New to: 1) here 2) fishing (sort of) 3) bass (entirely)

[Zachary Scott]

Hey everyone! Zak from New Mexico here. My family is vegetarian so I didn't grow up fishing. I tried it out a few times but only ever caught one fish in an overstocked pond in China when I did foreign exchange. When I moved north from Albuquerque two years ago, my roommate put a fly rod in my hand and that was an enlightening experience. Last season was a total waste because of drinking, I'm surprised I didn't drown on my singular outing. I got sober over the winter though, and as a skilled chef my labor is priced out of the pandemic market, so this summer has been only fishing and hunting.

 

Northern New Mexico is a fly fishing trout paradise and I thought that I would have to drive a significant distance to learn about bass. One day just over a month ago in the Rio Grande gorge another angler was complaining that the water was too warm and he was just catching bass. I thought he was crazy and that bass aren't this far north, and told myself this dude didn't know a chub. Mere minutes later I reeled in my first smallmouth, and that was a changing point in my life. Right now there is a severe cold front (90°F on Tuesday afternoon with snow in September that night) and I'm jonesing for a bite that isn't there, so I find myself reading on the internet instead.

 

I'm really excited to keep learning everything I can about my new micropterus buddies, in regards to both catching them and their natural life. Something I've kind of wondered about but never thought about seriously is catch, feed, and release. The bass in the river are I believe a recent introduction as they are mostly under a pound, or perhaps they are just being caught and thrown to the bank as lots of people here don't want bass eating their precious trout babies. Either way, I want this bass fishery to thrive and so my mind goes to jamming nutrition into a fish's stomach so they can fight harder next time. Has anyone ever heard of this? Does it happen? I'm a touch worried that it might effect their behavior, either making them less interested in feeding due to satiety or associating being caught with a free meal, would that happen?

 

Sorry for the rambles, thanks if you made it this far!

[A-Jay]

Hello Zak and Welcome to Bass Resource ~

A-Jay 

[roadwarrior]

The fish can fend for themselves.Catch and release will improve both size and numbers over time.

 

Welcome aboard!

 

[Darren.]

Welcome aboard, Zak!

[Log Catcher]

Hello and welcome to the forum.

[Sphynx]

3 hours ago, roadwarrior said:

The fish can fend for themselves.Catch and release will improve both size and numbers over time.

 

Welcome aboard!

 

It also has the benefit of giving the fish some experience in what to watch out for from anglers, better they learn life's hard lessons from someone who will release them than one of the anointed trout paladins you mentioned...welcome to the forum OP!

[whitwolf]

Welcome!

[Zachary Scott]

5 hours ago, Sphynx said:

It also has the benefit of giving the fish some experience in what to watch out for from anglers, better they learn life's hard lessons from someone who will release them than one of the anointed trout paladins you mentioned...welcome to the forum OP!

"Trout paladin"... I suspect I'm gonna get a lot of use out of that phrase in the coming years.

I figured that the answer would be "just stick em back", but jeez, the patience I gotta have for these fish to grow past 3#... Maybe it's time to start planning a drive to Texas.

[Sphynx]

5 hours ago, Zachary Scott said:

"Trout paladin"... I suspect I'm gonna get a lot of use out of that phrase in the coming years.

I figured that the answer would be "just stick em back", but jeez, the patience I gotta have for these fish to grow past 3#... Maybe it's time to start planning a drive to Texas.

There are biologists and ichthyologists who could explain the particulars better than I can, but the pertinent part is not every fishery is going to be capable of growing monster fish, also, a 3# river smallmouth for example will blow your mind with the fight by comparison to a 3# largemouth who has lived its whole life in a lake, that being said, if a TX trip is in your future, Sam Rayburn or Toledo Bend would serve your turn, they are both high quality fisheries, as is Lake Fork. And probably several others, got some solid lakes in that part of the country. 

[Tatsu Dave]

Welcome to the site! You will very much enjoy the first time you set the hook in a 3lb smallmouth thats for sure

[Zachary Scott]

11 hours ago, Sphynx said:

There are biologists and ichthyologists who could explain the particulars better than I can, but the pertinent part is not every fishery is going to be capable of growing monster fish, also, a 3# river smallmouth for example will blow your mind with the fight by comparison to a 3# largemouth who has lived its whole life in a lake, that being said, if a TX trip is in your future, Sam Rayburn or Toledo Bend would serve your turn, they are both high quality fisheries, as is Lake Fork. And probably several others, got some solid lakes in that part of the country. 

