In need of fly rod advice

[flyfisher247365 0]

I'm having problems making good cast with my bass bugs and clouser minnow on my tfo 3 wt. I need to know what brand and what wt y'all would suggest.

 

 

Thanks

Daniel

[utyer 0]

Its more the LINE size and ROD size than the brand. To cast big bass bugs, you should be using a much larger line, 6 is as light as I would suggest, and maybe up to an 8 weight outfit for large floating foam or deer hair bass bugs. These larger flies have a lot of wind resistance, and the small lines won't really get the job done.

 

You don't need to spend an arm and a leg, the TFO rods are just fine. Get the right weight outfit to throw those big bugs.

[bad fish rising 0]

leader is very important too. heavy short stiff leaders turn bad flies over

[Bryon Anderson 0]

I wouldn't try to throw more than one of those tiny bluegill poppers with a 3-wt. I fish for smallmouth quite frequently and never use anything lighter than a 6-wt., and I usually overline that with a WF 7 line. I can throw my heavy crayfish and hair or foam floating bugs up to a #2 pretty easily with that setup. Any fly bigger than a #2, especially if it's a wind-resistant surface bug, and I go to my 9' 8 wt.

[JSzymczyk 0]

I cast small Clouser Deep Minnows with Small brass eyes, on #8 and #10 hooks on my 3 weight, and that's about as "heavy" a fly as it can handle with any comfort.

 

A 3 weight is on the verge of being a specialty tool- Don't try to make it be something it isn't.

[flyfisher247365 0]

Thanks for all of the replies. It's kind of scary going into bps and seeing a rod that's 800 dollars, it makes me wonder how much better they are than my tfo lefty kreh rod. I was making sure that it wasn't 100% my fault why the fly wouldn't turn over all the time. So do I need to find a weight close to my fly and match that with the correct line size?? Thanks for helping out a rookie I really appreciate it I don't need an 800 dollar rod for my skill level at the moment, but I don't want the wal mart 30 dollar special either if that makes any sense.

 

 

Thanks for all the help

Daniel

[zOnk 0]

For bass bugs a 7/8 wt will really help. I can toss them with my 6wt but it's work and in any kind of wind your really taking a whiz uphill.

 

For the money this TFO is quality and a bargain:

 

http://www.templeforkflyrods.com/products/rods/bug-launchers.html

 

 

Or the Series II Lefty Rod

 

http://www.templeforkflyrods.com/products/rods/signature.html

[Capt Bob LeMay 0]

An addded benefit of having a heavier rod on hand (and that recommendation for an 8wt is right on the money in my opinion...) is that it will also serve as your entry into the world of saltwater fly fishing should you take a vacation towards any of the coasts.... In my world an 8wt is the perfect "light rod" for bones, snook, redfish, speckled trout, etc. Match your flies by hook size to the rod each requires and you'll always be in the ball park. Hope this helps (and you'd be hard pressed to find a better low cost fly rod than any of the TFO models... save the expensive rods for when you've been using fly gear for a few years and really know what you want....).

Tight lines

Bob LeMay

(954) 435-5666

[vicrider 0]

One thing I believe in, and maybe it's only 'cause I'm old guy who grew up fishing fiberglass, but you don't want one of the modern "fast" rods. Save that for your dry flies and river drifts. A bassbug or hair streamer is a big, slow moving, wind resistant mess to cast and a slow rod that works farther down into the blank than the fast rods so many are touting today helps to keep that bug on it's course. Just thoughts of an old man who uses a Para 17 bamboo for bugs, or my old Shakespeare Wonderod.