feet of 6 pound mono tippet for fishing wets and sometimes streamers depending on the water depth or how lazy I am at the time.
In July and August here in southern wisconsin my fishing switches from trout to small mouth. I tend to find that the heat of summer tends to improve the fishing in the rivers so do not fear the heat of the summer as you would with trout. Most of the rivers and streams I fish tend to “shallower” so I wade and only use floating line. I love watching the smallies nail flies on the surface so I tend to fish poppers, sliders, large dries, and divers. I use a floating 5 foot furled leader with 3 ft of 6lb tippet. I occasionally throw a minnow imitation streamer stripped through the current but they are not as much fun. Some of the flies can be rather large so I like a 6 wt for smallmouth. I think a furled leader will turn over the fly much better than a straight 8lb mono leader. By the way, do not be scared of “thinking out of the box” for smallies. One of my best days was on a 100 degree day drifting a size 12 scud from a trib that emptied into a large pool. The worm fisherman fishing 20 feet away did not even have a bite.
caribe
I also use a six weight rod for smallmouth. I usually use a nine foot knotted tapered leader going down to three x which is usually eight pound test. I have trouble turning over some of the bigger hair bugs and poppers so I will cut the leader shorter and have about a six foot 1 x leader that can easily be restored by re-attaching the segment I removed. In the rivers I fish I don’t feel the need for a sinking line but I do carry a few heavily weighted flies as sometimes is is dredge the bottom or just have casting practice.
Thanks to all who have responded so far. Just what I needed. I have been told that during the hottest months here in TN, surface poppers are the way to go and I am looking forward to that action! I have a 6wt and a 7wt and enjoy both, so, I just need to work on the leader. Since I make my own furled leaders, that should be no problem. I, also, have full sinking line on spare spools for the 6 and 7 weight rods.
sandfly,
I have been using a 10 foot NuCanoe for over 3 years and sold it last spring and purchased the 12 foot Frontier last February. I have only had it out a couple times because I have been the primary health provider for my Mom for the past 7 years since my Father passed and I lost her this past December. So, now I am planning on spending a lot of time in the Frontrier 12 this summer. I love the NuCanoe. I have owned a canoe, a 10 foot flatbottom and a Hobie 75 and the NuCanoe is the boat for me. I normanly put in and go up stream about 5 miles and float fish my way back to the truck. I find the NuCanoe very easy to paddle. If you go to the NuCanoe web site and check out the videos, you will find one on using the NuCanoe on the Duck River here in Tennessee and that is me. You should have no problems selling the NuCanoe and you cannot ask for a better person to deal with than Blake Young at NuCanoe. He is very customer service and works hard to assist anyone with any questions.
So, I love the NuCanoe. Easy to paddle, easy to haul around in the back of my truck, it takes a beating, it will take you to the places others cannot get to and the Frontier 12 gives you the opportunity to stand with ease whenever you want. I had a local machine shop here make me up an alum. seat base to relplace the ones that come on the Frontier 12 because I did not like them and posted a picture of the seat base on the NuCanoe Forum and the machine shop has sold over 25 of them since. I provide their contact info there also. If you check out the NuCanoe web site, you will see that I am a Team Member of NuCanoe and can be contacted by e-mail through their web site. I am not a sales rep or anything like that. I am just a very satisfied owner and enjoy helping to answer any questions people may have.
I use a 6wt overlined with an 8wt bass line, a 7ft mono furled leader, and 3 feet of 3x tippet for poppers. The leader is heaver than the ones I use for trout. Sometimes the water is very clear and I am more comfortable with the long leader. I find it turns over the big poppers (size 4 and 2) very well, I have been very happy with that rig. The rod is a tip flex orvis power matrix.
I use my BVK 6wt overlined with a 7wt bass line for crawfish and other subsurface flies. I am still using your fluro leader with that rig! I usually keep 2 rods in my Nucanoe so I can interchange them as needed.
The summer on the Shenandoah chasing smallies is my favorite time to fly fish. I think you will enjoy this type of fishing.
Dont forget the carp! Usually if there are smallies there are carp. Hard to catch, but a blast when you hook one.
Depending on the river I am fishing I will use either a 9’ 6wt or 8wt. Smaller shallower river then it’s the 8wt. On the bigger river I fish I tend to favor the 8wt because there are also northern pike and good size carp. Leaders depend on what fly I am throwing and water depth. As mentioned above a 9’ tapered 3x is pretty standard. For my 8wt I mostly use leaders that I tie up using Bob Clouser’s leader kit.
I fish mostly the st croix and upper mississippi. I use a 7 wt rod. I do think anywhere from a 6 wt to 8 wt will work fine. I use a bass taper floating line. You can use a general taper floating line and cut 2 or 3 feet off the end so the line will turn over big flies. Another approach would be to overline the rod as others have described above. I make my own leaders and use regular 10# mono for tippet. I tie my own flies - size 4 up to 1/0. The bigger rod helps to cast the bigger flies. Have fun! SMB on a fly rod is awesome.