It’s an interesting juxtaposition comparing someone’s first fishing rod to their first fly rod. For most new fly anglers, you go to your local fly shop and get a nine-foot five weight outfit, usually for trout. Now compare that to getting your first fishing rod by shopping at a big box store or local tackle shop. All the fishing gear and tackle is geared for bass fishing. Aisles upon aisles of tackle, tackle boxes, baits and lures, gear, line, rods and reels as far as the eye can see. When exploring a fly shop, bins are full of flies for trout, rods and outfits curated for coldwater rivers and streams, and the gear and apparel for wade fisherman. I’d venture to say most angler’s first fish was a bass. After all, it is America’s Sportfish. So where is the disconnect from conventional fishing and fly fishing?
When I started fly fishing in college I thought a fly rod was a tool only utilized to catch trout. I spent my free time driving up the mountains of the Carolinas, wading in cold water and searching for rainbows, browns and brookies with my 4-weight and 5-weight outfits. I had a job working at a fly shop and outfitter store in my college town, and I remember when my good friend and co-worker picked up an 8-weight with the intention of catching bass on the local reservoir. I remember when the rod came into the store I told him “Dude, you can’t catch a bass on a fly rod.” My confidence was such that the presence of a fly line would deter a largemouth bass (hilarious). We went out the next morning before work in our kayaks. It was springtime and the striped bass and largemouth bass were schooling on shad and herring. After catching several fish on topwater lures and jerk baits, my buddy pulled out the fly rod from the gunnel of the kayak. “Here he goes, this will never work,” I thought, as I watched him tie on a streamer and launch the fly with a single back cast a few feet off the bank. After two strips and a twitch of the rod tip, a largemouth bass engulfed the fly. He fought the fish for a few minutes to the side of the kayak and scooped it with a net. I was in disbelief! He held the fish up with a fly secured into the fish’s upper lip, and I exclaimed “Man, I gotta get me one of those bass fly rods!” It was an 8-weight St. Croix Mojo Bass, and I ordered one on our next shop order!
Since then, I have continued to dive deeper and deeper into the sport of fly fishing. My garage, once filled with trout rods and damp waders now adorns big game rods and gear. Rods and outfits ranging from 6-weight to 12-weight, large fly boxes, wading booties, gear bags and even a Jackson Mayfly kayak sit ready to embark on that next warmwater or saltwater adventure! Among this motley crew sits that Mojo Bass 8-weight. Hanging in a rod rack, it is spooled with a weight forward floating fly line and a large bass popper is tied to a 7-foot leader. I often grab this rod in the spring and summer afternoons after work and fish the golf course ponds around my neighborhood. This rod holds a special place in my heart, as it is the first set up that opened my eyes to fly fishing for species other than trout.
But why would an angler want a fly rod, designed specifically for bass? And why would an angler want a fly rod that measures less than 8’, especially at bigger rod weights? Most fly rods have a standard length of 9’ and occasionally 8’-6” for the standard weight fly rods of 4-weight and up. Sure, there are some 3-weights to 0-weights that can dip below the 7’-6” length, but those are creek rods for blue lining. With a total length of 7’-11”, this rod is unique. But the sub-8’ length allows for the user of this rod to make precise casts into pocket water, under over hanging tree limbs, and into cover like lily pads and mangroves. This rod is FAST. A cast up to 40-feet can be made with a single false cast. Even in the wind, this rod can deliver a fly with precision. For warmwater species and saltwater species, this rod excels!
In regards to aesthetics, this rod is a dark purple blank, black anodized reel seat, a full wells cork grip and fighting butt. It is available in multiple weights: a 7-weight, an 8-weight, and a 9-weight rod, and at a price point of $180.00. The rod is all function and no fluff and includes my favorite detail; a double-eye hook keeper at the base of the blank for securing large flies during transit. It seems like a small detail, but when fishing larger topwater flies, like frogs and poppers, having a hook keeper like this makes storing the rod in the boat, kayak or in your hand easy and safe. The rod fights fish well, bending deep into the lower section, and giving an angler lots of backbone to turn fish in current or where hazards are present like submerged trees and oyster beds.
In regard to setup, I recommend over lining this rod a half size or using a shorter but larger front tapered fly line, like a Scientific Angler Bass Bug or Rio Outbound Short. This will help turn over large, wind resistant flies like poppers and articulated streamers, regardless of weather conditions. A large arbor reel balances well with the rod, and the pick up ratio slows an angler’s fight with fly line and allows for more play on the reel.
Whether your interest is saltwater or freshwater, this rod serves as a great starting point for any fly angler interested in “big game” fishing. For smallmouth bass and big trout, I prefer the 7-weight. For redfish, bonefish, schoolie-sized striped bass and pike I recommend the 8-weight, and for large stripers, large redfish, small tarpon, muskie, bluefish, and other large species, I suggest the 9-weight. Pick one up today and get your MOJO going for big game fly fishing!
You can check them all out at https://stcroixfly.com/collections/mojo-bass.
