What weight/ length fly rod would you all recommend for bass and possibly a musky now and then? I fish on a couple lake s for smallies that have the big toothy fish in them, and if you are lucky you can sight fish them too... Would an 8 weight be over kill for bass and ok for muskies? Thanks for the recommendations.

An 8-weight is overkill for most average sized bass, but not for decent sized muskies. How often do you hook those muskies and how big are they normally?

................

I agree 8 wt is pretty much overkill for bass, sounds like you would be better off building 2 different rods. And actually Im not sure about muskies in the 40" catagory, Id be a little concerned about that.

I think I'd want an 8 for bass, due to the size or wind profile of some of the flies I'd be throwing.
Muskie flies are enormous, and heavy when wet, and Muskies are huge, strong fish...I'd think at least a 9 wt for that fish.

I don't think I would try to cover both bases with one rod. I would build a 6 wt or a 7 wt for smallmouth, one that I really liked and felt comfortable fishing all day with, and add a 9 wt line and heavy leader for short casts if I wanted to try bigger flies for musky. A fast 8 or 9 wt is a workout for several hours of casting and fishing. Later you could build a 9 or 10 wt if you want to target the muskies. And unless you are going to saltwater fish with it too, a cheap, slow , maybe even slightly short blank would be best for the heavier rod.

Well I am primarily a bass fisherman on the fly. I prefer an 8wt for most of my bass fishing. I mostly fish poppers during the summer for them. The 8wt casts the big bass bugs so much better than a 6wt. I prefer a 9ft rod because of the distance. Also if you are sitting down in a canoe it makes it a lot easier.

But if I were going after musky I would use at least a 10 wt or a 12 just because of the quick runs that muskie can make and the thick cover they tend to inhabit in case you need to stop one from making it to the brush.

I won some 10-12 weight line at a TU banquet the other night and will be looking to build a big rod for them...let me know how your search goes and what you end up doing for the muskie.

Ked is correct.
In order to cast the "chicken" size flys you will need at least a #11 line. You can overline a fast #10 rod but an a #11 rod with a #12 line would be better.
The last time fished WI lake I caught a 24" smallie. Glad I had the big rod.
Herb

The muskies that I would try to catch are normally in 6 ft of water or less, and I can usually get them to go on football jigs and spider grubs or something similar. So, I would be likely throwing bass sized flies at them to try to trigger them into striking. I think I will go for a 9wt or a heavy 8wt if there is such a blank. Is there? I haven't built a fly rod for bass or muskies before, so ths is a new endeavor for me. I have built a lot of casting/ spinning rods for them both though... Any brand in particular that you all would recommend?

Hi Trinity, My experiance for large fish on fly is in salt water but I can tell you this about #8 & #9 weight rods. It really depends on the manufacturer, some #8 rods fish better w/ #9 or even #10 lines and some fish better with #7 ines. I've learned to use the manufacturers suggestion as a starting place and try several size lines on them to see which fits best for my style casting! The Vendors on the left could probly help your search better, why not give them a call? Good Luck!

Snooker Pete