Fly Fishing For Largemouth Bass

[fishinwrench]

Ron, there was some talk awhile back about putting together a Spring flyfishing derby on Lake O, you wanna get in on it?

[Flysmallie]

Some of the biggest smallmouth I have caught on the fly rod have come from dead drifting a gurgler. Sometimes they want it fast, sometimes they want it slow and sometimes they want it dead. There is no right or wrong way, the fish make the decision.

[fishinwrench]

Some of the biggest smallmouth I have caught on the fly rod have come from dead drifting a gurgler. Sometimes they want it fast, sometimes they want it slow and sometimes they want it dead. There is no right or wrong way, the fish make the decision.

The Splat is where it's at, hu? No doubt they'll eat a motionless fly pretty often, but there is something to be said about keeping it moving and not allowing the fish to get a real good look at it. And sometimes (I would confidently say "most times") you're upping your odds by covering more water with an active retrieve.

There IS something about an "almost" motionless Sneaky Pete that triggers bites when nothing else gets a sniff.

[exiledguide]

I have a soft spot for the fly rod Hula Popper when it comes to LM.

When it comes to anywhere, and why did they quit making them?

[Wayne SW/MO]

During the time I lived in OR I fished the John Day river heavily every summer and the smallies wouldn't touch a moving topeater. A #7 gold Rapala or any large flyrod popper would get bit consistantly if it never moved.

[Wayne SW/MO]

When it comes to anywhere, and why did they quit making them?

I believe they still make them. They're just hard to find I suppose. I can't remember how long I've had the ones I have now?

[Flysmallie]

I believe they still make them. They're just hard to find I suppose. I can't remember how long I've had the ones I have now?

There are some places that have them for sale but Arbogast did discontinue them. I'm pretty sure I can make you some if you want though.

[Daryk Campbell Sr]

Ron, That is so COOL. Thanks for sharing.

[drew03cmc]

Fishing rods and leaders that are too light: My favorite is a 10-weight Sage and leaders that test around 12 pounds. You need big not so much to cast bigger flies (although it helps), but to have enough backbone to set the hook properly.

Improper hook set: Best to have a little slack in the line (usually the case anyway), and then set the hook as quickly and as hard as possible. The hook is best set by a quick snap, more so than a hard pull. I usually include a strip of the line with a quick snap of the rod. Even a 10-weight is relatively limber in comparison to spinning and baitcasting rods, and most would be amazed how little pressure is exerted on the point of the hook. To fully realize this, have a friend hold your rod, strip off about 30 feet and hold the end of the line. Then have your friend set the hook hard. You really can't overdo the hook-set.

Not fishing aggressively enough: Make as much commotion as you can, and keep the popper or fly moving. You'll never see a good bass fisherman let a bait sit "until the consentric rings disappear," and for good reasons.

Really? You prefer a 10wt? The Sage Largemouth was designed for you then. A 10wt is overkill for bass in MOST lakes where you are throwing anything under a 4/0 weighted streamer.

You can overdo a hookset. You can break a fly rod with too aggressive a hookset, I have seen it happen. Also, you can break the tippet even if there is a miniscule scratch in the line. There is no need to Bill Dance the hookset to get a fish on. You can simply sharpen your hooks and utilize the fly rod as it was designed.

This technique catches fish consistently. What is your definition of a "good bass fisherman"?

Also, "backbone" has more to do with taper and action than it does weight rating. My 6wt smallie rod has more backbone than my 9wt and the two 10wts I have cast.

One of the most common mistakes fly fisherman of all experience levels continue to make is selecting a rod based on the fish they want to catch, rather than the flies they want to cast.

Jason, you are correct. The flies you wish to cast should make the choice of which weight rod you are going to cast for you.

Though I took regular fishermen out too, I specalized in fly fishing for bass for almost a decade on Kentucky Lake. Fished about 300 days a year during that time. I know what I'm talking about, and I know the common mistakes people make when they try to make a bass into a trout. If someone thinks they are landing plenty of bass with a 5-weight, have at it. I don't care. But it's hunting a bear with a switch.

The good fishermen I'm talking about are the many guides and professional fishermen I've fished with over the decades, including serving as a press observer in the early B.A.S.S. tournaments. Even Bill Dance, who fly fishes occasionally, never even pauses a popper, but keeps it popping about as fast as he can strip it. I'm not just a fly fisherman, but a baitcaster and spin fisherman as well, and I've won a few smaller tournaments myself. Some of the pros I've seen will pause a bait for a second or two (such as Charlie Campbell), but I've never seen one of them let it sit. Now, you can catch an occasional bass doing most anything, if the conditions are right, but if you want to catch a lot of bass, and big bass, fish aggressively; make a lot of noise and displace a lot of water. No matter what size popper you fish, you're never going to make as much noise or displace as much water as baitcasters do with Hoola Poppers, Chuggars or Zara Spooks, and you're never going to retrieve them as fast as the slowest retrieve possible with a buzzbait.

I do think an 8-weight is alright for smallmouth in streams (because the strike is different and the current helps, but we were talking about largemouth), and for 12-inch fish in lakes. But if you don't have enough backbone to set the hook in larger bass, you're going to lose most of them. Waiting to set the hook also allows the popper or fly to get deeper into the mouth of a big bass.

The backbone comment is valid. I've fished cheaper 9-weight rods that didn't have much backbone and had 20-pound striper literally straighten them out, but my Sage 10-weight has plenty of backbone. But I still give it everything I've got.

An eight weight fly rod is overkill for most stream smallmouth. You have to realize the quarry you are chasing, the likely fly sizes and the tippet you plan to use and make an educated decision. I don't know anyone that fishes for smallmouth with 12 pound tippet. It is predominantly 6-8# tippet and flies from a 2-10 depending on what you are throwing and doing. I love the fact that you are putting your opinion out there, but do not present it as fact. I prefer to chase bass with a 5/6 weight glass fly rod. Does that mean I catch fewer fish? Nope. Does it mean I catch fewer big fish? Nope, my choice of water does that for me, but it means I will enjoy the smaller fish a little more than I would when fishing a 10wt. Every 10wt that I have cast has had the same amount of feel as a telephone pole. Their use is limited to saltwater in my opinion.

[BackCastingGolfer]

Thanks for the invitation, Wrench, but I'm not into tournaments or derbies. I participated years ago. Everyone says they have a lot of fun fishing competitions, but the only one I ever saw smiling was the guy getting the check. These days, I enjoy most poking around on little creeks with Jake (pictured), even though most of the fish are small, and the truth is I don't fly fish as much these days because of shoulder injuries suffered last year.

It wouldn't be a super serious big tourny, just a bunch of us getting together and having some fun..