Further North

A 6 wt. is fine if there's no desire to use bigger flies. This is a complete PITA on a 6 wt:

For me, the difference is that I can still do things in the frozen winter months. Not so much in the summer heat months down south.

I didn't know that. Cool. Are they naturals, or stocked?

I was thinking: Cool topic! ...then looked to see when it was started, and found out I started it in 2016.

They are, and it is unusual...if you don't look at the numbers of years when I haven't even seen one, much less caught one... Two of them were little guys - 20" range. The one my fishing partner caught was 36" and a nudge. The one I caught earlier this summer was smaller than that. The fish weren't caught all that far apart as crows fly (I checked, just over 30 miles), but a very, very long way apart in terms of river miles, and dams, and impoundments (I asked Grok, about 250 miles). Your 40" is a beast. I wish we had more of them over here...but I don't really want them stocked.

A slight correction: "they" didn't create tiger muskies. They occur naturally anywhere pike and musky share the same water. That fish is a natural tiger - the 4th in my boat this year. There have never been any stocked in that river, or anywhere in the watershed. Wisconsin doesn't stock them up north.

Two from last week. My fishing partner connected with this nice tiger musky. ...and I lost a 40"+ after a short tussle. All three fish ate this fly: ...for perspective, the fly is about 11" long.

It didn't suck... The eats from the tiger and the pike were great - the tiger came over the top of a slightly submerged log and clobbered the fly right on top of the water; the pike eat was one of those full speed t-bones that moved the fly sideways 3 ft. in half a second about 5 ft. in front of me. Decent temps in November are always great days to get out. We're supposed to see 62° today, but I have an appointment at 3:30 so won't be able to get out.

@DaveT63 When you get good at smallies, you can bump up to pike and musky. Today's trip: ...and I lost a 40+. Pretty good day for late season.

That sounds painful...

A 7 wt. is most certainly not more than needed - it's in the middle of the range for the best fly rods bass fishing, which is 6, 7 and 8 wt. rods. A 5 wt. can work, though it lacks power to cast bigger flies and land decent fish quickly...it severely limits the size, weight, and wind resistance of the flies you can use, limits the conditions we can effectively fish in...and while it's OK for an experienced fly angler on bass, it's definitely a poor choice for a beginner. "Use enough rod" is a thing, and it's particularly important for beginners. A 9 wt. will work, but it's really for bigger flies. ...FWIW, we catch a bunch of smallies - usually big ones - every year on musky flies cast with 10 wt. rods. This one ate a 10" black Buford... ...and this 22" largemouth ate a pink and brown musky fly about the same size:

If you use Facebook, there is at least one group specifically for smallmouth fly angling: Smallmouth Bass On The Fly. It's a solid group, pretty well moderated, less than the normal amount of bickering. At about 32,500 members it's big enough to offer a lot of info. For a person starting out in Fly fishing there's a FB group called "Fly Fishing for Beginners." Very tightly moderated much like BassResource is - currently at over 58,000 members, plenty of whom fish for bass

The difference between the Reddington Behemoth (~$160) and the Lamson Liquid S (~$170) is $10. It's why I like to use them as examples. I agree 100% - it's why I try to get people to set up a balanced rod/reel combo from the get go. Much easier to cast, particularly for a long day. Cheap rods are a nightmare, and have driven more people away from fly angling than just about anything else at the beginning of the trip. I keep one around to have beginners cast after I've started them on a good rod - just in case they're tempted to go buy one at a big box store. Heavy reels absolutely make a big difference. Most people don't get this until you hand them a properly set up rig after they've been casting a butt heavy one. I'm not a fan of the plastic stuff - one drop and they can be a day ender. Good choice - both of the custom rod builders I use use a lot of North Fork blanks. ...I have a 6 wt. one-piece (which will likely test out as a 7 wt.) being built right now. I've heard good things about that fishery. Have you decided how you're going to fish? By that I mean topwater (poppers, gurglers, divers, etc.) or subsurface (streamers). How you set up your rod for each to get the best results is different...just like with conventional gear.

