Fly Fishing For Smallies

[WiscoBassman]

Do any of you guys enjoy fishing for smallmouth bass on the fly? What do you use? Do you prefer it to regular fishing equipment? 

 

I personally enjoy it more on the fly and I have an Echo carbon rod and an Orvis reel for it, it's a 5 weight combo so I can use it for smallies and trout. Just wanted to see what you all liked more.

[flyfisher]

I prefer the fly but sometimes conditions just don't let that happen. I use a 7wt sage do with a galvan ob reel and an SA GPX line.

I am also a big fan of rabbit hair flies for smallies too

[WiscoBassman]

My favorite fly for smallies is my own creation, it's red micro chenille as the butt, peacock herl body with gold tinsel ribbing as the body and calf tail wing portion (I guess) it's my favorite wet fly for them.

[Fly_Fisherman]

I use a 9ft 4wt home made fly rod with a 4-6lb flouro-leader for smallies. I love throwing a bunny leech or cone head wooly bugger and allow the fly to dead drift in rivers with small strips. I've caught some big bass doing this and catching one on the fly is just so much more satisfying. 

[Scott F]

I know a lot of guys who are die hard smallmouth fly fishermen. I'm not one of them. I had a fly rod in my hand when I was 10, a few years before I ever saw a spinning rod. I used to have one in my boat all the time, but for me they are just a pain. There are too many situations where fly rods are just not the right tool for the job. I catch more and bigger smallies on my spin and casting gear. 

[Gavin]

Its a blast when the conditions are suited to it. Usually fish a 9' 7wt, and I use big blockhead poppers, sneaky pete's, and large streamers. If I have to go deep for them, I break out my conventional tackle.

[chrisdm4]

I fish in a stream that is no more then 4' deep in the holes so the average size of the bass are a pound maybe two so i use my 4wt.  I would say 95% of the time i dead drift gold copper johns #12 down deep runs.  Woolly buggers are a good one to drift as well.  I Sight fishing 100% of the time.  When you get a 2lb on a 4wt its a blast!  

[desmobob]

I LOVE to flyfish for smallies!  I usually use a six-weight.

 

I like Clouser Minnows, Wooly Buggers (from unweighted to coneheads), Bunny Leeches, hair bugs/poppers and crawdad patterns.  A spare spool with a sink-tip line helps you cover the water column more efficiently.  On lakes, I'll bring a full-sinker, too.

 

Tight lines,

Bob

[Bill in VA]

Most of my fly fishing is done in shallower water from a kayak, canoe, or the bank. So I prefer the Clouser minnow on a furled leader, cast, let it sink a bit, then start my retrieve, pull in about 12 inches of line, pause, then repeat.

 

Nice fish in the avatar!

[MickD]

Olive wooly buggers and grizzly barred  streamers.  

[A-Jay]

Big Fan of Smallies on the Fly Right here.

 

Have a couple of places that have a wide open Mayfly Hatch -

 

and the Fatties go nuts.

 

Best part is I'm right there waiting for them . . .

 

Good Times.

 

A-Jay

 

 

[Ozark_Basser]

I bet that 19 incher went four pounds, AJ. Nice fish.

[clayton86]

One of my new favorite things to do. Started on Mother's Day and have gone almost every day since and plan on doing a rod geeks build a 5wt just for wading creeks for smallies.

[flyfisher]

If you think smallies are fun, which they are, go after some of their green brothers and see what real fun is  Nothing like a topwater bite in some lilly pads to put a bend in the long rod and make your heart race.  

[clayton86]

I picked these up today

[Further North]

I love fly fishing for smallies, and do it a lot.

 

I use a 6, 7 or 8 wt. rod depending on conditions and how big a fly I want to toss.

 

I've become a fan of Temple Forks rods, though about half my rods are St. Croix.

 

I also really like Lamson reels - very often close to if not the lightest for the size, great drag and not over-the-top pricing.

 

Lines are kind of whatever works - I have an Airflo streamer on one rod, A Rio Clouser on another, a Scientific Angler Hover line on another, a Rio Versitip on my 10 ft. 7 wt. and a Scientific Anglers GPX sinking line on one of my 8 wt. rods...horses for courses...

