River Smallmouth Fishing

[flyrodman]

What is the tackle or flies you guys use to catch river smallies? Woolly buggers and tubes have proven themselves to me as agood choice

[Dutch]

junebug, muscadine and catalpa slider grubs

[Al Agnew]

Had threads a while back on smallmouth lures and flies. It pays to be versatile, and your selection should cover the entire water column from the surface to the bottom. But other than that, there is a wide variety of stuff that will work well. Pick out a favorite or two in each category and learn to use them.

Very quickly on lures...walk the dog topwater and buzzbait for surface, tandem spinnerbait and twin spin, shallow running and deep running crankbaits, jerkbaits, tubes, jigs with plastic trailers, soft jerkbaits and stickbaits. For the fly rod, poppers--hard bodied and deer hair, streamers that imitate minnows, and streamers that are dark and meant to be fished slowly down deeper.

That should about cover it.

[Zack Hoyt]

I wont be w/o clousers.....a fail safe IMO. I dont see alot of good having "realistic" patterns when it comes to smallies. Alot goes to size and correct color. I have seen a ton of crawfish flies that look real......but honestly have yet to meet anyone who can fish said flies exactly how a crawfish moves. Also placing the fly in the strike zone and getting the retreival the fish want are the trick. All that being said.....clousers, muddler minnows, Barr's meat whistle, Whitlocks Near-Nuff sculpin, poppers, weedless mouse rat. Hit up Umpqua's website and search through all their bass flies to get ideas. Also Orvis's fly fishing podcast had a great one titled "Laryngitis Largemouth" that talks about different ways to fish for bass. Hope this helps a bit.

[flytyer57]

In the summer, don't get caught without a few Gurglers.

Jack Gartsides Freshwater Flies

Click "Gurglers and Sliders"

[flyrodman]

In the summer, don't get caught without a few Gurglers.

Jack Gartsides Freshwater Flies

Click "Gurglers and Sliders"

Those look... interesting

[Gavin]

There are a several that I'm NEVER without.Topwater...Leroy Brown (see the OAF fly swap thread) & Gaine's Sneaky Pete's in size 2...the other one...Greg Coffey's sparkleminnow in pearl, olive, or brown/orange..Size 4 on a 3x nymph hook..... The Sparkleminnow will knock a Clouser in the dirt most days but if you have to resort to one...Coyote tail with black, red, gold..or silver flash. Cheers.

[joeD]

Me? Big white articulated streamers and a big, noisy topwater. That's it. I have no interest in "figuring things out" or trying to "match the hatch" fly-fishing wise. It's (fly-fishing) complicated enough. If the smallies don't like the fine dining experience I'm offering, then the heck with 'em. I'll holster up my constitutionally guaranteed side-arm and go elsewhere.

[flytyer57]

If the smallies don't like the fine dining experience I'm offering, then the heck with 'em. I'll holster up my constitutionally guaranteed side-arm and go elsewhere.

Now that's funny !!!

[FishinCricket]

Me? Big white articulated streamers and a big, noisy topwater. That's it. I have no interest in "figuring things out" or trying to "match the hatch" fly-fishing wise. It's (fly-fishing) complicated enough. If the smallies don't like the fine dining experience I'm offering, then the heck with 'em. I'll holster up my constitutionally guaranteed side-arm and go elsewhere.

That's awesome! (nicely done, Sir!)