 

And I've even read some technical details on fish size relative to their habitat, maybe some day I'll try to use my noodle a little harder. Probably not today. Thanks for all of the info, I have a feeling that I'll learn tons from you in particular the more time I spend here.

 

10 hours ago, Tatsu Dave said:

Welcome to the site! You will very much enjoy the first time you set the hook in a 3lb smallmouth thats for sure

 

I didn't have a scale with me, but based on my chef arm being a reliable (if not precise) scale, and looking at pics online of 3#ers, my PB so far was definitely north of 3. If I wasn't already obsessed, that day did it most certainly!

[Sphynx]

30 minutes ago, Zachary Scott said:

 

And I've even read some technical details on fish size relative to their habitat, maybe some day I'll try to use my noodle a little harder. Probably not today. Thanks for all of the info, I have a feeling that I'll learn tons from you in particular the more time I spend here.

 

 

I didn't have a scale with me, but based on my chef arm being a reliable (if not precise) scale, and looking at pics online of 3#ers, my PB so far was definitely north of 3. If I wasn't already obsessed, that day did it most certainly!

Well then grasshopper, lesson one, your going to take your share of skunks, enjoy the journey, pay attention to the guys here who know more than me, because I could have benefited a ton from them if I weren't so pig headed, I saw footage from a Bassmaster Classic one year where a top pro caught a single fish, it was a big d**n fish, but all day, single fish, if a guy who feeds his family can manage only one in a day, there's no shame in getting skunked for those of us who are "normal people"

[Bluebasser86]

Welcome!

[Fallser]

Welcome!  Keep fly fishing for them.  They're a lot of fun.  Don't worry about the size of them in your local creek.  They ones in my local creek average 10-12 inches.  They do get bigger but you have to hunt for them.  

As already suggested then find a place where they grow bigger.

 

 

[RSmall]

Hello and welcome to BR!

[Zachary Scott]

On 9/12/2020 at 6:59 PM, Sphynx said:

Well then grasshopper, lesson one, your going to take your share of skunks, enjoy the journey, pay attention to the guys here who know more than me, because I could have benefited a ton from them if I weren't so pig headed, I saw footage from a Bassmaster Classic one year where a top pro caught a single fish, it was a big d**n fish, but all day, single fish, if a guy who feeds his family can manage only one in a day, there's no shame in getting skunked for those of us who are "normal people"

 

In the month prior to my post, an average of two fish per hour was as slow as it got (maybe thats why I fell in love with bass fishing so hard?), but every time I've gone out in the past week and a half - skunk. I figured it would be so because the weather here has made James Brown firing a shotgun at the cops from his bronco seem sane. Today I finally caught... One! I'll take it.

 

On 9/13/2020 at 10:14 AM, Fallser said:

Welcome!  Keep fly fishing for them.  They're a lot of fun.  Don't worry about the size of them in your local creek.  They ones in my local creek average 10-12 inches.  They do get bigger but you have to hunt for them.  

As already suggested then find a place where they grow bigger.

 

 

I had a number of difficulties related to me being an absent minded fool that lost me my fly rod at the beginning of summer, so I have been using spinning gear in my bass adventures. Though, that's not to say I haven't been using flies! I had no idea what I was doing, I just grabbed the vice and made something big, ugly, and green with attempted lateral lines. I present to you, the first fly of mine that caught me a fish!

 

 

I recently picked up a 3wt for the small streams around here since the temperature is calming down, finally. It seems as though our waters are very similar, would you fish a 3wt in your creek for smallies, or would that be a liability if a big'un got ahold of your fly?

[Fallser]

45 minutes ago, Zachary Scott said:

 

In the month prior to my post, an average of two fish per hour was as slow as it got (maybe thats why I fell in love with bass fishing so hard?), but every time I've gone out in the past week and a half - skunk. I figured it would be so because the weather here has made James Brown firing a shotgun at the cops from his bronco seem sane. Today I finally caught... One! I'll take it.

 

I had a number of difficulties related to me being an absent minded fool that lost me my fly rod at the beginning of summer, so I have been using spinning gear in my bass adventures. Though, that's not to say I haven't been using flies! I had no idea what I was doing, I just grabbed the vice and made something big, ugly, and green with attempted lateral lines. I present to you, the first fly of mine that caught me a fish!

 

 

I recently picked up a 3wt for the small streams around here since the temperature is calming down, finally. It seems as though our waters are very similar, would you fish a 3wt in your creek for smallies, or would that be a liability if a big'un got ahold of your fly?

