Favorite Smallmouth Bass Fly Rod

The Perfect Stick
People often ask me "What is your favorite smallmouth rig?"  I usually try to avoid the topic because my interests are vastly different than most of the other fisherman I know (we'll discuss that later).  If I had to answer the question I would probably respond with something like "Any rig you can afford to use" because if you drop big bucks on a rig and can't afford to fish well....that is crazy.

I was taught to fly fish by my Uncle Joe, perhaps the worlds greatest fisherman/sportsman.  I fished for years with Uncle Joe and never looked at the name on the rod I used.  We spent entire days on Sugar Creek in Indiana and I can honestly say I had no idea what line weight we used?  So....to me the name on a fly rod, reel, line, hook etc is all a little silly.  Don't get me wrong, I'm human too - I like good stuff, but it is not critical to me.

What Weight is Perfect
If you are going to pick out a favorite rod you have to start with the perfect overall line weight for the species you are after.  The type of water you fish, wind conditions, fly sizes etc. are all factors when choosing a line weight, but many agree that the ideal line weight for smallmouth bass is a 7wt. 

First off, a 7wt is a nice weight to lug around all day, avoiding arm fatigue is always a good thing.  I can toss a large popper as well as a beefy streamer with this weight rod.  If paired with the right line a 7 weight can punch through wind, but if cast correctly it can quietly lay out a bug without a splash.  The 7 weight is the perfect balance between brute force and finesse....and it give you options to toss top water poppers or streamers.

Smallmouth legend Tim Holschlag had this to say about the 7 weight:

"What if a person wants to fish different types of water, but can only afford one good rod?  That's simple--get a 7-weight, 9 1/2', medium-stiff, medium-fast action good quality rod.  7-weights may be out of style right now, but they're still the best all-purpose smallmouth rods available.  Over the course of a year, I probably use a 7-weight more than any other type of rod."

I agree with Tim completely, but I tend to deviate from his recommendation for medium-stiff and medium-fast action rods.  Who am I to contradict Tim Holschlag, a guy that fishes more in one year than I have fished in my lifetime.  Good thing all of this is personal preference!  I also don't care much for 9'+ rods either....let's talk a bit about fly rod lengths next.

Rod Length and Action
Many, many guys like longer rods for smallmouth fishing.  I happen to have more moderate tastes when it comes to action and fly rod length.  I understand that a longer rod allows you to set the hook better as well as aide in casting, but for me it is all about fatigue.  I owned a 9' rod and after a long day fishing my arm hurt!  The dang thing was a beast to manage, so for me I settled on a 8-8 1/2' rod for general purpose smallmouthing.

As far as action, I prefer a slower, full-flexing rod.  Slow action comes from from fiberglass, NOT graphite!  There, I let my secret out of the bag!  I like fiberglass better than graphite.  More about my ideal fly rod(s) next!

The Smallmouth Fly Box Favorite Fly Rod
If you nailed me down and asked the dreaded "favorite rod"question I would have to say my personal favorite rod is a vintage Fenwick Feralite that was given to me by Fly Box Hero, Dick Gross.  The fact that Dick gave me the rod makes it priceless, but sentimental reasons aside it is a damn good rod!  Many of you may believe that the newest Sage or Orvis rig is the holy grail.  To each his own, but I am partial to "vintage" fiberglass rods.  The reason is simple...the rods are slower.  The slow action reminds me of those wonderful days with Uncle Joe.  Before graphite, fiberglass was king----to some of us it still is the all supreme ruler of the fly rod universe.  Let's look at a few of my all time favorite fly rod manufacturers.

Fenwick Feralite

Here is a picture of a Fenwick Feralite, manufactured anywhere from 1972-1988, this rod is still an absolute gem to spend the day with.  I have many of these rods and will continue to collect them if I find a deal.  The trout wieners are starting to buy them all up on Ebay (paying top dollar), so I have resorted to flea markets and garage sales for my collection.

