Smallmouth set up

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poopdeck

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I do more fly fishing for smallmouth due to living in SE pa. Was wondering what's a good set up for smallmouth on the delaware river where I generally fish in 3 to 10 feet of water. Not interested in makes of rods and reels but general set ups regarding rod weight and type of fly line (weight forward, sink tip, double taper, etc).

I started with a 5 wt floating weight forward line but I find throwing the clousers, large wooley buggers and anything with a zonker on it somewhat difficult as they seem to do a lot of flailing around in comparison to a small dry or nymph. I am assuming that my equipment is more to blame then my casting. Any suggestions would be appreciated by me and my fishing partner.
 
A 7WT with a floating, WF line is your best all around bet.
 
Leader length can be an issue. Shorten it up to 4-6 feet to increase your distance while wading. Try to limit the amount of false casting and fling it out. I have found false casting too much is tiring and leads to a clapsed cast sometimes.
 
My favorite smallmouth rig is a 9'6" 6-weight Orvis Clearwater rod, fitted with a Cabela's Prestige Premier reel. I carry one spool with a (now discontinued) Rio Clouser WF6F for general fishing, and a spare spool with an SA Professional WF6F/S III sink tip line for deeper/faster water. For leaders, I use a Cabela's 9' 8# Bass tapered leader with the floating line and a Cabela's 6' 10# Bass leader for the sink tip.
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My best choice for me is a 9' 6wt. Wt forward. I prefer a moderate action rod. I agree with a fairly short leader but I tie my own. Also like sniperfreak mentioned a sink tip comes in real handy at times.

GenCon
 
Had this same problem just a couple weeks ago. I ended up with a 6wt 9'. Came down to a TFO Clouser or redington vapen. Finally got a chance to cast both and ended up with the Vapen. With a shorter leader with 1x tippet throws bigger streamers like darts. I have rio gold wf6 line on there now but may go up to a 7wt line.
 
I am also looking for input on a new smallmouth rod to use on the Harrisburg area warm water creeks and from my kayak on the Juniata. I was using my 8 wt orvis access but decided to leave it at our place in Florida last week after having a blast with sea trout and red fish on the flats of Sarasota bay. I found it a bit too heavy for the local waters. So... should I pop for a 6 or a 7 wt to throw clousers and small poppers? My wife gave me a nice gift cert for Christmas. May all my decisions be as tough.
 
Check out the Shadow Warrior 7 wt, love mine
 
Never gone below a 3X tippet maybe I should try that on the 5wt. Never tried a leader below 7' either. I usually use a 7' foot furled thread leader with about 2 to 3 feet of 3X tippet. I have noticed less flailing around with the clousers when I fish a shorter length of tippet. I shall now try a 5' furled leader and 2 to 3 ft of 1X or 2X tippet. Thanks for all the suggestions. I seem to be buying fly rods at an alarming pace but I think a 6wt may be in order as well. I'm gonna have to make another set of rod racks for the basement.
 
For my SEPA smallmouth set up I rock a 6wt rod with a WFF line. Have maybe a 5-6' leader for some of the bigger bugs. I started out with an 8wt, but I like the feel the 6wt gives me when fighting smaller fish, and it still has the backbone for larger smallmouth and some smallish/medium carp.
 
I suggest the Colton Slipstream XS rod. This is a new rod design by Colton. The 6wt has a small fighting butt too.

I have this rod, and I am casting a Rio Gold WF6F line. This is a fast action rod. The stiff butt section of a fast action rod comes in handy if you hook a larger fish in heavy current. The tip flex also allows you to put more line in the air when casting. This is why I chose the Rio Gold with it's 47-foot head. The 47-foot head section weighs 266 grains, so you'll need a fast action rod for optimal performance. I like to throw the smaller #4 Clousers with this setup, but it also works with the #2 size Clouser.

I also use a 7wt Colton Tradewinds rod for throwing the larger 1/50 oz #2 Clousers. The line I use with this rod is the Rio Cold Water Clouser WF7F.

I usually use the 6wt. I have tried a lot of different 6wt rods. Take my advice. Get a fast action or tip flex rod. Any brand name will do, but make sure it's a fast action rod. In my experience, these rods are the best for throwing Clousers and larger poppers.

I like the Colton rods and believe they are an excellent value. Also check out Flying Pig Performance Fly Rods or the TFO TiCr series.
Or the newer TFO BVK series.
 
What FI said. The 7 wt line will make a big difference with those heavy or wind resistant flies that are needed for smallmouth.
 
Dear poopdeck,

I don't fish anything smaller than a size 6 fly for smallmouth and I often fish size 1 to 3/0 flies. If you buy a 5 1/2' mono furled leader of 16# test and attach 2' to 2 1/2' of 8# test as tippet you can cast a small dog easily with proper rod.

Get an 8 weight and be done with it.

Regards,

Tim Murphy :)
 
I use an 8 and a half foot 5wt and leaders from 5-7'. I fish mostly creeks and smaller rivers.
 
Holy smokes a 5 1/2 foot 16lb furled mono leader sounds more like a survival bracelet. I furl my own leaders and even though that sounds massively out of order ill give a mega leader a try.
 
