Hey everyone,

I just picked up my first 6wt setup that I will use for bass fishing mainly from my kayak and friend's boat here in central Texas and possibly some really light saltwater fishing at the coast. I'm looking for help picking out my fly line. The setup I got is a TFO Mangrove (bought brand new off craigslist for crazy cheap!) and a Lamson Guru 2. All I need is to throw on some line and hit the water.

What are your favorite fly lines for bass?

Thanks!

I like Orvis Hydros Bass and Scientific Angler Mastery MPX. I would use SI redfish for salt water.

Cabala's has had the Scientific Angler GPX on sale for about half off lately. I picked some up and put it on a cheap 6-wt Eagle Claw Featherlight rod I have and it seems to cast very well. It is a standard taper and not one specifically made for bass, but so far so good.

One line I've had great luck with on my 8wt, and will probably get an extra spool for my 6wt, is the Rio Big Nasty. I've had no problem throwing bigger streamers with it, which is what it's designed for. If I can find a spool on sale for my Lamson Litespeed IV, I'm going to throw a Big Nasty line on it to swap out with Rio Grand. I keep hearing awesome thing about Scientific Angler's MPX line, although I've never tried it.

SA GPX, SA MPX, and the Rio Big Nasty are all built a half size heavy, which I am hesitant to go for. The TFO Mangrove isn't as fast as the BVK, so I'm worried a heavier line will slow the rod down too much. What do y'all think, am I overthinking this?

The Mangrove has a very forgiving rod action. It is not as fast as the BVK, but it is still on the faster end of the spectrum. I like fishing the Mangrove rods.

The Mangrove can be uplined without any issues. I've played with the 5 wt rods more than any other size and I've been very happy with a 5 wt line on my own rod. But I've also fished multi-fly, weighted nymph rigs using a 6 wt line and the rod performed beautifully with the heavier line.

As for the choice of line size 5, 5.5, or 6, that depends more on size fly you plan to fish, the fishing conditions (the line choice for Spillway creek might not be the best choice for open water fishing on Texoma), and the caster's skill level.

Couple of options, try casting some of your friends lines to see what you like, or buy one of the mid-priced (~$40 range) general purpose lines first to fish with for while until you decide what line best fits your own needs.

Personally, I can't tell much performance difference in the Mangrove with a one size heavier fly line. It will cast and load the rod differently, but it still performs well. But a heavier fly line will move larger/heavier flies more easily than a lighter line.

Good luck!

Thanks a bunch, that info is super helpful. I don't usually fish with very large flies, but one of the reasons for that is I am usually using my slower 4wt. I really want this rod to be my go-to bass rod, but also will want to throw larger streamers for trout and potentially take it to the coast and use it on a calmer day, so it sounds like a slightly heavier line won't hinder the action. Thanks for the insight and personal experience Rex.

My favorite general purpose line is Scientific Anglers Sharkwave GPX. The texture on it allows it to glide through the guides without any sort of conditioner on it.

I do not have the experience of others here but I wound up with a DT line once and was much happier with a WF line. I also own some sinking tip lines I may wind up using in the salt water where I am now but mostly I use sinking leaders and lead eyes on the flies. Maybe another area where my book learning leaves me short but I will have a line in the water next week and on a regular basis thereafter. just mi dos pesos