Fly fishing for Bass...

[Eric J]

Through a rewards program at work I have amassed enough points to get free swag. Turns out I can get a Fly combo gratis. I'm interested in Fly fishing for bass and maybe beyond that. Nothing great, an Eagle Claw Water Eagle combo.

 

I love Topwater bass fishing, (along with every other form of bass fishing) and Fly seems to be the epitome of Topwater.

 

Am I crazy? What am I about to get into? Should I run? Any info is appreciated...

[Darren.]

It is forbidden. Move along.

 

 

[flyfisher]

the only running you should do is to the nearest pond to get yourself acquainted to fly fishing.  I always suggest, if possible, to get a lesson from a certified instructor for your casting.  Yes it costs some money but in that hour or whatever time you have you will drastically shorten your learning curve and maximize your success.  You can always practice in your yard too and learn from youtube videos but it doesn't compare to good instruction.

All that being out of the way, go after some sunnies.  grab a handful of slow sinking spiders or poppers and cast to spots that look good.  This time of year they are usually pretty cooperative (any time really) and they will let you see and feel what a bite feels like.  After a trip or two then go after some bass, either brown or green, up to you really.  

As far as largemouth goes I like big deer hair poppers and large rabbit hair streamers.  Something with a big profile can get them to bite.  Nothing better then dropping flies into holes in a lilly pad field and "finesse" fishing them out.

For smallies in rivers and streams, give me rabbit hair streamers or sliders and poppers.  Cast to likely spots and dead drift them through the pockets and riffles.  I know it seems counterintuitive to just let them drift but the flies have a lot of action themselves and i have had better success that way on rivers and streams from large to small.  

 

And since i forgot to ask, what weight rod do you have?  Rod/line weight will determine fly size more than anything.  Above all else, have fun and enjoy the fishing as much as the catching.

Any other questions feel free to ask as myself and a few others that frequent here chase bass on the fly rod.  I am getting ready to hopefully go out this weekend and try and find some bass chasing shad up shallow in the creeks myself.  

[Eric J]

Flyfisher:

 

Description from site; Eagle Claw Water Eagle; Lightweight reel with click drag, 8'6" composite fly rod (2 pc). Reel holds one spool of 7-8 lb fly line. Slow action5+ tip wire guides.

 

 

[flyfisher]

7-8 wt line?  

if so it will throw everything you want pretty much but the slower action will make you really slow down your casting stroke and it will also make it easier to lay down a soft cast.  The composite will make very fish feel larger than it really is too which is always fun   

I prefer faster action rods to really punch flies into the wind and get extra distance but that is what i learned on too.  

[Scott F]

Fly fishing for bass can be very rewarding if you are willing to put in the time and effort to learn how to do it. Learning to fly fish on that combo will be difficult. The first thing an instructor will do is tell you to replace the rod. Inexpensive fly lines alone cost more than that entire combo does. Cheap reels will function just fine, but nowhere is the quality of the rod more important than fly fishing.

[Eric J]

4 minutes ago, flyfisher said:

7-8 wt line?  

if so it will throw everything you want pretty much but the slower action will make you really slow down your casting stroke and it will also make it easier to lay down a soft cast.  The composite will make very fish feel larger than it really is too which is always fun   

I prefer faster action rods to really punch flies into the wind and get extra distance but that is what i learned on too.  

Do you Spin/Baitcast as well? And if so how do you find going back and forth between the two styles?

[flyfisher]

1 minute ago, Eric J said:

Do you Spin/Baitcast as well? And if so how do you find going back and forth between the two styles?

yeah i do both.  It really isn't that hard for me to do but i usually don't do both on one trip just from a tackle management perspective in my kayak.  I see it as a tool and wile i can fly fish deep, it is boring to me so i'd rather use conventional gear in anything over say 10' or when i am trying to cover water.  ironically enough some of my best days have been in the cold, like 45 degree or less water.  I think the slower action of a fly and it is kind of hard to fish a fly fast helps in that case. 