I was recommended an 8 wt. And I have one. And I have another fast 8 wt that I have up-lined to a 9 wt. That being said, I also have a fast 6 wt that I bought an extra spool for a 7 wt line. I think a 7 wt. is good for most river smallmouth situations. I think I could get away with one line lower than when I use the 8 wt. That An 8 wt. makes handling and heaving smallmouth flies over 2 inches much easier. Some people use smaller flies for smallmouth. That's fine. I use bigger flies; more matched to what I use with spinning tackle. I don't know that a 7 wt is any more *delicate* than the same line in an 8 wt. There really isn't much delicacy. I really don't think there can be much of a difference in what I'll say is the spook factor between the two.
It also could matter if you are fishing more heavily weighted flies or sink tip lines. You'll want an 8 wt. probably, I mean, depending on the fly you throw. Packing a bunch of lead or beads or cones on a fly with rabbit strips and you'll want the 8 wt. not the 7 wt.
Distance is a consideration. I just will be easier to throw a sz. 2 clouser or conehead bugger or bunny fly a good distance with an 8 wt. If you will not be trying to get deep and fishing moderate sized flies, like 6's, 4's and 2's and not too big poppers, gurglers or sliders, a 7 wt would be good.

Length isn't much of an option. 9 ft. is standard. My smallmouth river is a fairly BIG river, the Middle Allegheny. Cover is subtle and spread-out. I throw larger flies far, so a 9 ft. 8 wt is my standard. Echo rods make a Pat Ehler series that is 8 ft. 4 ". That would be great for a 9 wt flinging junk from my kayak to largemouth. If you don't have to carry or mend much line, they might be a consideration for you. I want a 9 ft.
 
I'm a it of a hoarder when it comes to rods, so I own both a 9'6" 6-weight for larger waters and an 8'9" 6-weight for smaller streams...but I guess a 9' could cover both fairly well.
 
Typically I believe these topics are viewed from the wrong end, and answered in the same manner. It's not really so much a question of what rod at all. That's really the last question to answer. No two lines or rods are created equal; even in relation to length. Also no two people cast the same, or like the same "feel"in a rod tapper. That being said; as you can see by now it's like asking everyone "whats the best car to drive"? You get 10 different answers from 10 different folks.

Smallies are my favorite query, and I guide a lot of clients for smallies in western PA. Therefore I get to cast a lot of set-ups. There is no one set-up to rule them all, but there's some good places to start. Lets start with what is truly important casting! It doesn't matter what gear you own; you got to bring your cast to the water. "Trout purest" love to dog smallmouth fishing, and I can't count the number I've met that can't hold a loop over 40'! Smallies require more period, so lets start with whats really the question here; What helps us cast smallmouth flies? Learn and practice a good single haul, and then a double haul. This will help you cast any wind resistant or heavy weight fly easier with any set-up as well as deal with the wind. Second:LINE: In all depth ranges I recommend using a heavy front taper line (like Rio cold water Clouser as an example). These tappers make ease of heavy flies and load a rod quickly which equates to less false casting, and less time for error. Thirdly; LEADERS: Fish will be at different depths depending on conditions and time of day, so we need to get a presentation to the fish without spooking them either. Therefore use a leader for the situation. I suggest tying your own. It's cheaper, easy, and more effective. The issue here is turning over a fly without your loop collapsing. When fishing a 2' or shallower target range I recommend a 9'-10' mono leader starting with 3'-4' of 50lb; 2'/40lb; 1 1/2'/30lb; 1'/20lb; 1'/15lb; and 2'/8lb-3X tippet. This will turn over any fly with a good cast behind it, and is long enough not to spook fish on those low clear summer days. For a 3'-5' target range I recommend a intermediate line with similar taper, and I do shorten my leader recipe to around 6' of Fluro. Anything deeper I like the newer steamer lines with a floating running line, and 15'-30' of full sink. These come in a lot of options these days, and again I shorten my leader to about 4' of Fluro. Usually 20lb-15lb-8lb tippet.

In my opinion the last part of the equation is the ROD. I like a fast action rod for dealing with these sort of flies, but that's my preference. Others may hate that feel; but the rod is merely a tool; so choose one that best suits the job. 9'; 9'6"; 8'4" it doesn't matter. The cast-ability matters. My Echo "84" 6wt cast just as well and as far as my Sage 596 Zaxis; they're just different. I do think an 8wt is over kill unless you're catching 3lb+ fish all day, but something LINED correctly in the 5-7wt range will handle the work load and keep the catching fun. Again for example My Sage 5wt 9'6" Z Axis will cast anything my 6-8wt rods will with the right line/leader combo. Rio Gold will not throw a steamer as well as an outbound short with the same rod. It's night and day! Again it all really comes back to your casting. $900 rods don't catch fish better than $150 rods, but your ability with it in hand is what matters. Well.... I know it's a bit of info, but it comes from a lot of years of experience; time on the water; and trial and error. I hope it helps, and feel free to PM me with any more specific questions!
 
Thanks for the information. I think I'm going to go with a 6wt. I never met a rod I couldn't cast. I never paid more then 150.00 bucks for a rod and usually I pay less then a hundo for one.

Running Cricket, I like to furl and fish thread based furled leaders. What's your thoughts on furled mono leaders. That's a tapered furled leader made on a jig not a hand twisted leader.
 
You know; I've never really fished them. I understand that there are some benefits like turning over flies well; less/no memory; and also cheap to build. Maybe a little more time consuming to make, and not as stealthy as mono or Fluro, but they make sense. I may have to give it a try just to know! What have you got to loose. If you find they spook fish make sure you have another style leader on you. That would be my only concern.
 
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