Fly Anglers

[basspro48]

I've noticed that bass flyfisherman are a dying breed nowadays. And I was wondering are they're any other flyanglers on here? If so what's yer favortie pattern and technique?

[Minuteman]

I'm going to give it a try this year. I dug out my  flyrod the other week from the garage. It still had line on it and I was messing around in the yard. I hadn't used it in years, but it felt good. I was just telling my son at college that I'm going to get it ready, practice up on some trout and then take it with us bass fishing. I really have no idea what type of flies I'll end up using, but I know some prime locations for them big frog and mouse imitations.

I checked the new WalMart that opened down the road and they have a very small area in the sporting goods with just fly fishing tackle. Everything I have now is either old or made for trout. I guess I'll have to experiment, because I never really tried anything heavier than small flies for the little narrow streams near my house.

[Minuteman]

I guess I should've asked you what type lines you use. That is where I get confused. Any suggestions would help. I plan on keeping the flyrod in the truck for certain circumstances and not really getting too involved at first. I'm pretty sure I won't be getting into tying my own flies. I have a hard enough time SEEING to tie knots.

[abelfisher]

To cast heavy bass flies, use the Weight Forward type line.  Line is more weighted in front, and makes for easier cating the heavy flies.  It's a blast!

[FlyRod]

I guess I've told this tale at least a dozen times on various forums, but here we go again.

My largest bass weighed 8-something (wish it were bigger, but, unlike the big 'uns some have caught or lost at the boat , mine hasn't grown over the ensuing 20 years) and was caught on a 6 Wt. fly rig, using a 3 lb. tippet and a teensy little poppin' bug whilst in pursuit of the wily bluegill. I also took a 3 lb. smallie some years after catching that largemouth, the only diff being that it was on a slightly heavier tippet and a slightly larger popper.

Anyway, I'd very much like to get after 'em again with a fly rod but, being a backseater, it's not always convenient or safe to do so.

That being said, in 2003 I invested in an 8 Wt. Loomis, with a power tip, so I could drive flies into the winds at the Texas coast. I've caught some seatrout and a couple of reds on it and it was great fun.

Yes, a weight-forward OR "bass taper" line is pretty much essential unless one is making shorter casts in small water, especially if armed with poppers, which are something less than aerodynamic. The added stiffness of fluoro leaders seems to help as well, although I'd prefer the floating qualities of regular mono leader stock for "dry' bugs.

I had hopes of using the fly rig for white bass as they came up into the shallower reaches of the Guadalupe River (Canyon Lake, TX) this spawning season, but events assured I never got the opportunity.

One fact stands; No ONE system will suffice for variety of flyfishing environments and target species. Much like our baitcasting and spinning gear, diversity is the key. That, however, means more cash outlay.

Another proven fact is that one needs to be willing to take the hit for the very best fly tackle he/she can afford AND it must be balanced for the purpose.

A flyfishing wannabe, no matter how seasoned he/she in the use of our usual "tools", is certain to be utterly bewildered by the choices that must be made in selecting fly tackle. Just as any other beginner, he/she would be wise to seek info and guidance from a variety of of sources. Consultation with seasoned fly anglers, with experience in the SPECIFIC type of fishing (See: Species and Environment) that will be done, is essential. "Pro" shops are useful, but with the caveat that they are there to sell tackle. Individuals are a great source of info, but some might be less than knowledgeable, so beware. Maybe the best source of guidance are the various sites and forums that proliferate on the Web, as well as magazines that cater to the fly crowd.

Learning to cast with fly tackle is where qualified instruction is paramount. It's a beautiful thing, aesthetically, but harder to master than any other form of casting...harder to become even reasonably proficient when compared with baitcasting or spinning gear. If you aren't willing to forget EVERYTHING you THINK you know, take lessons, and if you don't have a place to practice, forget it. Note: Pavement and gravel are not suited to the purpose.

Enough for now, but I'll be happy to help to whatever degree my humble skills will allow. You may PM me if you wish.

Friendly caution: If you are one of those guys that breaks a lot of rods...fuggitaboutit!  Fly tackle, by virtue of the length of the rods and relative fragility that imposes, is more vulnerable to car doors,  size 12 shoes, ceiling fans, and rambunctious kids, than our more common toys.

F.Rod

A title not particularly well-deserved!!!

PeeYess: One nice thing is that even when you aren't catching anything on fly tackle, you can look so good trying! Can you say "Chick Magnet"?

[Gatorbassman]

I love to catch bass on the fly. One of my lifes goals is to win a tournament using a flyfishing tackle. My favorite pattern is casting a damsil fly to the edge of the weeds and just twitching it. The bass explode on it.

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

One more point about the lines.

Taper is not the only factor involved, there is also bouyancy.

Some lines float (for topwater), some lines sink (bead and egg patterns,etc) and other lines are hybrids of the 2 (floating line, sinking tip)gives nice action like somthing coming to surface)(like an emerger)

Lots of option, the only set back is that it's expensive to have multiple lines.  Versatility ain't cheap.lol

I never really got into fly fishing for bassSo I don't have much to offer there.  I started with trout and moved right to saltwater.

