Hi everyone,

I'm learning about bass fly fishing and I was wondering what fly line do you use? weight, brand, name...and now that I'm asking questions, what leader do you use? how short? how long? taper? just mono? any brand?

I have no clue about bass/warm water fly fishing as you can read, i just know about trout.

Thank you!!!!

You can use your trout fly line for bass fishing, bass fly line is designed to turn over bigger flies. Having bass fly line is going to help but you can absolutely fish effectively with most WF lines.

Personally I use either a casting taper or a salltwater line and I usually fish a 7.5ft 2x, but I know some people who use strait mono.

Go out and experiment with different leaders and figure out what works with your casting style, have fun.

Ben

Tell us a little more about where and how and where you plan to target bass and we can give you better input. Do you have a rod already?

You will see a lot of guys with 6 to 8 weight rods who are targeting decent size LMB, but smaller rods are very common on smaller water with smaller fish. Primarily they are using up-sized WF floating line to help with those heavy cloursers. There are specific ones just for heavy bass flies. However, there's a big difference between a foam hopper and lead eyed clouser.

Sinking line has it's use as well.
In my experience, when it comes to fly line you get what you pay for, but there is certainly a point of diminishing returns. Texas seems to be harder on my fly lines than most trout streams.
I had some fresh shark skin on my 5 weight last summer and it wasn't 15 minutes on the water in a local creek before something cut 3/4 of the way through it 6" from the loop.

As far as leaders, for LMB just buy a roll of good 8lb Flouro. LMB are not so picky on your presentations. More often than not a poor cast with a huge crashing fly triggers the biggest bites

Barnacles on the jetties cut my brand new spool of sharkskin last summer. Took off about 15 foot. I was pissed!

For bass I usually use a floating line with a removable sink tip. If I'm fishing bass on beds I'll use just the floating line with a crawfish pattern, if fish are deeper ill fish my sink tip with a clouser, deceiver or a big buggy crawfish pattern. I usually have a 9ft 10lb mono leader. I caught a nice one today off of a bed on a big ugly crawfish fly.

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Barnacles on the jetties cut my brand new spool of sharkskin last summer. Took off about 15 foot. I was pissed! [/quote]

Dang, I will consider myself lucky! It ain't cheap. I kind of have a love hate relationship with it. I HATE the noise, but it does seem very supple, stays clean, no memory and maybe it's just me, but it seems to lift off the water twice as easily as any other line.

Just my opinion, but Rio lines seem to be much more durable. every scientific angler line I've had has worn out way sooner than i thought it should. bought a chard saltwater slam tapered line for my 7wt that I'm pretty sure is textured and the first 3 feet was completely worn out within a month. I'm pretty rough on my lines, but that seems a little ridiculous to me. the rio gold on my 4wt is put through just as much or more abuse than the 7wt and its going on 9 months and still going strong. can't speak for any other brands since those are the only 2 I've owned.

As far as actual model of line and specific taper I haven't noticed any real difference in a "bass taper" than in any of the saltwater or trout tapers. Heck I cast half the same flies I do with my 7wt as I do with my 4wt, just gotta be good at ducking haha.

for leader I just use a 6~7ft. piece of 10-14lb fluorocarbon with a perfection loop in the end for floating line and ~3ft for sink tips. Some people argue a tapered leader is a must have for "presentation" and all that jazz, but its not like you're fishing for spooky browns on 7x tippet with a size 24 griffith's gnat or anything. Most of the time with bass (especially on top water flies) the more I use the Hank Patterson "slap it!" technique the madder it seems to make the fish.

Depends on what flies you are throwing, but generally heavier bass flies are handled better by a more pronounced WF taper. Orvis has a good bass line, and also a nifty Bank Shot line that works well throwing big wind resistant flies (streamers or poppers). Save your worn out trout leaders, cut back the tips and they'll make great bass leaders. If you use a sinking line or sink tip, keep your leaders short (under four feet).

Does Orvis actual make their own lines?
I've heard they are just SA private labeled for Orvis?
Not that there is anything wrong with that.
I've fished their Wonderline and it's quality

Orvis recently acquired SA from 3M. So, yes, I guess you could say that Orvis now makes their own fly lines...

Thanks to all of you for you feedback! I'm more confuse now!!! hahahahaha just kidding. I just move from Calgary, AB Canada so all I know is how to catch trout (rainbow, brown, cutthroat, brook and bull trout). I have one 7'6" 3 wt rod, one 8' 3wt rod with a conversion kit for a 10' 3wt (euro nymphing), I have a 5wt rod and a 7wt rod. All rods with matching WF fly lines and I have a rio sinking tip kit, it has 4 different sinking tips....I really like this one. That's a little bit about my background and the reason of me asking about fly lines.

I'll read again all your suggestions, I'll do some shopping if possible....

any of the equipment you already have will work. though i'd start with the 7wt and work down.

the water and the wind will determine what you take out with you.

the only major change for you will be using a heavier leader/tippet.
part of the reason for that is that largemouth don't (normally) run like trout, they will fight you right at the end of your line. light tippets will fail.

when it comes to fly selection...bass are just fish, they will take anything you throw on given day.
that said, there is such a catholicism built around the fly/species equation it might help your confidence to use the "usuals".

you can use your lighter rods with the "usuals" tied smaller and/or sparser.

good luck!