I agree...except for weight. I Like to use the example of two affordable reels in the size needed for bass: The Reddington Behemoth at 7.5 oz. and the Lamson Liquid S at 5.2 oz. Both are solid, good performing reels that provide good value, IMO...but that extra 2.3 oz. (more than 44%) can make a big difference in how the rod/reel combo feels in hand, and how it casts. It's important to note that a reel can be too light resulting in a tip-heavy rig...that's arguably worse than a butt heavy one, though neither is good.

What rod do you have? I ask because you're going to want to try to balance the rod with the reel. An inexpensive, heavy reel, like the Reddington Behemoth, will make a lighter rod/reel combo butt heavy and not a lot of fun to fish. On the flip side of that, a reel that's too light will make the rod/reel combo tip heavy, which is arguably worse. We also need your definition of "break the bank". Fly reels span the gamut of prices, from cheap reels under $100 to $1,000 or more. Going used can make that even more confusing. Share what you've seen so far, and what you're going to be comfortable paying, that'll help. You also have a decision to make about the line, and how you want to fish; and knowing what rod you have will help figure out what grain weight line to use (it's not as simple as just getting a 7 wt. line to get the best fit.) Are you going to want to fish topwater poppers? Streamers subsurface? I'm not sure where you're fishing, but where I live, a 6 wt. is the minimum size for decent bass flies, a 7 wt. is mid-range, and an 8 wt. is the all-around most useful. I'm not trying to talk you into another rod, but be aware the the 7 wt. is going to have some limitations on size, weight, and wind resistance of the flies you'll be able to cast well. There's a "thing" in fly fishing where anglers like to use a rod that's not enough rod for the task...do yourself a favor and avoid that...it's a short path to frustration and lost fish...and ignore experienced fly anglers who tell you "All you need is a 5 wt.! I caught a 5 lb. smallie on a woolly bugger on one." Yeah, an experienced fly angler can do that. Sometimes. They don't tell you how many fish they lost along the way. Off topic, but important: You're going to want to pinch your barbs. Not for the fish, but for you and whoever you're fishing with. You will stick yourself with a fly, it's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when...there are times when you'll have 50 or 60 ft. of line out and on a cast...and gust of wind will push the fly into you. A pinched barb mean it takes five seconds to get back to fishing. Big hook past the barb can mean the end of the day on the water and maybe a trip to the ER. You're likely to hear that for fly fishing, all the reel does is hold line - this is true to some extent, because you'll never need to put a bass on the reel - you should always strip them in. If a bass puts itself on the reel (I've never had this happen) that's fine, but never waste time and focus trying to put slack line back on reel when you have a fish on...that's you you lose a tight line, and lose fish... ...getting to specific reels: Lamson is a great choice, and relatively inexpensive, even new. Their Liquid S is about $170 in the 7+ size you want and their Remix S is about $280 in that same size. You can go up from there. Great drags, light weight (often the lightest for any given size), durable, and very well made. If you go used, you'll see lots of options, anything that's not beat up from a recognizable brand will probably be fine - but stay away from heavy reels. That's probably way more than you expected, or wanted, but I've found that the way to get fly anglers to have fun and come back to the sport is to set them up for success. I'm more than happy to answer more questions, fire away.

While I'll never challenge the right of any angler to consume any fish they catch... ...I'm challenged by any angler who chooses to eat the biggest fish in in any system.

Great advice.

Don't be - you have good reasons for living where you live.

There's plenty within a half hour, and many more than that within a couple hours.

Stocking foot are much better.

Very cool casting set up! I have a few BFS rods rigged - all bass sized - but nothing that'll go that light.

I've tried it. It's not always the best way... If only it were that easy...

Probably not. What's that bottom set up? It looks very interesting.

We were out in that miserable wind last Friday...Wound up losing an expensive rod/reel over the side of the boat... We moved one fish almost right away but couldn't get it to commit to eating either flies or gear...Moved another about a half hour later, then caught one, then moved another. It was a small "up north" lake, and there were six other boats out there on a weekday...frustrating. We bailed out about 3:00. Good that you're getting some follows, that helps. I'll still be out after October 27th if you want to make the drive.

I've had a couple pairs of Adamsbuilt waders - they get the job done. I bought my first pair of waist high waders about four years ago, and I'll probably never buy another pair of chest waders again. I don't need to wade deep enough that the few extra inches will benefit me, and they are so much more comfortable - allowing for normal layering on top on days that start cold and end warmer.