Which species? Trout or Bass?

[Carver 0]

Give me Trout any day of the week, but having said that I will fish for anything that swims and will take a fly!

[KVRNut 0]

Have to agree with Carver. For me, it's just being out there...

[SwampHunter 0]

I can't choose! I like them both, but given my choice I would rather go for trout since I can catch bass about a mile from the house.

[GHow 0]

Sunfish ate my first "kid" flies. Trout scrutiny forced me to refine my skills and now it's just easier to fish for bass and gills. This endorsement is brought to you by an older and lazier flyfisher

[Guest]

I live for enticing a 20"+ trout to sip a #20 dryfly. I have caught both largemouth and smallmouth bass and I have to admit I'm not impressed with either type of bass.

 

Nothing beats the rush you get from hooking into a big saltwater fish.

[Joe Hard 0]

Striped bass

[Jofishy 0]

For me I would have to say Smallmouth is first then Trout. I love fishing selective trout, but the primal hits and runs from bigger Smallies can be a hoot. And Smallies can get selective at times. What worked one day does not always work the next. Now Largemouth...they are just plain DUMB.

I would rate it like this.

 

#1 Popper fishing in June for Smallies, wet wading in a rocky ozark stream. :headbang:

#2 Stripping Crayfish patterns and Wooly Buggers in the Fall for Smallies.

#3 Fishing at Night for wiley old Brown Trout.

#4 Fishing for selective Trout.

#5 Trico Time.

#6 Hopper Time.

#7 Carp...poor man's bonefish!!!

#8 Largemouth in a float tube...Unless they are 4 plus lbs then the ranking can go up a bit

 

But the favorite fish I ever caugt was a 16 inch Greenback Cutthroat Trout from a mountian lake in RMNP. I have caught so many fish bigger and that have fought much harder, but that fish was fantastic, and I will always remember it.

[dafack01 0]

I live for enticing a 20"+ trout to sip a #20 dryfly. I have caught both largemouth and smallmouth bass and I have to admit I'm not impressed with either type of bass.

 

 

 

Bass aren't as picky as trout, so if you're not impressed with the "challenge" of fishing for bass, I can understand where you're coming from. However, there ain't a salmonid on this planet that will outfight a Smallmouth, pound for pound. So if you're talking about the fight, I'll have to respectfully disagree with you.

 

I've only (almost) caught one trout on a "trout" fly so far. It was a 19" 'bow I had to the net with a Copper John, but he shook the hook before I got it in. :wallbash: I'm interested in starting to hone my fly fishing skills to "match the hatch", but I've found that the right streamer or (GASP!) jerkbait will catch a ton of trout. Big ones, too.

[Kodiak Commando 0]

I have to kind of agree with troutbum, i am not very impressed with bass compared to trout. I do a agree that a smallmouth fight is impressive but many bass like a largemouth fight hard for a few seconds but then come right in and bass as a whole are just to easy to catch. I would much rather catch 1 or 2 wily 15 to 20 inch trout in a day than catch 20 or the hardest fighting smallies. In my opinion challenge is more important than fight.

 

However, there ain't a salmonid on this planet that will outfight a Smallmouth, pound for pound. So if you're talking about the fight, I'll have to respectfully disagree with you.

 

I don't really think you can say that dfack. There are over 100 salmonid species worldwide and unless you have traveled the world and caught every one how can you know? I can see you comparing smallmouth to trout you have caught but including all the ones you have not is kind of silly. I am not going to say a silver fights harder than an atlantic because i have never caught an atlantic. I can say i have caught a salmonid that fights harder than a smallmouth in my opinion, called a red salmon. The ones i catch are 3 to 5 pounds and fight way harder than a 3 to 5 smallmouth. Both jump a lot but only one will take you out 50 to 100 yards into you backing in open water with an 8 wieght!

[getholdofjoru 0]

I like fishing for trout but to say trout are harder to catch than bass is in my opinion a mistatement. If you carry a varied fly box you can take just about any trout on the water, bass on the other hand can inexplicably get lock jaw and not take one dang thing you throw at them. That's why I like fishing for trout more, they're easier to catch!!!!

 

Deal with it!!!

 

 

[Steeldrifter 0]

Guys lets make sure to keep this civil or I will shut it down

 

 

Everyone has their favorite species so lets respect everyone elses favorites.

 

 

 

 

And Kodiak....I love my salmon fishing as well, but if your having a 3-8lb fish take all your line and 100yrds of backing out on a 8wt... then I would suggest you reconsider your leader your using for because for a 3-8lb fish to do that to a 8wt thats a bit much no matter how much you say it fights

[Guest]

I must not understand the satisfaction or thrill of catching any one or another species of fish because to me they are all exciting.

 

With that said, I second respect for everyone's personal choice of target fish-

 

Do not snipe at each other or I will be quicker to crush this than Steeldrifter.

[Kodiak Commando 0]

Everyone does have a favorite species and we are being civil it just perturbes me when someone talkes about a species or location they no little about or little experience. For example with all due respect SD, have you ever caught a fresh ocean going red salmon in the salt or a lake close to the salt if not you shouldnt give someone who has for years advice about leaders. I use a 12 pound leader and have the drag cranked down as much as possilbe. They are small but so are bonefish and many people use 8 weight for those fish and i have heard they will peel lots of drag on an 8 weight. Not trying to be mean but how would you feel SD if i heard you were doing something with great lakes steelhead that didn't make sence to me and i started to instuct you about an area i know nothing about.

[Steeldrifter 0]

Sorry dude but if you have a 12lb leader on a 8wt rod then there is no way a 3lb-8lb fish (and I dont care what species it is...Ocean or not ) is gonna take out 90ft of fly line and then another 300 ft of backing. It just isnt going to happen. And salmon & Steelhead are my main species that I chase, so I do know how they fight, and dont give me the "we'll they arent ocean run fish" because fresh salmon from the GL fight just as we'll as fresh salmon from anywhere else I would be willing to bet on that.

 

And a FYI KC...I didnt "instruct" you....I was simply saying that just dosent seem very believable so dont try to make it sound like I was telling you how to do something.

[Guest]

 

 

Steelhead