Bass Flying

I just started fly fishing this year for steelie's and have minimal success this season. I am still trying to get the drift and casting down the best I can. I am hoping to start fly fishing for bass in the bay this spring and had a few questions. I am using a TFO Lefty Kreh Professional series rod, which is a 10' 7wt 4 piece (model TFO 07104P) and paired with a Okuma SLV 7/8 wt reel. I am using RIO (model WF7F) 7wt floating line that I purchased from FishUSA. It seems like a decent line from what I know which is little but anyway. I see that they also sell RIO Mainstream Bass, Pike, & Panfish fly line. Is this a good line to have? Should I buy a extra reel spool and load it up with this Bass fly line? I am thinking I should since the fly line that is currently spooled is targeted towards trout/steelhead which like very small flies while bass flies seem a lot bigger in size.

Also, I plan to use a lot of top-water flies like poppers/hoppers and sliders. I been looking online and everywhere either wants an arm and a leg for a single fly or they are completely sold out online. Can anyone suggest a local bait shop that sells bass flies like the ones I mentioned? I called PR and they said they do not sell bass flies. Anyways, mainly, I would like to know where to purchase bass flies and do you recommend a specific fly line when targeting other species like bass. Thanks for any and all info.

xxBFMxx

xxBeast, i've been bass fishing for a few years now with my 7wt. rod i use for steelhead with a WF line. you should be fine with yours. no need to go overboard.
bass, niether smallies or largemouth are line shy. i use 1X, 2X or 3X tapered leader. 9 foot most of the time.
when i started LMbass fishing i made my own buggy looking poppers and sliders out of cork bought from trader horn. nothing fancy, a tail of feathers or hair-a-bue (spelling?) and a couple of turns of hackle at the butt. i used permanent magic marker to color them.
some people say trout are stupid, that shoud make bass idiots. they'll attack something for territorial purposes not just because they are hungry.
if you want something that looks pretty than go for it. i tie my poppers now with "perfect poppers" be Wapsi. i use the rubber strands that they use for any other bass lures. it's easier because the slot is already in them for the hook and it's easy to heat a needle and burn a hole through the plastic for the rubber legs than to drill a hole through a cork.
there is no doubt in my mind a simple bottle cork (wine corks work also) dressed up and colored with magic marker will catch just as many bass as the store bought kinds for the fly rod.
as far as beneath, a wolly bugger will work and crazy, colorful, streamers like the one's cold exposed in the bass fly thread.
i once watched a largemouth in a river attack a piece of purple yarn that was wrapped around a tree branch and waving in the water. he attacked it over and over again. never did get it pulled off the limb.

i've also caught largemouth on big humpy patterns and wulff patterns.

here's some of my ugly magic marker colored poppers i caught largemouth on. not as sophisticated as some might think!!!

http://forums.fishusa.com/m_333672/mpage_1/key_bass%252Cglass/tm.htm#333672

If you're planning on spending much time targeting bass with a fly, you'll want to get a line made for turning over big flies. It will make a world of difference.

The best big fly specific lines have short front tapers, short bodies, and long back tapers, which puts the weight of the line far forward on the head, which will allow you to throw big flies with a short back cast.

ORIGINAL: thedrake

If you're planning on spending much time targeting bass with a fly, you'll want to get a line made for turning over big flies. It will make a world of difference.

The best big fly specific lines have short front tapers, short bodies, and long back tapers, which puts the weight of the line far forward on the head, which will allow you to throw big flies with a short back cast.

Can you recommend a good "big fly specific fly line"? How is this stuff:

http://www.fishusa.com/Rio-Mainstream-Bass-Pike--Panfish-Fly-Line--Yellow_p.html

-honest opinion...get rid of the 10' rod
get something shorter for bass fishing

-learn how to haul and shoot line

-stout leaders... a 9' 5x trout leader will not turn over your fly
tie a basic leader
15#-- 10#-- 8# mono about 8ft long is perfect

-you said you have a "rio line"... which model?

-Yes... a bass specific line will make a world of difference

I use my old glass 7wt. with a double taper, but cut the first taper off, making a wt. forward out of it. Worked good for most poppers.
My first used popper...