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j. michael

smallies

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smaller flies less wind 6wt

bigger flies more wind 8wt

It is more fun to fight them on the 6 but some times Casting the 6 is a pain.

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smaller flies less wind 6wt

bigger flies more wind 8wt

It is more fun to fight them on the 6 but some times Casting the 6 is a pain.

 

Exactly the way I look at it. There have been days I even used the 9 to beat the wind rather than resort to hardware chucking.

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Depends on where ;)

 

I commonly use a 3-4 weight to get some 1-1.5lb smallies kicking my butt on some creeks around Columbus, but when I hit open water like LSC then I am almost always chucking flies nearly that big on my 8wt gunning for the hogs ;)

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I don't have a "dedicated" smallie rod, I use my Brookie rods - usually a 5wt, sometimes a 4 or 3wt. Don't usually fish large flies on open water, so don't use anything much heavier. By the way, you ALWAYS need a new rod.

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Just picked up the new Sage Smallmouth and LOVE IT!

 

Little heavy as it would be equal to about an 8wt but it casts like a dream and can turn over the heaviest flies. 99.9% of my smallie fishing is done on the Black River where you need long casts, little to no false cast, and heavy flies to get down into the deep pools before the current carries you fly out of the zone.

 

Prior to that I was using my Winston 9ft. / 6wt. Little to long/tall for thick rivers.

 

Josh

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For all-around, which is what you asked, I use a 9' 6 wt., which is what I particularly prefer for open waters, like lakes. But, like Redwings1, I prefer to choose based on the specific locale -- for example, for smaller creek bassin' where I'm often casting under a tree canopy and the fish run smaller, I prefer an 8' 5 wt.

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I mostly use the 9' 5WT Healing Waters rod from TFO. Built on a Pro blank but it's a faster rod. I don't fish smallies much where I live in Arkansas considering I'm less than 10 minutes away from some of the best trout fishing around. When I come to see my mom and dad in Wisconsin in late spring, summer and fall I fish the Red Cedar River with my nephew and we usually manage to get into the smallies pretty consistently.

 

 

Mike

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When I lived in Kentucky I fished streams for Smallies every chance I got and I found 9' 6wt (I have a TFO Jim Teeny rod that I really like) to be the cat's meow. Anything bigger on a stream is like using a 44 magnum to hunt squirrels. The fish tend to be smaller (18" is a true hawg and doesn't come very often, 12"-16" fish common).

 

If I was fishing a bigger river with bigger flies, an 8wt would be nice to fight the wind when it starts kicking up. Or when they're relating to downed timber the extra oomph of an 8wt would be nice so you can muscle them out better on those bigger rivers.

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I use two rods both are quite fast one is a 9' 6wt diamondback VSR (pre Courtland) and probably my favorite. The other is a 9' 7 wt Scierra IC3.

I use these rod interchangeably on mid to large sized rivers here in Wisconsin. Giving the 7 wt the nod in windy conditions.

*I have no doubt that a 5wt rod can handle smallmouth in excess of 5 pounds but it just won't throw a heavy #2 bunny strip clouser well for me.

All around I'd hazard to say you would be pleased with a fast 9' 6.

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