Hey guys,

I'm completely new to fly fishing. I picked up a 8 wt sage vantage rod with a reel for a pretty good price. I would like to do some bass fishing with it. My question is why do you need a lower weight rid to fish with the smaller flies for smaller fish. Can't you cast the smaller flies with a bigger line? Is it the feel you get from the smaller weight rods? Is it how accurately you can cast the smaller flies?

Please forgive my ignorance.

Robert

If you bass fish it's like dropshotting a lightwire hook with flipping stick.

You did what to who, why?

You can cast any fly with any rod. It's more a matter of how hard you want to work to do it. It is easier to cast a small fly with a larger rod, than the other way around. It's partly a matter of energy transfer. A smaller line has less energy to transfer into a larger fly, which means you have to change your casting stroke to accommodate that. A larger line may have too much energy to transfer to a smaller fly, which can make it do unintended things.
It is still easier for me to cast a small fly on a higher weight rod. Over time you will learn to change your casting stroke to make the fly do what you want it to.
As always, if you have access to casting lessons, that will be your quickest route to making the best of your time on the water.

Enjoy your new obsession!

Kirk

Thanks for the info there. I think I will try to take the Backwoods store's class. I've got 3 weeks off starting Jan. 2nd, so I'll have plenty of time to practice. I may pick up a 5 wt so that I can more easily cast the smaller flies.

Thanks again,

Robert

? I don't follow.

It's been a few years since I bass fished with conventional gear. Your description of the method of fishing was more like greek to me.
The only part I got was flipping stick.
(Well, I could probably figure out light wire.)

Kirk

My recommendation is to take the class at Backwoods or anywhere else before buying another rod. After the class you'll have a better idea of what type of rod you are most comfortable casting.

The 8 wt will get you started and will work just fine. A larger rod will cast small flies without any problem. It is the wieght of the fly line that you are casting and not the weight of the fly. Most folks find that small fish (trout, bluegill, etc.) are more fun to catch on a lighter wt rod, but the 8 wt will work fine with them. My vote would be to learn to cast with the rod you have before buying another rod.

If you can make it up to Bonham state park the weekend of Jan 19 for the Red River Rendezvous, TFO will have their demo rods available and you can test cast any rod you want to try and you can get a free casting lesson.

Good Luck!

Kirk you obviously haven't tried to throw size 8 or 10 streamers or a top water frog or popper in size 8 with a 3wt rod! You don't know what your talking about! YES you can throw smaller flies with an 8wt rod BUT you CAN'T throw larger flies with a 3wt rod!

Sounds like great advice!

I'll try to make it to the RRR.

Thank you sir!

Robert

FFF I never said it was easy or fun. I said it was doable. I guess I should have emphasized that a bit more. Ease up a little.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Kirk

You can catch Blue Gills on a deep sea game fish rod, but it would not be fun. The 8 weight is ideal for fishing for bass in heavy cover and for throwing big flies and poppers. As was stated above the fly line is also heavy and the tiny little blue gill has to fight that line, no feeling and no fun. Go down to a 2 - 3 weight light line light rod big fun. With the light rod you can also catch big fish too, depending on circumstances. Personally I love my 2weight TFO Proffessional. I have caught 3lb +bass on it too.

My first rod was a 7 wt... eas(ier) to cast as a beginner and suitable for my favorite target species (Bass). On the days the lunkers wouldnt cooperate (most) I'd switch to tying on smaller poppers, looking for bluegills, just so I could catch something.

It's big excitement to catch just about anything as a beginner, but hooking little fish on a big rod... the novelty wears off fast.

I liken it to hunting for squirrels with an elephant gun.

J.

Robert, have you noticed yet that opinions vary significantly among fly fishers about equipment?

Here are a couple of things to think about when someone recommends a specific piece/size of equipment; what size and type of fly are they casting/fishing and what are the fishing conditions/distances they fish most often. Then compare how they are fishing to the conditions you fish.

To some folks, bass fishing is casting a 2/0 size deer hair popper from bass boat on Lake Fork (this style requires a larger rod), but someone else may be fishing wooley buggers on smaller, pond-size waters from a kayak (this can be done with lighter wt equipment). I would choose different rod/line wt.'s for each situation. Fly type makes a difference too; a size 10 foam popper can easily be cast with a 3 wt. rod, but size 10 lead eye'ed Clouser is very difficult to cast with a 3 wt. The flies may have the same sized hook, but they do not cast or act the same.

Here's something else to consider. Some folks will use the "rule of Odd or Even" when buying rods. Which means they initially buy either all even wt. rods or all odd wt. rods to get the most coverage for the least money. For example, since you currently own an 8 wt., you could buy a 4 wt instead of a 5 wt rod. A 4 wt and a 5 wt can be used in similar fishing situations, but then later you could add a 6 wt. to cover the gap between the 8 and the 4. It is a more difficult decision if you want to cover the gap between a 5 wt and an 8 wt rod. You will notice more difference in the rods between a 4 and 6 and 8 than you will between a 5 and a 6 or an 8 and a 7 wt. (Of course, you will eventually end up with a variety of rod sizes, but this is one way to quickly cover a wide range of fishing situations with a minimum number of rods.)

Good luck!

Robert, check your Private Messages box.