Smallmouth Lines

[Schaefer406]

I am looking to up my smallmouth game this summer. I have been listening to a lot of podcasts and reading books, and I want to solidify my arsenal into three lines for fishing the Susky and its tributaries:

- WF6F
- Intermediate Line
- Sinking Line

For the WF, I have a bass bug line which works well. For the intermediate, does anyone have a recommendation? Would a cortland Fast Intermediate be too aggressive of a sink (2-3 IPS) https://www.cortlandline.com/collections/warehouse/products/fast-intermediate . The question here is, do I really need a sinking line for the Susky if I have the fast intermediate? or would I be better going with a medium intermediate and a type 3 level sink? I am a bass rookie so looking for some good advice. Thanks

 

[falcon]

The clear camo Cortland lntermediate line is a good choice. It was recommended to me by Nick Raftas who guides the Susky.

 

[Silent Ocelot]

I like the SA stillwater camo intermediate line. It looks cool and mine has lasted me awhile (purchased it in early 2019) though I don't fish intermediate lines that much. Oddly enough, the line I have is rated for an 8wt (240gr shooting head) though I found that my Orvis Helios 3D 7ft 9ft rod, a rod I thought and still think is underpowered for its class, threw it well and I could get long casts going with it, a feat harder to do with the denser intermediate and sinking type lines. To my understanding a true intermediate runs at a sink rate of 1.5 inches per second.

I wouldn't run a full sink line in the Susky as there is a lot of variation in the depth of the river. I have found that full sink lines are made for deep lakes and have had issues with my full sink (300gr shooting head) (7/8 inches per second) where it would drop too fast and the entire line would just sink to the bottom. I have found that an extreme sinking poly leader with a sink rate of 7/8 inches per second to be ideal. Attach this to an intermediate or floating line and you're good to go. It will be a lot easier to pick up a poly leader attached to an intermediate or floating line than stripping in all your sinking line for a recast.

 

[Schaefer406]

The clear camo Cortland lntermediate line is a good choice. It was recommended to me by Nick Raftas who guides the Susky.

https://www.cortlandline.com/produc...tm_source=google&utm_campaign=Google Shopping Is this the correct line you are referring to? Looks perfect for what I am looking for if its the right line. What is your general leader setup for fishing this line? Assuming a stronger ~20 lb butt section for maybe 4 ft then tapered off from there down to 10lb?

 

[Schaefer406]

I like the SA stillwater camo intermediate line. It looks cool and mine has lasted me awhile (purchased it in early 2019) though I don't fish intermediate lines that much. Oddly enough, the line I have is rated for an 8wt (240gr shooting head) though I found that my Orvis Helios 3D 7ft 9ft rod, a rod I thought and still think is underpowered for its class, threw it well and I could get long casts going with it, a feat harder to do with the denser intermediate and sinking type lines. To my understanding a true intermediate runs at a sink rate of 1.5 inches per second.

I wouldn't run a full sink line in the Susky as there is a lot of variation in the depth of the river. I have found that full sink lines are made for deep lakes and have had issues with my full sink (300gr shooting head) (7/8 inches per second) where it would drop too fast and the entire line would just sink to the bottom. I have found that an extreme sinking poly leader with a sink rate of 7/8 inches per second to be ideal. Attach this to an intermediate or floating line and you're good to go. It will be a lot easier to pick up a poly leader attached to an intermediate or floating line than stripping in all your sinking line for a recast.

I have read good things about the SA stillwater camo as well. I may end up purchasing this for when I do shallower lake Kayak fishing for bass! Avoiding a full sink is probably smart since I always experience sections of ~10 ft. depth then suddenly its only 2ft deep. A full sink sounds like snag city for me! I always forget poly leaders exist . . . Thanks!

 

[falcon]

https://www.cortlandline.com/products/big-game-intermediate-1?currency=USD&variant=54417551943&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=Google Shopping Is this the correct line you are referring to? Looks perfect for what I am looking for if its the right line. What is your general leader setup for fishing this line? Assuming a stronger ~20 lb butt section for maybe 4 ft then tapered off from there down to 10lb?

Yes I believe that is the line. I have it on a 7wt Hardy Proaxis rod. Your leader sounds good. Leader no more than 7 feet. I use a butt of .021 (dont recall the lb test) or maybe .023 depending on stiffness then taper down to 10lb.

