James on a Fly Rod

[jtwest]

This is the summer that I plan to hit this river hard from above the lake to down as far as you can wade.  Can anybody recommend the best flies?  I'm guessing Cloussers, but would love to have color suggestions.  Thanks in advance.

[Flysmallie]

1. Gurgler

2. Pig

3. New Favorite, Todd's Wiggle Minnow

4. Various streamers.

I feel I can cover it all with those. I rarely cast a clouser to smallmouth.

 

[chi0082]

For clousers, heard purple and some chartreuse seems to work good for walleyes and white bass for stained water. For clearer water, try white and silver. For smallmouth, use anything that imitates crawdads such as orange, red, brown, etc. and enough weight to stay near the bottom. 

[RSBreth]

I use a heavy lead eye leech/sculpin, clousers and poppers/sliders.  That about covers it.

[Ryan Walker]

Look up Gallups Sex Dungeon

 . Also, Fleeing Crayfish patterns in rusty and olive

Any large woolly in Olive or black. Tie them with lead eyes instead of bead heads. 

Clousers in olive/white-Grey white, pink and purple

SBS is a killer early and late

 And my personal favorite:

 

[Deadstream]

4 hours ago, Ryan Walker said:

 

Look up Gallups Sex Dungeon

 

Just don't do it on work computer 

[Ryan Walker]

1 hour ago, Deadstream said:

Just don't do it on work computer 

True that...

 

[Flysmallie]

All good recommendations. You starting to notice a pattern? Smallmouth bass are aggressive eaters. If you get it where they want it then it really doesn't matter what it is. Find you a handful of patterns and own them. You will be successful. 

[Kayak_Runner]

What weight rod/line, and line type do you typically throw these on? leader & tippet? I've tied a few of these for fun but, don't think they would cast well on a 5wt rod. 

[Plastic_worm]

11 minutes ago, Kayak_Runner said:

What weight rod/line, and line type do you typically throw these on? leader & tippet? I've tied a few of these for fun but, don't think they would cast well on a 5wt rod. 

Each situation would be different but in general, some of these could get sloppy on a 5wt.  I typically use a 6wt and switch between sink-tip and floating based on situation (flow/depth/size of streamer/weighted or unweighted/etc).  I usually have 2 set ups.  A 5wt with floating for my surface stuff.  And  6wt with 200 or 250g sink-tip for throwing streamers.

Leader/tippet...on surface 6-7ft.  Streamers I go 3-4ft of flouro 10-12lb.  

If I had to choose one.  I'd go 6wt with an extra spool so I could change from floating to sink when needed.