i would like a little advice, please. i fish some local lakes for smallmouth bass, average size is about 15 inches, but i have taken a few over 21, all using spinning gear. my question is, would a 6wt be able to handle these bigger fish? also, since i am quite inexperienced to fly fishing, what would be the largest bug that i could throw. any help will be appreciated.
I use a six weight rod for stream smallmouth all the time. I cast deer hair bugs that are 2.5 inches from tip of tail to hook eye and could go larger if I used a larger tippet. I also cast size 6 weighted streamers on the same outfit. if you are not an experienced caster you will have to be a little careful with the large weighted flies not to hit your rod. I just put together a set of smallmouth flies that you can see here: 
["]](http://s138.photobucket.com/albums/q269/crockeryflytyer/flies/?action=view¤t=smallmouthflies.jpg)
A medium or med-fast 8’6" to 9’ graphite 7wt rod would be ideal for smallies. If you are fishing primarily from a boat with heavy sink-tip or sinking lines, and figure on having to regularly pull these fish out of submerged brush, then I would go with an 8 wt such as the St. Croix Legend Ultra Bob Clouser model.
aa
I think a 6wt rod would be a very good choice. In addition to being a very good rod for smallies it would be fine for panfish, lm bass & carp.
If you check the photos on the [b]freshwater 6wt fishing…[/b] thread you will see that a 6 wt. is capable when used with skill (usually sold separately) of handling most things you are likely to encounter on smallmouth water.
By the way, welcome to the bulletin board, you ask for the one thing we all have around here a little advice. Just about all of it comes with a money back guarantee.
I’m not advocating you spend $$$$$, but here are some links with good info-
The smallie king, Harry Murray, recommends a 6, 7, or 8 for smallies.
http://www.murraysflyshop.com/rodreelcombos_bass.html
http://www.murraysflyshop.com/Murray_Bass_Fly_Rod.html
He points out its not the size of the fish, its the size of the bug you’ll be using. One of the above links he talks about bug size 4 and larger going with an 8wt, smaller a 7wt. Will you be throwing large weighted flies? BTW, the exclusive rods are the “old” Scott G series - not as fast as the newer G2. The G series has been d/c’d, but they still have a following. I have never fished either, so I can’t comment. My tightwad gene will not allow me to drop $700 on a rod.
Our local guides recommend a 6, 7, or 8.http://www.mossycreekflyfishing.com/guiding.aspx?section=equipment
Hope this helps - I know I have way more fun fly fishing for smallies with my 6wt than I did spin fishing with my U/L rig; I rarely throw the big, heavy stuff.
Mooney,
For general bass fishing in most lakes, a 6 wt. is the ideal rod.
Heavier if you have lots of heavy brush or prefer flies in the 1/0 to 3/0 sizes.
Lighter if you have mostly open water and like flinging little flies.
I’d base my decision on this by one important criteria: What rod do I already have? If you have the 6, use it.
Remember, you are targeting smaller fish (a 21 inch smallie may be a big smallmouth, but it’s not a tuna, bonefish, or 50 inch northern). You can land ANY smallmouth you hook in open water easily with a 3 wt. I often fish a 2 wt. for them under calm conditions. They aren’t as easy to land as a trout, but they are still no problem on lighter gear if you aren’t dealing with thick cover. You want it to be fun, so remember that a heavier rod takes some of the feel of fight out.
As far as fly size goes, for someone who is not an expert caster, you could expect to use ‘bulky’ flies like spun deer hair or foam poppers up to about size 2. Streamers up to 1/0. Weighted flies will change this.
Still, almost all typical smallmouth flies can be handled easily with a 6 wt.
Good Luck!
Buddy
A 6wt rod will handle any big smallie. I routinely fish a 6wt while smallie fishing and use it primarily as my topwater rig, throwing poppers and such. However, when I’m throwing big, heavy flies, I use my 8wt. Lead weighted flies, big conehead flies, etc, the 8wt excels. I dont have to work near as hard to cast the big, heavy flies with the 8wt as I do on the 6wt…and at the end of the day, I’m much less tired when throwing these flies with the 8wt.
Yes, the 6wt will handle the fish, but it’s often no so much about the size of the fish as it is the size (weight) of the flies being cast.
If I could have only 1 smallmouth rod, it would be a medium-fast 8wt.
I use my 8 weight almost exclusively for them for a few reasons. One, I fish a larger river that has good numbers of pike and musky swimming the same stretches. Two, again, the size of the river, I can air out a lot more line and cover a lot more water with the 8 weight, its FAST and an absolute cannon (Sage XP). Plus wading is a pain with 2 rods, its a whole lot easier to throw small bugs on a heavier rod than it is to throw big ones on a lighter stick.
That said, I can and do fish smaller smallie streams with a 4 weight. A 6 will do you just fine if your flies aren’t too big and heavy.
I picked up a 9’ green-stix 5wt 2 years ago from a fly show. Its made in Holland MI and is very reasonably priced. It has a fast tip and cast quite well. Ive gotten 5 lbs smallies and got a 21" largemouth last year in the spring as well as numerous carp. Rod has the back bone to handle heavier fish and is light enough to make it fun as hell. Highly recommend this rod, its my go to rod for most my fishing…
My first fly rod was a 2pc White River Dogwood Canyon 8wt from BassPro over 10 years ago. I still use this along with a 2pc 6wt and 4pc 8wt (Both home built) for my bass fishing, LM and smallies. I agree with the other posts that it’s not the size of the fish you’re targeting as much as the size/weight of the fly you’re casting.
Cabela’s rod and reel combo preloaded with backing line and leader
http://www.cabelas.com/product/Fishing/Fly-Fishing/Fly-Fishing-Rod-Reel-Combos|/pc/104793480/c/104721480/sc/105571980/Cabelas-Cahill-Fly-Rod-and-Reel-Outfit/732362.uts?destination=%2Fcatalog%2Fbrowse%2Ffishing-fly-fishing-fly-fishing-rod-reel-combos%2F_%2FN-1102570%2B4294770896%2FNe-4294770896%2FNs-CATEGORY_SEQ_105571980%3FWTz_st%3DGuidedNav%26WTz_stype%3DGNU
BassPro White River Dogwood Canyon rod and reel combo preloaded with backing line and leader.
http://www.basspro.com/White-River-Fly-Shop-Dogwood-Canyon-Preassembled-Fly-Outfits/product/96504/-1576959
Bingo! Excellent answer.
Sometimes you’ll need the extra backbone of a heavier rod if you have to pull the fish away from logjams, heavy current, etc.
To answer your question, an 8 or 9 wt is the better choice especially since you seem to want to pursue larger bass. You will want to use flies that aproximate the size of the soft plastics and hard baits you would use on your spinning gear. To put my recommendation exactly, get a rod that handles an 8 wt line since it is ultimately the line that delivers the fly.
Like most of the others here, I can give you a hedged OK for a 6 wt since it is a good compromise all purpose rod for fresh water-trout, bass, panfish. For a long time I used one for bass because it was the only rod I had. Once I got a heavier rod, I pretty much gave up the 6 for bass.
I’ve used 6 wts. for smallies to 6 lbs.+ for decades. If I want to turn over bigger flies I may upweight to a 7. I also routinely throw 250 gr. shooting heads with it.
Charlie
where are you at in Ohio?. north/south?
I have the Redington Predator. Pretty nice. Relatively short rod. Casts well.