Panfish Set-ups

I would like to hear from some of you folks that fly fish for bream and the occasional large mouth bass. I grew-up using an el cheapo K-Mart fly rod for bream but was never taught how to use it correctly. Tippets were unheard of and my father simply attached a length of regular monofilament to the fly line with a no-knot eyelet. I've caught a ton of fish with that set-up using orange poppers in and around lily pads but this was not much more than a glorified cane pole so now I'm trying to learn the proper technique so I can get some distance on my casts, which I seem to be having a bit of trouble with. Using a practice fly I can only get about 30-35 feet using 5 wt. floating line with a 9 ft. tapered leader. How do you guys rig? Leaders plus tippets or what? What weight rod/line do you use? Any assistance will be greatly appreciated.

BTW, the el cheapo K-Mart fly rod is long gone and I'm trying to learn on a 6wt. St. Croix with 5wt. line.

Amazingly enough, I grew up using the same set-up. Back then we used really high quality metal rods.
If you are only able to cast 30-35 feet with a 9' leader, you are probably only using 8 or 9 yards of fly line. By matching your 6 wt rod with 5 wt line, you may not have enough line out to load your rod properly. Without going into the physics, there may not be enough weight past the tip of the rod to provide the bend necessary to propel the energy thru the line.
When you couple this with the fact that you are just learning the casting rhythm, it could be limiting your distance. My suggestion would be to get with someone in your area that can cast and let them cast your outfit, then watch you cast and make corrections as necessary. Don't give up, once you learn the rhythm and the stops, it's as easy as falling off a bike. Good luck.

I agree with injun joe that your line is a little light. St. Croix makes good rods, so just match it up with a good 6wt line, and you should be fine.

Take a casting lesson if you can. At the very least, buy a good DVD and practice. Concentrate on good form, and the distance will come.

I think you'll also find that 6wt rod to be overkill for most bream.

I usually go with my 7'6" 3wt Redington CT, Pflueger Medalist 1492, and a DT3F line with about a 7.5' tapered 4x leader.

I have a 5wt and a 6wt as well, but most of the bream around here aren't big enough to put much of a bend in either of them.

X2 to all of the above, underlining a rod (5 wt line on a 6 wt rod) takes a lot of line out to load the rod. IMO Try a 6 weight forward to help get some line weight with less line out, it should make a big difference in how the rod casts. It will also help with casting larger poppers and flys that have a lot of wind resistance. For smaller poppers if you know someone that has a lighter weight setup that you can try, that may help you get the feel for a properly balanced rig. If you are going to throw large bugs for bass you may want to go to a 7 or 8 weight rod and line. Check out the Atlanta fly fishing meetup group, they sometimes have clinics that might help you out. Having someone to watch you cast can help correct any flaws that you might have.

well for me its a 3/4 wgt. and when i go bass fishing i will use my 6 wgt. if you can and are near a bass pro shop. go to their fly fishing section and talk to the guys or gal that's their. the 2 that are here in savannah have been very helpful in teaching me how to fly fish.

3 or 4 wt. rod with matching reel. 7 ft tapered leader tapered down to 4 or 5x. You only need three types of flies, in assorted sizes and colors:

1) RLD (Rubber Legged Dragon)
2) Stealth Bomber
3) Popping bugs (Betts or Accardo, from Wal-Mart)

If you are learning to cast, overlining by one weight can help (Put a 5 wt. line on a 4 wt. rod, for example).

Thanks for the tips guys. I really appreciate it.

I fished for years with a Orvis 5 weight until I stumbled across Bill Byrd's ultralight fly fishing site. Since then, I have been on a path to lighter and lighter gear. Really makes fishing for bass and bream a lot of fun. I like Sage rods and have a TXL 00 weight, a SPL 1 weight, and a LL in 3 weight.

I have been using the lighter rods for the last 5 years or so. I feel like I catch more fish and have more fun doing it. That includes bass. The lighter tackle does change the way you fish though. Not so much with a 3 weight, but for sure with the 00 and 1 weight. Generally speaking, casting distances are shorter, wind can be an issue and you really have to be mindful of underwater snags. Of course, tiny flies too.

Once you use the lighter rods, a 5 or 6 weight feels like a heavy broomstick. It is addictive, be warned.

My panfish set up is a Sage Flight 3wt.

does anyone have a used 3-4 weight rod that is still in mint condition the might wanna sell? PM if you do

Buckhead said:

I fished for years with a Orvis 5 weight until I stumbled across Bill Byrd's ultralight fly fishing site. Since then, I have been on a path to lighter and lighter gear. Really makes fishing for bass and bream a lot of fun. I like Sage rods and have a TXL 00 weight, a SPL 1 weight, and a LL in 3 weight.

I have been using the lighter rods for the last 5 years or so. I feel like I catch more fish and have more fun doing it. That includes bass. The lighter tackle does change the way you fish though. Not so much with a 3 weight, but for sure with the 00 and 1 weight. Generally speaking, casting distances are shorter, wind can be an issue and you really have to be mindful of underwater snags. Of course, tiny flies too.

Once you use the lighter rods, a 5 or 6 weight feels like a heavy broomstick. It is addictive, be warned.

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I've got a 2 Wt and a couple of 3 Wt outfits, and do love fishing dry flies with them, but the problem for me is, I never know ahead of time if dries are gonna work. Sometimes (almost all times in the winter) you gotta throw lead.
Casting a size 4 BH Wolley Bugger with a BH Copper John dropper ain't easy with a light line.