I consider the smallmouth bass to be the gentleman of the warmwater species. As such fly fishing for them has picked up many refinements including choosing the right bass fly rod.
When my first book Fly Fishing for Smallmouth Bass was published, one of the editors wrote “Harry is teaching us to fly fish for smallmouth bass by using trout tactics.” My favorite smallmouth fly rod is 9ft long that balances with a 7-weight line that breaks down to 4 pieces. The action is very smooth, making it a real pleasure to use. Let’s look at some of the goals I have for this fly rod.
How to Choose a Bass Fly Rod
I usually wade my smallmouth rivers. Since many smallmouth feed in the shaded areas, I regularly present my flies below the thickly shaded trees along the far banks. My fly rod must be able to accurately cast a tight loop in order to deliver my fly below the low-hanging limbs.
Mending the fly line on the water by flipping the belly of the fly line is important to me since it assures my flies will get the desired drift. It is essential that my fly rod can mend my fly line as I need it.
When I’m wading with my back close to the bank behind me it is essential that my fly rod have the capacity to make long change of direction casts so I can effectively fish all of the water out in front of me.
My fly rod must have power enough to make a roll cast pickup when I’m fishing a sink tip III fly line in deep water before me.
The design of the fly rod must be smooth enough to give accurate fly placement when making all casts. If you are looking for a new bass fly rod outfit, see our selection of combos.