I'll also disagree that you will want to replace the rod right away.  Will other rods do a better job, probably but I fished for a long time on an old cortland and caught everything from small brookies to 20lb class carp.  There is also a big movement towards the composite/fiberglass rods now too.  I guess it is going old school 

[Eric J]

10 minutes ago, Scott F said:

Fly fishing for bass can be very rewarding if you are willing to put in the time and effort to learn how to do it. Learning to fly fish on that combo will be difficult. The first thing an instructor will do is tell you to replace the rod. Inexpensive fly lines alone cost more than that entire combo does. Cheap reels will function just fine, but nowhere is the quality of the rod more important than fly fishing.

I hear ya.... But if it wasn't for the opportunity to get the free rig I doubt I'd be jumping in. Lord knows we all find enough to spend on with standard bass fishing gear. I'd like to start learning and see how deep I want to get. I'm an obsessive personality and go in deep on my hobbies. Between fishing, Tabletop Wargaming and Endurance racing I can spend some bucks...

 

Work hard, play hard... and sneak the new gear in through the back door...

[the reel ess]

I've got a fly rod that's suitable for bass, but I never use it. I've only caught a couple bream on it. It feels like trying to fish with one arm behind my back. It would be my luck I'd hook and lose the fish of a lifetime because I was using the fly rod. That said, if I was at a place full of dinks, it would probably be fun. They're not always going to bite on topwater.

 

You don't have to spend a lot. One line, one leader and some bugs. Go to someone who knows what they're talking about to buy the line or you'll be fighting it more than fish.

[Eric J]

Been going back and forth on this. I have a buddy I fish with who used to fly fish, which I never knew.

 

He's going to run me through the ABC 's and we'll see what's what. 

 

I'm buying a Kayak for next season, my first and want to add a few more rods to the arsenal.

 

So we'll see...

[MrPeanut]

I'm interested in this thread and hope it keeps going.

 

I recently picked up a fly combo after spending a half hour with a friend who fly fishes a lot more than conventional rigs.  I got a basic 5 WT rod and went to the local fly shop, they hooked me up with a handful of flies to start with.   I have no idea what I'm doing yet, but it's exciting to find new ways to catch 'em.  

[JWall14]

Take an orvis class. Simple as that.

 

I have a clearwater 6wt with 6.5 weighted fly line and I can cast decently sized poppers with it for pond bass. I would suggest starting with bluegills though. They teach you a lot. get a few bluegill bugs and head down to your local pond. Good luck!

[flyfisher]

On 9/21/2018 at 4:48 PM, MrPeanut said:

I'm interested in this thread and hope it keeps going.

 

I recently picked up a fly combo after spending a half hour with a friend who fly fishes a lot more than conventional rigs.  I got a basic 5 WT rod and went to the local fly shop, they hooked me up with a handful of flies to start with.   I have no idea what I'm doing yet, but it's exciting to find new ways to catch 'em.  

It is huge to build a relationship with the local fly shop.  Conventional tackle you can buy online and be just fine (although i prefer not to) but when fly fishing the expertise you will gain from taking to those in the know will be monumental.  It is a specialized niche and your learning curve can be drastically shortened with the right information. 

On a side note I went to a local pond today with the fly rod and caught a few bass and a pile of sunnies...always a good time.

[Gundog]

I enjoy taking my fly gear out and having fun with sunnies and tiny largemouth at a local lake. Having fished for bass for decades its nice to have a change but still enjoy fishing. I've got a cheap rod & reel combo from fairplay that I bought 2 decades ago. Still works and is as much fun as I need. Don't throw a ton of money into it till you know if you like it. You may regret the purchase. Most of all don't forget why you are doing it. To have fun.

[Bluebasser86]

I like to take the fly rod with me once in a while to cast bugs and buggers. Not only catch bass but lots of sunfish, some catfish, and the occasional surface feeding carp. 

[Eric J]

11 hours ago, Gundog said:

I enjoy taking my fly gear out and having fun with sunnies and tiny largemouth at a local lake. Having fished for bass for decades its nice to have a change but still enjoy fishing. I've got a cheap rod & reel combo from fairplay that I bought 2 decades ago. Still works and is as much fun as I need. Don't throw a ton of money into it till you know if you like it. You may regret the purchase. Most of all don't forget why you are doing it. To have fun.

