Bass Rod Recommendations
- This topic has 18 replies, 7 voices, and was last updated Jun 8, 2006 at 3:52 am by
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Any fast 7 or 8 wt, I would have both, an 8 for a shooting head and a 7 with floating line. Zach recommends the Rio Clouser line and just from looking at it, it looks like a great bass line.
Fast rods I like and have used are the Cabelas FT, Sage XP, and my custom Dancraft FT and Sig V’s in any weight. Temple Forks is supposed to be a nice rod but I nave not used them.
I don’t Bass fish unless nothing else is eating so maybe some others can be more helpful.I would get a TFO Professional series at $149 to tide you over until you know exactly what you need, and I would match it with a Rio Clouser as Mike indicated – the line will do more for your 60′ needs than any rod; it just likes to turn over at range.
I tried three times to reply to your post last night and the computer gremlins blocked me…
What area of the lake are you fishing? I will ditto what Mike and Zach said. I typically use my TFO pro 9’6wt with a floating line at this time of year when the fish are bedded up in shallow water. I just drag a big clouser near visable fish and hold on. If I were going to buy a rod specifically for Lake Erie fish it would be exactly the rod that Zach suggested. It is probably the next rod to get on my list and I only use the 6wt because I don’t have a 9′ 7wt.
Pair the rod up with your choice of a floating line, 15′ medium sink tip and a fast full sinking line and you will be armed for the entire season. My buddy trolls super heavy full sinking lines(with lead core added sometimes) with his kayak all summer long and crushes fish. It is a cool and relaxing way to fish if you are into it and there is little to no casting involved so you can really stack on the weight when you need to get down to deep structure where they will be in later summer.
You could use your 10′ 6wt for now and it will be OK. I fished 10′ rods for years for Steelhead and went to 9 and 9.5 rods and have never looked back. Chucking a 10′ rod all day is just way too much like work for me. I agree that you are going to want a shorter and faster rod as you will usually have lots of line out and there is no river current to assist with your hook sets.
Along with a selection of clousers in emerald shiner colors, try big buggers with Mr.twister tails instead of marabou. Tip: hang on tight when the fly is sinking!
steve
if anyone has the most recent fly fisherman magazine, july 2006, there is an article about where i’m fishing called, “Presque Isle Paradise,” written by a local fly fisherman and guide karl weixlmann.
we will get a lot of largemouth bass that are 1 to 2 pounds, but the seasoned veteran fly fisherman can get into 4 pounders regularly if they know what they are doing.
Paul, I know exactly where you are talking about. I live about 45 minutes from you in NY state. I have been there many times to play on the beach, but never have fished it. We have probably fished many of the same Steelhead streams if you venture east at all. I used to fish 20 mile, Elk and Walnut quite a bit until it got so crazy. I live a mile from Canadaway, 20 minutes from Chatauqua one way and 20 minutes from the Cattaraugus the other.
I was talking about the TFO Pro rod and I think that I would stick with the TFO 9’7wt if I were going to buy a rod just to fish your area. I wouldn’t feel like I was using too much gun if I went with an 8wt either. You are probably getting into some weed beds around there? All of my experience is with spawning fish in the Dunkirk area and with submerged structure consisting of rock piles between Dunkirk and Barcelona. We have no large mouths to speak of in this area. It is amazing how different a lake of this size can be in the short distance between us.
Consistently catching 3 lb smallmouths with pike cruising around does sound more like 7 wt territory than 6 wt.
Paul, Zach is the resident TFO guru and will give you a better answer than this: the TiCR will have better hardware and will be faster. I have never cast a TiCR so I can’t give you any real life info. My Pro has become my small stream Steelhead rod. I also fish a 9 1/2′ 7wt XP for steel. Huge difference in price…no difference in the enjoyment I get from each.
I have fished Conneaut(Ohio) many times. You are right in the thick of things there. No need to travel all over the place. What shop are you going to in Erie? I have been to the Ultimate Angler a few times. Nice shop. There used to be a little shop a few miles south of the mall on Peach St. that was convenient for me to go to when we went for dinner or whatever. Sad to see that one go.
Put me down for the TFO Pro I started using one last week for pike and bass and man that thing can handle any fly and casts real nice…hard to believe it is $140
What about the TFO Jim Teeny rods? Zach, have you seen, or cast one yet? Might be a consideration also. Right between the Pro and TiCR as far as action goes. I am wondering what the hardware is like.
The June issue of Fly Rod & Reel rated/listed what they consider to be the best fly rods for bass. Not surprisingly their was a representative from all of their advertisers. Prices ranged from as little as $70 for an Albright 2 piece
Throw a low-end sleeper in there, as well: the 9′ 8 weight St. Croix Pro Graphite, now discontinued, originally $89.95.
Good stick.
Zach
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