How to fly fish like a bassmaster all summer long

Delivery System

Bass fly gear is mercifully simple. The main consideration is matching your rod and line weight to the size of flies you’re casting, and to the size of the fish. If your outfit is too small, you won’t be able to deliver larger flies, especially in wind. If it’s too big, you’ll need a cortisone shot in your shoulder by day’s end. Bronzebacks go for flies at the smaller end of the scale, making a 6-weight a good general choice, though for small waters a 5-weight may suffice. For largemouth, try an 8-weight, both to move the bulkier flies and drag a fish out of cover. I never bother with tapered leaders on bass. Instead, I just use a length of eight- or 12-pound mono. Two to four feet of leader is plenty with a sinking line, and four to six is all you need with a floating line.