Which is why starting with the "free" combo is my ticket in. I really want to explore but don't want to invest on expectations...

[flyfisher]

if you end up catching some carp on the fly rod, be warned it is extremely addictive and more fun than any type of freshwater fishing i have ever done, especially if you are able to catch one of the topwater feeding times that happen a few times a year.  

 

[thinkingredneck]

Be sure the fly line has a taper, preferably weight forward.  Some entry type combos have a level line which is virtually impossible to cast.  Get some foam poppers, they always float. Get a few Wooly Buggers or lightly weighted Clouser minnows.  A rabbit strip streamer works, but becomes heavy.  You don't want heavy flies to start with.  Totally different definition of weight.  Check out flybass.com for some good, simple flies.

 

Practice with a piece of yarn or clip the barb off of a hook.  Unless you want to pierce an ear.  Check out Mel Kieger on you tube for casting info.  There are a ton of instructional vides on your tube.  A class is better, though.  

 

Then comes fly tying, the other side of the addiction.

[WVU-SCPA]

Do it.

 

The majority of my fishing life has been with a fly rod,  only in the last few years have I transitioned into traditional bass fishing.  It really has given me a different view on approaching bass.

 

Few things to prepare for.....or prepare your wallet for if you catch the "bug".

1. You will own more than one rod very quickly and they aren't always cheap.  Just like like bass fishing, different rods excel in different situations/targets.
2. Reels and line weight,  yep you will want a good one to match with the rod you just got.
3. Flies, tying your own is very enjoyable but also not cheap.  Just like a soft plastic supply,  there are so many options that you will just have to fill the fly box.
4. You live in NY....Salmon gear will get expensive. 

Just like this website has everything you could ever want to know for bass fishing,  there are several great fly fishing communities.  If you do some googling you should even be able to find one specific to your NY area.

 

If you have a free rod offer,  do it.  You can practice casting even in a small back yard,  catch sunfish with little to no experience,  and hopefully it will lead to a new hobby you enjoy.  Worst case scenario, you have a fly rod to give to a kid one day.

[GReb]

I used to fly fish for bass and bream quite often but haven’t in probably 5 years. It is a lot of fun. I caught a 3 pounder one day it felt like I’d hooked into moby dick

 

The bait monkey has suggested I follow this thread

[bagofdonuts]

Do it. You should have lots of opportunities to wade a creek and fly fish for smallies up there. One of the funnest ways to fish in the summer. Lot like bow hunting is to deer hunting. You have to get closer and be more stealthy in your approach to catch a big one. Makes you a better angler all around, you'll probably learn some new knots, become a better line watcher. 

I would get a 6 or 7 wt rod and matching line for bass fishing, some tappered leaders, and a handful of flies. Some instruction on casting would help keep you from developing bad technique, but once you get the hang of it, its not that difficult.

[Eric J]

3 hours ago, bagofdonuts said:

Do it. You should have lots of opportunities to wade a creek and fly fish for smallies up there. One of the funnest ways to fish in the summer. Lot like bow hunting is to deer hunting. You have to get closer and be more stealthy in your approach to catch a big one. Makes you a better angler all around, you'll probably learn some new knots, become a better line watcher. 

I would get a 6 or 7 wt rod and matching line for bass fishing, some tappered leaders, and a handful of flies. Some instruction on casting would help keep you from developing bad technique, but once you get the hang of it, its not that difficult.

Bow hunting, good analogy. Don't shoot anymore but still have a Jennings and a 6 foot long bow,,,

[Harold Scoggins]

Been on my bucket list for years. (sigh)

[WVU-SCPA]

Bow hunting is a good analogy.  Lot's of opportunities to open up.

 

 

Fun fact: The primary holding spot for bass was right around the island green,  they also loved to eat white streamers on the fall.  Always wondered how many golf balls would get inhaled.