Line for bass fishing low current inlet canals...

[carnivorousnw]

Starting up fly fishing via float tube along warm inlet canals for panfish and smallmouth bass (some lmbs). Areas have heavy structure and a width of approx 50 ft. wide tapering out to the mouth of a lake and depth of 4-15ft. winds are often light. Setup is a St. Croix Reign 9' 5wt. I've been practicing with another 4wt. and doing well. Any line-leader recommendation? sinking? forward weight only? I've thought of even using 1/64th oz. jigs. :wiggle:

Here are some areal pics of the spots.

 

[bigjim5589]

Looks a bit like some of the tidal rivers & creeks I fish. Similar depth too. I'll usually use a floating line. Sinking is not really needed, but since it's tidal (with the currents) & there are deeper places that I'll fish for Striped bass, I also have sinking lines for my 6 wt & heavier rods. All my lines are WF, even for my lighter 3 & 4 wt rods, but a DT line can be useful if you also trout fish, particularly with dry flies. I rarely do.

I make my own leaders. Most are no longer than 8 ft, and I use no less than 10 lb test and more often 15, if I'm bass fishing with my 6 wt. Panfishing I'll go lighter, but then I'll go lighter with the rod too.

IMO, there's no magic formula, and especially not that will fit all fishing situations. I like to use some heavily weighted flies, so the leader & tippet needs to be stouter than with lighter flies.

I also like big flies, (4"-8") and even bass fish with a 8, 9 or 10 wt, depending on where & how I want to fish. Makes pulling even a 2 lb bass out of heavy cover or snags much easier than with the 6 wt.

I treat bass fishing with flies the same as with conventional tackle. One size doesn't fit all! :shades: