Chasing Smallies

[Sharps4590]

Well sonny-gun!! Looks like a new board for particular fish. I'll take first tracks down the mountain...

The last 10-12 years I've pretty much targeted trout. This season I'm going to start targeting smallmouth. It's been quite a lot of years since I chased smallies in earnest and I have a couple question:

All my fishing will be with a fly rod, no interest in other methods. I expect most of my fishing will be on the way upper Meremac, Big Piney, lower Little Piney and Bourbeuse with maybe some upper Gasconade fishing. I have the rods, lines and reels so no questions there. Other than what I've used in the past what flys and presentations have been most effective?

I have Harry Murray's book, Tryon's Missouri smallmouth book and a couple others and have read them several times and from fly fishing the last 45 years I have a pretty good handle on things......just looking for some particulars.

Thanks!!!

[fishinwrench]

Sharps, this is JMO of course, but you can do yourself a lot of good right off the bat by pitching that Harry Murray book behind the fridge or somewhere else that is equally hard to get to and easy to forget about.

Harry Murray has apparently stumbled onto a waterway where the trout wear smallmouth suits, and you won't find those cross-dressing Smallies here in the Ozarks.

You wanna stick predominantly to topwater flies (Poppers, Sliders, Foam hoppers, Gurglers, Crease fly's) and sub- surface flies (Muddlers and the like) that you can maintain visual contact with a few feet below the surface. Rabbit strip leeches, Sparkleminnows and Clouser's are about the only flies you'll need for covering deeper areas where you can't see the bottom from where you're standing.

Crawling crawdad imitating flies along the bottom is the most difficult presentation to master and usually it is easier to coax them into hitting something you can see than to rely on lightning fast reflexes or pure luck. Unlike Harry Murray's fish, our Smallies have a tendency to approach slowly moving flies, suck them in....and spit them right back out before you are even aware that you had a bite. The most consistent strategy for getting them hooked is to maintain a tight line to the fly at all times and try to illicit an aggressive take. Or by using presentations that allow you to visually watch the take.

Sorry to rail on Harry and maybe I'm out of line by assuming I know better than he does, but his and Holshlags writings set my learning curve back about 2 full years.

That's all I got

[Wayne SW/MO]

I can't add much other than to throw in a few divers.

[Greasy B]

Maybe another way to look at it is to spin fish with your fly rod.

[Sharps4590]

Thanks to all of you and I hope others post up their experience.

I have fished for smallies some in the past dozen or so years but without much success. I caught a few small ones and one 17 incher about a year after we moved back here from Wyoming, but I know my technique was lacking. I do have sinking tip lines but throught obstinance, I suppose, have never tried them on smallies. I have or can tie most if not all the flys mentioned so far, except Muddlers....I can't spin deer hair worth spit so I buy them.

'wrench, I read Harry's book several times and when I tried his techniques I did worse than I did just fishing like I was targeting largemouth or bluegills. I don't know about getting rid of the book as I'm too much of a book hound but I'm inclined very much to agree with you for our smallies.

Greasy, I'm way too much enthralled with the long rod to go back to spinning. I do know that by being so stuck on the long rod it sometimes costs me in numbers of fish caught and no doubt often bigger fish. But that's ok, I was never about numbers or size, more the experience and learning. You may laugh me off the site when I tell you that I often fish with a near 100 year old bamboo wet fly, fly rod. Yes, I know, goofy, but what a hoot to catch a fish on that old piece of history...lol!!!!!!

Ron, your post most closely echos my limited experience. Those times I've targeted smallies I'm fairly certain I wasn't getting deep enough and at that time I didn't have the flys with me to get deep enough. I also agree with you that by the time you get them heavy enough the simple joy of casting a fly rod disappears. I can "chuck and duck" but it isn't a lot of fun. I enjoy immensely fishing of smaller creeks, much more so than the bigger water where bigger fish live, so I may simply relegate myself to upper reaches and smaller creeks.

I know there is a time of year when smallies are quite active on the surface, will someone tell me when that is? For me any kind of fish caught on top is a lot more fun, trout on drys, bulegill on spiders....or almost anything that floats....and largemouth on big poppers.

Ohhh..also, is anyone aware of where one can purchase deer hair Sneaky Pete's? I've never seen them anywhere.

Thnaks again and I look forward to learning more.

[fishinwrench]

Prime topwater time is from late May until late Oct., with emphasis on the whole month of July.

Deer hair Sneaky Pete (Hairy Peter), yep, been there....but for several reasons that I don't fully understand (nor shiv-a-git) the old faithful hard headed version rules.

[Sharps4590]

'wrench, thanks for the information, I'm grateful. You prefer the hard body, eh?

Ron, I don't know where Marble Creek is, (Missouri?), but I do know I could spend a great deal of time on it! What a glorious appearing place to fish.....wow.

[Wayne SW/MO]

Living in Rolla you're not all that far from the upper reaches of some pretty good rivers. Tryon was all over that area so you should get some help from 200 Adventures. Smallies don't always go that deep on our flows as long as they have some breaks in the current.

[fishinwrench]

'wrench, thanks for the information, I'm grateful. You prefer the hard body, eh ?

Yeah I gotta say that I do. I love spinning hair, but for poppers and pete's I have done alot better with cork. It kinda sucks too because the hair versions are alot easier/quicker/cheaper to make....and to MY EYE hair looks cooler, but I gotta stay with what gives me the most confidence. And the confidence in the hard headed pete's came from getting bit more often.

[Sharps4590]

That's true Wayne, I've been on most of them but haven't hit them very hard for smallies. Over the years I've made several acquaintances with property on some of those creeks and they will allow me to access the waters through their property. I met Chuck a few times, kinda got to know him and have both his books, or the two I'm aware of. I believe he's in Colorado and one of his daughters cares for him. Did I hear he has alzheimers?

Well 'wrench, they look way cooler to my eyes also!!! As you love to spin deer hair what would you charge me for a half dozen Sneaky Pete's so made in whatever size you think best for small creek fishing....a #6, 8 or 10?