 

Flies...I'm not a fly fishing purist, so I try to learn from what works when I throw gear...so a lot of my ties resemble what works there - I tie baitfish that look like Rapalas, crayfish looking flies that resemble plastic baits, and use a lot of common flies like woolly buggers, poppers and things like that.

 

Consider Thin Mints in larger sizes, and Take a look at a Slump Buster...but then tie it bigger.

[clayton86]

Got this one today on a craw pattern I bought Friday took like half an hour to tick it off enough to bite but finally got it to strike. Missed the first like 5 strikes then finally hooked up.

[Further North]

Cool!

 

A side note: I've started using a large trout net on smallies so that I don't handle them as much - I can also get them landed earlier and back in the water faster.  If I want a picture, I can leave them in the water until the last second, lift out, snap and release.

[clayton86]

Yeah I've been thinking the same thing for my latest few catches my trout net might be handy for landing and in hooking them. This one stayed in the water most the time as I slipped in with one foot getting my sneakers soaked I said oh well and waded out in sneakers and jeans and started casting so I brought it in lipped it in hooked quick and put her back in maybe out the water 30 seconds at most. I wish I had a go pro filming all times because when I released her she just sat in front of me so I reached in and grabbed her tail she swam a figure 8 around me and stopped at my feet again then swam off after a minute it was cool.

[Frenchman83]

Awesome pics and stories. I don't fly fish but have always had the itch. I am sure that one day I'll get the bug

[Further North]

Fly fishing is way easier than it is made out to be.  It requires a little more attention than we're used to to make sure the area where your back cast is going to go is clear, and there's a couple of things that'll help your cast...but it's not that hard.

 

I fly fish for trout, bass, pike and musky...of the bunch, trout are the only one that really require the real finesse of lightly drifting a tiny fly to the surface and controlling the drift.  For bass and toothy critters it's usually OK if the fly looks like it fell off a cliff when it hits the water...toothy fish especially.

[clayton86]

Fly fishing is way easier than it is made out to be. It requires a little more attention than we're used to to make sure the area where your back cast is going to go is clear, and there's a couple of things that'll help your cast...but it's not that hard.

I fly fish for trout, bass, pike and musky...of the bunch, trout are the only one that really require the real finesse of lightly drifting a tiny fly to the surface and controlling the drift. For bass and toothy critters it's usually OK if the fly looks like it fell off a cliff when it hits the water...toothy fish especially.

Agreed

I had this fly set up for years and never used it I was to intimidated till just a few weeks ago I just did it. Yeah I sucked at first but now I can cast pretty good some times they land with finesse and silence other times you swear I shot the thing into the water with a gun lol. Practice practice it's not as hard as if looks.

[WdyCrankbait]

I prefer the fly but sometimes conditions just don't let that happen. I use a 7wt sage do with a galvan ob reel and an SA GPX line.

I am also a big fan of rabbit hair flies for smallies too

 

Ugh, the one post I was hoping not to run across.

 

I'm recovering from surgery performed 4/14 and it is not looking like I will be able to fish again till September.  But, I love smallmouth fly fishing and that crawfish pattern in the picture above is the one to go with!  Great catch!

 

flyfisher,

   If you get a Saturday free try floating from West View to James River State Park (about 5 hours), or on to Maidens (about 9 hours) in a day.  Two buddies and myself did that last fall with bass spinning gear and must have caught a 100.  Healthy, strong ones to that did not like being hooked!  Biggest one was close to 15" and not fishing that part of the James River before I am sure there are some much larger ones in there.  

 

Keep the pictures coming, great thread!

 

PS, anyone use woolly buggers tied with tarantula material bodies?  I have a couple original bugger patterns I am very curious about.

 

Wdy

[clayton86]

Got this one today. Second one ever not sight fishing just working on the double haul cast started stripping line and it hit.

[clayton86]

Went this morning after work got two more lost the third.

Normally I trim the tag end more idk why j didn't this time but he still ate