I think the thing to remember about using a 6 wt for bass, is that most of us are talking about smallmouths! At least I am. A largemouth has the reputation of taking larger flies. Size 2/0 and 1/0 poppers are going to need an 8 or 9 wt to pull them through the air.
I've found for smallmouths that sliders, like the Clouser Floating minnow, work better. So a 6wt is OK if you have a good cast. Otherwise you might want to up the ante to a 7 or 8. See if a flyshop will let you try out different rigs before you get too settled on a choice.
My other choices for smallies tend to be oversized trout flies. The stream I used to fish had a huge hex hatch. The bass would take big yellow and red wullffs during this hatch. While waiting for that, I'd throw buggers or crayfish imitations. I used smaller ones and caught the smaller bass with them. Of course the bigger the fly you throw, the bigger the bass you'll catch. (and perversely, you won't miss many small bass either. Smallies must think they can swallow fish equal in size to themselves) Bigger flies mean bigger line weights of course. So you may want a 7 or 8 for smallies too.
The St Croix Pro Graphite series is great for an inexpensive rod. They only come in two piece (last I saw), but if that's not a problem it's a great rod.
I like a rod that is a little less stiff than some. My feeling is that you get leverage when you get a nice bend deep in the rod when casting. That'll help shoot those flies out there.
Using your trout reel might not be a good idea if you go with the 7 or 8wt. The issue is that it wouldn't hold much backing. Not that you'll need it for the fight. Smallies don't take long blistering runs. But without it, your line will be coiled around the arbor too tightly. A typical trout reel is for 5 or 6wt lines though. So if you can use a 6, it'll do well.
Whatever you get, use a good stiff tippet. I usually didn't go below 3x. With the heavier tippet, you can set the hook hard and lean on the fish. Smallies will fight themselves to exhaustion. The last thing you want to do when they are crashing minnies is spend 5 minutes reviving a fish. Get 'em in fast and release 'em in fighting shape! Then you can throw your fly back into the baitball. :-D