Another favorite rod is the Browning Silaflex.  Silaflex rods have quite the history-going back to the 1950's , but they are fantastic fly rods even today.  The rod in this picture has a slow action compared to today's "better" rods, but that slowness is its saving grace.  Remember the tale of the tortoise and the hare?

Browning Silaflex

The only beef people have with Silaflex fly rods is their large cigar shaped grip.  I have never had a problem with them, but if you have small hands you might want to look into something else.


Contemporary Rod of Choice
I just got done telling you that I am partial to fiberglass rods, but there is one contemporary, graphite rod I own, it is the Ross Flystik.  The Ross FlyStik was a recommendation from fly fishing great Joe Cornwall.  This rod is nice because it is a 4 piecer which makes it more portable than my vintage glass rods.  The rods themselves are absolute cannons!  I own both the 6 and 8 weight models and they can launch big bugs.  At 7' 11" they are a tad short for wading, but they are a fine choice for fishing out of a canoe.

The Ross Flystik

 I had a trout snob make a comment the Ross Flystik is ugly because it is minty green in color.  I personally like the color, but I am a bass guy.  Paint job aside, this rod is light and powerful able to whup any smallmouth, pike or catfish you would tangle with on the river.

One Last Category
For years I would only grab an 8-8 1/2' rod when wading the river, never would be caught with anything under 8 feet.  I ran across a rod builder online that changed my whole outlook on fly rod lengths.  Andy Manchester, the Old Yankee Rodsmith himself sold me a 6' canoe cannon a few years back.  I purchased the rod because of an article I read about Lee and Joan Wulff and their passion for catching big fish on shorter rods (6') and small flies.  The article was great and I was sold on giving it a try.

Old Yankee Rodsmith's 6' Canoe Cannon

This was my first 6' rod and I love it!  This rod is a 1 piecer, so transporting can be a challenge, but the fuss is worth it!  I can toss foam poppers all day and streamers are a snap.

My second 6' rod is another Old Yankee Rodsmith gem we call the Orange Crush.  Unlike the Canoe Cannon this one is considered a boron fly rod.  Boron is another great choice for the slow experience, but this one can deliver the goods!

Old Yankee Rodsmith's Orange Crush and Frieda

I have landed many big fish on slower and shorter fly rods, so get out there and figure what YOU like, NOT what the industry tells you to like.  You might surprise yourself and like something vintage!

Pure Vintage...A 1970 Fenwick and Western Auto Parts Reel in Action

Leader Construction

A properly constructed tapered leader is critical for many reasons.  Without a quality leader system your cast will undoubtedly pay the price.  We have tried many leader recommendations and came up with what we feel is the clear winner.  Prime candidates had to be somewhat simple without complicated knots and had the ability to turn large flies in the wind.  The last criteria I looked for was a leader system with options....because a guys got to have options right?  We're going to speak a little about material options (fluorocarbon, mono...), construction (loop connections and knots) and lastly performance.  By the time we are done here you will have a clear path to what we believe is the best leader system out there for smallmouth fishing.

Store bought or hand tied...
 Bob Clouser says he ties his own leaders because it is more economical, but he is a world class guide that provides leaders to possibly hundreds of fisherman each year.  By the time you buy the Berkley Big Game or Maxima Clear mono is the 6 line weights needed to construct the leader you are spending a decent amount of cash (We'll provide links to the best deals around for Big Game later in the article).  Instead of arguing about cost savings I am going to take a different angle.....flexibility.  I'm not talking about the awesome stretching characteristics of mono-filament, but more about the options this leader system gives you over store bought "knot-less" leaders.

Knot-less Tapered Leader...Smooooth!

 Many of you prefer the 6-12 ft knotless leaders available at just about any big box outdoor store.  I used them for years and I was happy with the results.  I read Bob Clousers book and tried his leader system and things changed for me.  Knotless leaders have one key advantage over a hand tied leader....they don't have knots!  I'll admit that knots on a hand tied leader can skip through the guides a little, but once you have the line out is really isn't a problem.  A blood knot creates a tight, barrel shaped knot that glides through the guides much better than a surgeons knot.  If you get really nutty about the knots you can coat them with Hard as Hull to create a slick surface.