I dont fish that often for bass in rivers. Maybe @krayfish2 will comment. He is a Susky Smallmouth guy.

 

[Dave_W]

I use a WF floating for almost all of my river bass fishing.

There are some custom "bass bug" tapers that are a bit more aggressive (I think I'm currently using one of these on my 7WT) but I have not found it makes much difference. Pick based on brand loyalty. Don't over think this one.

I rarely fish a tippet under 14lb test for river smallies in PA.

 

[krayfish2]

Sinking line, sink tip, etc..... not needed for most of the Susky. As you mentioned, 2' - 10' and right back to 2' again. Apart from a couple of deep holes I regularly float through, sinking line would be more of a problem than an asset.

Pick a Clouser or BH bugger as your 'standard' smallie fly, they are weighted and will sink as deeply as you let it sink by waiting to strip or cast up and mend. If it's getting too deep, adjust your cast to be across / down...or.... change to a lighter fly. If you go with a bottom bouncing pattern, can still typically be done but be prepared to sacrifice quite a few flies to the river.

Gurgler, poppers and sliders are more wind resistant and tougher to cast. A bass bug taper or more aggressive wf taper makes the job easier by a mile.

The sink tip or poly leader will aid you in getting to the deepest fish, down in fast water or to reach the cats lurking on the shelves.

Lastly, you mention 6wt which can be done but if the wind kicks up or you try to launch bombs, a 7 or 8 will make it easier and more enjoyable.

If you are fishing from a boat, can carry extra rods and want some fun, bring a 5wt. If you catch a hatch, you can get them to sip a #10 white / yellow wulff just like a trout. All you need is 4x tippet and forearm cramps will follow. A 18" smallie on a 5wt is a real handful.

Not saying I'm right but that's my 2¢ and how I do it.

 

[jifigz]

Dude, you're overthinking all of this. I have a lot of experience fly fishing for smallmouth bass in various waters. Grab a floating line, WF or DT, and begin fishing. In almost all rivers in our state that have smallmouth you can achieve the depths needed just by properly weighting your leader. Seriously, you don't need a special line. You don't need a sink tip. You don't need a sinking line.

I fish Cortland Fairplay lines for smallmouth mostly and I have for years. Why? They are dirt cheap, work as well as any other line for smallie fishing I have ever used, and I can grab it locally at Wal-Mart if and when I need one. I use an 8 weight Fairplay line on a fiberglass 7/8 weight rod mostly.

 

[afishinado]

+1-2-3-4 from posts above ^

No need for a sinking line for SMB river fishing. A good "bass taper" WF line is all you need for the Susky. I also agree having two rods is a plus to avoid constant change-overs with rigs and flies. 7 and/or 8wt rods are ideal. I rig up both a 7wt and an 8wt rod on my kayak. The 7wt rod has a bass taper on it for poppers and the 8wt has a long belly floating line for longer casts with a streamer/bugger or nymph type flies down under. The weight of the fly as well as the angle of casting and mending determines depth as Kray posted. I use both rods depending on what's happening with the fish. Good luck and good fishing.

(This thread will be moved the WW forum)

 

[falcon]

I believe the question was about intermediate lines and higher density sinking lines. Yes intermediate lines sink, albeit slowly and can be used even for surface flies but primarily in streamer type fly presentations.

 

[krayfish2]

To answer the intermediate line question, you can fish it if you want but I don't think that there's any benefit to it. For what you're doing out there, a floating line will handle the chore and allow you to fish on top if things change up

 

[Bamboozle]

I also don't bother with anything but a floating line for smallmouth as I've never found a sinking, sink tip or immediate line necessary.

FWIW - A while back I bought a new rod for smallies and was in the hunt for a new line. I did a lot of research and made a few phone calls to manufacturers and finally settled on the Rio Smallmouth line...

I LOVE it!!

 

[falcon]

I reached out to Nick Raftas this morning via email. He got back to me a hour later. This reply is what I recall when I was asking him about fly lines in addition to floaters. I predominately use a floater but Nicks response is noteworthy.

Hi this is Nick.

