Fly Fishing Lures For Smallies...

[Al Agnew]

As promised, I separated this thread from the other one I just started. Let's talk about what you use for stream bass fishing with the long rod.

I am not as experienced fly fishing for warm water species as I am using "conventional" (whatever that means) tackle. But I've done a little fly fishing for stream smallies, and I've always tried to think of ways of adapting my conventional lures and techniques, which obviously work well, to the fly rod.

I'd divide the fly rod "lures" into these categories:

Surface stuff--poppers, deer hair or foam poppers, sliders, basically anything that floats.

Streamers--woolybuggers, muddlers, pretty much anything usually fished by stripping, and which stays below the surface but not always bumping the bottom.

Moving bottom stuff--Any heavily weighted fly meant to be fished on or near the bottom and meant to be manipulated rather than dead-drifted.

Traditional dead-drift types--nymphs, mainly.

Any thing I'm missing that doesn't fit into these categories?

So, like the other thread...which ones of these categories do you mainly fish? What are your favorite patterns in each? Do you have special ties, tricks, techniques, etc.? And what time of year or water conditions or other special conditions do you look for to use a given type?

[flytyer57]

Fishing for smallies, I almost always use a Gurgeler for top water and a woolybugger for subsurface work. I also like some of the steelhead flies for smallmouth such as the Home Invader. I try not to limit myself to just these flies but they are usually what I go to and they catch fish.

[Stoneroller]

early spring I like to use a brown leech, from say now till the water hits mid 50's. trying to 'match the hatch' of any lamprey that are making their spawning runs. once the water hits the 60's and above a deer hair popper. take your pick of things it's supposed to resemble, frog, wounded baitfish, cicada, grasshopper, baby squirrel... and that's pretty much the only two that I'll throw for smallies. I have some crayfish imitations that look pretty real, but i've never had a problem with the other two options so i've yet to tie them on.

[Gavin]

My fly selection is pretty minimal..

Topwater: Leroy Brown (my blockhead variation), Gaines Sneaky Pete, Coffey Grinder.

Mid Water: Muddler Variants, Shenks Minnow variant, & Pearl Sparkleminnows.

Bottom: Brown, Olive or Black Sparkleminnow

Heres Leroy...and a Coffey Grinder, and a couple Sparkleminnows tied by Greg Coffey, Leroy's first victim, and a box full of em for the OA fly swap.

[flytyer57]

My fly selection is pretty minimal..

Topwater: Leroy Brown (my blockhead variation), Gaines Sneaky Pete, Coffey Grinder.

Mid Water: Muddler Variants, Shenks Minnow variant, & Pearl Sparkleminnows.

Bottom: Brown, Olive or Black Sparkleminnow

Heres Leroy...and a Coffey Grinder, and a couple Sparkleminnows tied by Greg Coffey, Leroy's first victim, and a box full of em for the OA fly swap.

I like that Tiny Torpedo imitation. How do you tie them?

[Gavin]

I dont...my friend Greg designed it, and he made a few for me...basically an inline spinner form thats tied to a hook before the foam goes over the top.

[Dan Sweeney]

If you used nothing but a size 8 or 10 topwater popper and a size 6 to 10 wooly bugger you'd probably be fine most of the time, at least on the streams and rivers where I fish for smallmouth. Always a great time.

Of course, there are times when other things work better too, but those will usually do pretty well. I think it's good to have some helgremite and crawdad flies and a few streamers too.

[RSBreth]

Clouser minnows cover almost all of my mid-depth presentations, I tie foam and Deer-hair popper and sliders, and I have several deep leeches and whatnot.

I'm surprised almost no one uses large Hopper or Cricket patterns for topwaters - one of my favorites to both tie and fish.

I do have a couple I've kept secret - one's a fly-rod spinnerbait (seriously) and another is basically a fly-rod finesse jig.. I may send both of them off to that Fly tying contest - Maybe. I do like that coffee grinder - but I've always had a soft spot for fly-rod lures.

[Yakfly]

Here's my smallmouth box. Bring on June!

Topwater - PENCIL POPPERS

Mid water - CLOUSER MINNOW for minnow imitation, WOOLLY WORM for nymphs

Bottom - TROUT SLAYER - small soft plastic made by Trout Magnet - dead on imitation for a baby crawdad - come supplied on 1/64 oz jighead - fish below a float, drift it just above the bottom works great on a 5wt fly rod - just have to superglue the body to the hook shank so doesn't slide down on back cast

[Gavin]

Hoppers can be good at times...I'll toss a Madame X if they are looking up, and they wont inhale a Sneaky Pete...the smaller profile helps sometimes.

Yakfly, how big are your pencil poppers, how and were do you fish them? Sneaky Pete & Leroy work best on a stone cold dead drift most of the time...Cast it, mend it, forget it...for 30 seconds or more if you can stand it. The Coffey Grinder shines in low vis water, or at night.