Two knots is all you need!  We left the tag ends intact for visual effect.

Fly line clip

Knot-less leaders have one key disadvantage though.  The commercially tapered leader gets shorter as you tie on flies.  After a few flies you have to knot on tippet, so the leader doesn't get too short.  Some guys tie on small clips that allow you to easily switch flies, eliminating multiple knots etc (see right).  Those clips are nice, but I haven't used them much.  I personally like tying in a loop knot to allow the fly to swim a little better.  Tight knots and clips restrict swimming action.  My buddy Dick always says "fish have the brain the size of a gnat" and he's probably right!  Maybe we are just over thinking all of this if we worry about swimming action!

Our leader system has tippet that is linked to the leader with a loop-to-loop connection that allows you to loop on new tippet whenever you want. 


Let's talk knots
I like knowing how to tie knots, but my brain only allows so much in before I start forgetting important stuff.  If I were a mountain climber maybe I would free more space, but for now I need to know enough knots to be dangerous, no more than that!

Our leader system uses two knots, the perfection loop and the blood knot.  Both of these knots are incredibly strong and the both a snap to tie.  Let's start by looking at the perfection loop....this is where YouTube really comes in handy.

I really like the perfection loop because this is the part of the system that gives you the options we spoke about earlier.  Let's start with the fly line itself, most modern fly lines come with a "welded loop" located on the leader end of the line.  The welded loop allows you to connect a leader rather with a loop rather than knotting the leader directly to the line. 

We also use the perfection loop to connect the tippet to the leader.  The loop-to-loop connection between the tippet and tapered portion of the leader allows you to quickly attach new tippet after you tie on a half dozen flies.  New tippet is attached on in under 15 seconds, no knots needed is you have sections of tippet pre-tied!  The main tapered portion of the leader always remains intact, never cut or altered.  I used one leader for the whole season last year! 

Now we will look at the knot used to attach the sections of line together.  We use a blood knot here because it forms a super strong, but tidy knot with a barrel shape.  The shape of the knot allows it to pass through much better than any other knot we tested.  Again....here is a YouTube video to demonstrate the process.

The blood knot is a great way to attach two lines together.  Make sure you lubricate the knot with saliva before you cinch it to make sure the knot doesn't overheat and weaken the line.

Finally....the leader itself

Bob Clouser came up with this leader and we feel it is the best one out there.  Here is the breakdown of the individual sections along with a very ugly line drawing of the leader.  I am not an artist...  We have leader sections listed from 6-9 weight setups.

We used Berkley Big Game to put up our leaders.  Walmart has the best price on Big Game, their price was 50% cheaper than our pals at Cabela's <sarcasm>.  Best case scenario you can pool cash with all of your buddies and buy the line needed to make hundred's of leaders.  There is not doubt they will complaint about the knots, but tell them to give it time.  Their line should be out anyway - if they strip the leader into the guides they need to examine their cast!

One last thing about leader construction we should really address is the handshake between two perfection loops.  If you do not arrange the two loops together correctly the junction can become a weak spot.  The diagram below demonstrates the proper union of two perfection loops.

Performance

Last season we field tested Bob Clouser's recipe and was absolutely blown away at the performance of this system.  I didn't have to carry tippet, only 24" sections of per-looped tippet.  My vest was less cluttered - which is always a good thing!  Most importantly, my cast was better and I was able to roll large flies with ease even in the wind.

The leader had a zero failure rate at the perfection loop connections or at the blood knots.  I did have to clean the knots periodically, but that was not a big deal at all.  In fact, I used one tapered leader for the whole season!  

If you decided to do the crayfish hop remember to remove this leader and loop on a section of straight mono.  No need to use a tapered leader in this case.....Tim Holschlag recommends fluorocarbon for this application!

I hope you found this lengthy post helpful and you'll give this system a try.  Tying leaders is a great way to spend those cold winter evenings.