Orvis tropical int or Cortland camo int

I like the camo because it's good for spooky fish. I lean more towards the orvis line because it stays nice and slick in warm weather and water and just casts really nicely. I like a saltwater style rod or streamer specific rod because they are stiffer and have larger eyelets which means less friction for shooting line and less tangles when shooting slack line if that makes sense. When throwing long casts and shooting slack line if you have small eyelets on your rod the line will tend to bunch up and get tangled in the eyelets a lot more. For what we do on the Susky and Juniata a heavy grain sink line is overkill. Rather than fish a heavy grain sink line we just throw a heavier fly on those intermediate lines to get that fly down rather than throwing a real aggressive sinking line which can be really clumsy and noisy if that makes sense. Let me know if you have any more questions. Thanks.

Nick

 

[wgmiller]

For the Susky and its tribs, I'd ditch an intermediate or full sink line and go with a sink tip. Such a line allows you to get streamers into the strike zone quicker and more accurately and are easier to cast than an intermediate or full sink line. For most of the summer fishing on the Susky and its tribs all you'll need is a floating line and sink tip line. As mentioned above, you can get away with a floating line much of the time. A sink tip is nice when you come across deeper water or fish are holding closer to the bottom. A fast intermediate works as well. That being said, heavier intermediate and full sink lines are best left to stillwater applications. Good luck!

 

[afishinado]

I reached out to Nick Raftas this morning via email. He got back to me a hour later. This reply is what I recall when I was asking him about fly lines in addition to floaters. I predominately use a floater but Nicks response is noteworthy.

Hi this is Nick.

Orvis tropical int or Cortland camo int

I like the camo because it's good for spooky fish. I lean more towards the orvis line because it stays nice and slick in warm weather and water and just casts really nicely. I like a saltwater style rod or streamer specific rod because they are stiffer and have larger eyelets which means less friction for shooting line and less tangles when shooting slack line if that makes sense. When throwing long casts and shooting slack line if you have small eyelets on your rod the line will tend to bunch up and get tangled in the eyelets a lot more. For what we do on the Susky and Juniata a heavy grain sink line is overkill. Rather than fish a heavy grain sink line we just throw a heavier fly on those intermediate lines to get that fly down rather than throwing a real aggressive sinking line which can be really clumsy and noisy if that makes sense. Let me know if you have any more questions. Thanks.

Nick

I certainly agree with Nick on the question you actually asked him, if one choses to use a sinking fly line, his choice would be an intermediate line. I believe if you asked him to pick the best overall line to fish for Susky SMBs, he would choose a floating fly line. And I would not consider a full sinking line. A sink-tip line will get you down and still allow mending and easier pickup and recast without having to strip-in nearly all the line to recast.

My advice to the OP (as well as the advice from some grizzled old Susky SMB FFers on here) is to not sweat buying a sinking line, but maybe consider instead buying a little heavier rod than a 6wt.

 

[wgmiller]

A sink-tip line will get you down and still allow mending and easier pickup and recast without having to strip-in nearly all the line to recast.

💪

 

[lars]

I like to fish bigger rivers for smallies, and if i can i prefer to catch them on top. What has been
my favorite line is Rio's The Clouser for Big Nasties. Of course that line has been discontinued. I fish a Sage 590RP and i have overlined it with both a WF6 and a WF7 floating line. Have to admit the WF7 wheezed out the rod a bit as the line is really front loaded. I asked the Rio rep at the fly show about the Clouser and he said their Elite Predator line is a direct replacement. I compared the dimensions and while not identical it looks pretty good. It's probably worth checking out for big flies.

I bought Rio's In Touch Big Nasty line to replace my Clouser before i learned about the Predator. I bought two, so I have a new unused floating WF6 if anyone is looking for one. These were also discontinued I think.

 

[krayfish2]

I will follow up on one thing that Nick did mention in his response. A tropical or warm weather line does hold up when you're in a boat, kayak or canoe and it's basically an oven you're sitting in. Line like a real gold seems to get awfully sticky and wants to tangle due to its suppleness in the heat. A line that's designed for delivering smallish flies, at distance, in the wind with a soft presentation would be something like a bonefish tropical line or a warm water redfish line.

Haven't had the opportunity to monkey around with those but I plan to do some experimenting this summer. I fished with Nick one evening and can tell you that he used the Cortland camo intermediate with a popper and it threw it beautifully. I just didn't like that it was pulling the hopper subsurface and I wanted more commotion. I will also guess that the fish had no problem with it as he out caught me 3:1..... But I did have a beast roll on a gurgler within 5 minutes of launching and promptly lost it 😁

 

[Silent Ocelot]

Did you lose that beast due to break-off or did it simply slip the hook? Smallmouth are good heartbreakers.