Nice little fly, that will catch you some bass.    I have a limited fly rod inventory.  My trout and pan fish rod is a 5 wgt.  I caught the one big bass out of the creek on it.  It was a bit more fun than I wanted.   Generally, a 3 wgt is adequate for trout.  You're not using large flies, probably size 10 on down for them.  If you want to use a fly rod for bass, a 6 wgt would work well for your area.  You're going to be using bigger and larger flies.  My bass flies run from 2 to 8 inches in length and are tied on hooks from size 6 to 4/0.  At the larger end of the spectrum I have to use my 8 wgt.

The season here for bass is sort of winding down, and probably is out there.  Use the 3 wgt for now,  just use a heavier leader/tippet if you're going to fish for smallies.  10 to 15# should work.   I'm not a "wow, what a great fight that bass gave me on my light fly rod.  Took me 30 minutes to land" type.  I like to use a hefty enough rod with nice heavy leader that gives me a short enjoyable fight, allow me to get the fish in quick, unhooked, a quick picture if it's worth it and back in the water.  Don't worry about losing a fly rod.  I've left at least two on the roof of my car, over the years, after fishing and drove off with them still on the roof, at least for a little while

  Ask questions on this board.  When I stumbled across it, it was like hitting the Mother lode.  Here are folks that are addicted to bass fishing, many have been doing it for years.  They think like bass fishermen, not fly fishermen.  There's a lot of folks who fly fish for bass, but a lot of their initial fly fishing was for trout.  And they still approach it like bass are trout.  We can't do some of the things that can be done with spinning or bait casting gear, but we can come close.  One of my tying projects over the winter is a Ned fly.  

[Zachary Scott]

5 minutes ago, Fallser said:

Nice little fly, that will catch you some bass.    I have a limited fly rod inventory.  My trout and pan fish rod is a 5 wgt.  I caught the one big bass out of the creek on it.  It was a bit more fun than I wanted.   Generally, a 3 wgt is adequate for trout.  You're not using large flies, probably size 10 on down for them.  If you want to use a fly rod for bass, a 6 wgt would work well for your area.  You're going to be using bigger and larger flies.  My bass flies run from 2 to 8 inches in length and are tied on hooks from size 6 to 4/0.  At the larger end of the spectrum I have to use my 8 wgt.

The season here for bass is sort of winding down, and probably is out there.  Use the 3 wgt for now,  just use a heavier leader/tippet if you're going to fish for smallies.  10 to 15# should work.   I'm not a "wow, what a great fight that bass gave me on my light fly rod.  Took me 30 minutes to land" type.  I like to use a hefty enough rod with nice heavy leader that gives me a short enjoyable fight, allow me to get the fish in quick, unhooked, a quick picture if it's worth it and back in the water.  Don't worry about losing a fly rod.  I've left at least two on the roof of my car, over the years, after fishing and drove off with them still on the roof, at least for a little while

  Ask questions on this board.  When I stumbled across it, it was like hitting the Mother lode.  Here are folks that are addicted to bass fishing, many have been doing it for years.  They think like bass fishermen, not fly fishermen.  There's a lot of folks who fly fish for bass, but a lot of their initial fly fishing was for trout.  And they still approach it like bass are trout.  We can't do some of the things that can be done with spinning or bait casting gear, but we can come close.  One of my tying projects over the winter is a Ned fly.  

Sadly it only got me one bass before I snagged it on a rock. I got some more Marabou in the mail today however, so it's time to replicate!

The guy who got me into fly fishing would fight an 8" trout on a 5wt for a full minute, and talk down to me for bringing them in without a "fight". I wasn't horsing them in and tearing their faces off, mind you, just not prioritizing my fun over this creature's future. He also showed me how easy it is to go fishing for trout but think you are fishing for bass because you've got predator flies. When we fished together this summer, I kept pointing him away from trout lies and toward rock piles but he couldn't break the habit! I suppose discovering the joy of bass with unfamiliar gear helped me avoid that pitfall as everything was new.

Perhaps when I get a new rod and replace this fly line (that's older than me) that came with a hand me down reel, I will spring for 6 or 7. That should also be a lot of fun on the San Juan!

I'm a little sad about having lost a fly rod and a spinning rod this summer, but it would never be enough to stop me! Just make me be a little more mindful next time (maybe).

I look forward to asking so many questions, but first I've got to learn enough to even know what to ask! So it's back to reading!

[Boomstick]

Hello and welcome

[Glenn]

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