[flechero]

I got into fly fishing for bass as a warm up to my saltwater trips. Now it's a stand alone activity, especially since I live near a lake with smallies!! I typically use a 7 weight, although I'll take a 5, 7 and 9 with me to match conditions. I use W-F floating or intermediate tip line and mostly home tied flys in baitfish or craw patterns.

bass flyfisherman are a dying breed nowadays.

I'll have to disagree on that... at least in Texas. We now have fly only guides on Fork and Texoma and a lot of other lakes. I know lots more people now-a-days that target bass with the fly than I used to. Many of them, like me, started off as practice to saltwater trips.

Any of you read the book, Carp on the fly, what a good book! I would love to get into some big  carp on my flyrod... it would be like hooking a red at the coast!

[basspro48]

I typically use a 6-weight 9ft. rod with a weight forward floating line and I love throwing a particular pattern called the Dahlburg Diver. When you strip it real hard it dives under the surface and floats back up, it makes a very loud popping noise and drives 'em crazy. I also like tossing clouser minnows and crazy charlies for the deeper fish

[Minuteman]

Thanks for the line advice on Bass Taper. I did see that in the Cabelas Fly Fishing catalog, but they don't have it at the local WalMart. I have run into a a few Fly Anglers on the lakes back in coves, but I'd bet 99% in my area are in the streams going for trout.

Jeez, I'm getting sick of talking about fishing. I'm busy today, but I've had tomorrow penciled in as an open day all week! Even if the weathers bad I'll go feed the bait monkey.

[what]

cool i use an 8 and this fly

[Madhouse27]

In addition to the actual line you can also get a "bass taper"  leader that is designed to help you turn over larger flies. I use a fairly cheap Cabelas 8wt pack flyrod with a weight forward floating line. I'd get a few deerhair bomber style flies that are often used for Atlantic Salmon, an assortment of different colored poppers and maybe a couple of sinking leech type patterns that you can almost bounce off the bottom like a grub. Good calls from Basspro and  FLechero on the diver and crayfish patterns. Good luck in your quest for a big bass on a flyrod.  

[.ghoti.]

Fly fishing for bass is awesome. But, so is baitcasting and spinning tackle. The fly rod is just one more tool in your toolbox. I use a 6wt rod for smaller bass flies and an 8wt for the larger ones. A weight forward "bass taper" line is a must. The bass taper line has more of the weight up front so you can cast and turn over those larger flies. A tapered leader is also a must. The best leader I've found comes from feathercraft. It's called a furled leader. They sell them in sizes and lengths for most line weights and applications. This is a braided mono leader. I use the 6' lengths on both the 6wt and 8wt, and tie on about 3' of tippet. The furled leader has a small ring on the tippet end, so you can tie on new tippets without shortening the leader. They seem to last forever. The one on my 8wt has been on there for three years now. When the tippet gets too short you can snip it off and tie on another one. I use regular mono, "geased" with floatant for surface flies and flouro for subsurface flies. 6lb test  for the 6wt and 8lb test for the 8wt. The furled leaders aren't cheap. If memory serves, they're about 13 bucks each. But, they are well worth it.

Buying flies is as addictive as buying lures and baits. The bait monkey's snooty cousin, the fly chimp, will be forever whispering in your ear. You will need a selection of flies, several patterns, in different sizes, but, you don't have to get crazy at first. I use the fly rod when the bass are shallow, so I use a few basic topwater patterns and a few basic sub-surface patterns. When the bass are deeper than about 4', I put the fly rod away.

A wooly bugger will catch anything that swims. Get a dozen or so in different sizes and colors. I use these on the 6wt, cast out, let it sink and twitch it back slowly. Caught a lot of bass over the last couple of years doing this. Ditto for clouser minnow and deceiver patterns. There are several patterns made using rabbit strips. These are fur with the hide still attached. Once the hide gets saturated, these have an amazing action when twitched along just under the surface. They really look alive, and the bass will just crush "em. I use the 8wt for these. Once the hide is good and wet, they're too heavy for the 6wt. A similar pattern is the bouface. This is tied with marabou and is light enough to throw with the 6wt. Same retrieve, slightly different look in the water. I've had the most success with the bugger, rabbit strips and bouface's using darker colors and lighter, baitfish colors using the clousers and deceivers. For topwater use, a hopper pattern is hard to beat in the summer. Also damsel flies or dragonfly patterns are good. I use these on the 6wt, cast out and let "em sit as long as I can stand it. You can sometimes see the fish come up and give "em the hairy eyeball. When that happens, don't move it. If they turn away, give it a twitch. On the 8wt I use deer hair poppers and frogs. I don't catch near as many bass on these, but when I do they're usually better fish. These things are too heavy for the 6wt, but they are still very light. A lot of times, when the bass blow up on "em, the bug goes flying through the air. Very exciting and very frustrating. I have a much better strike to catch ratio with the dahlberg diver and the rabbit strip diver. These are a cross between the deer hair bug and the zonker. They float, but will dive to about a foot on a long strip, and slowly rise on the pause. When the bass wants one of these, they rarely miss it. I probably use these the most. I'll also use one of these on a split-shot rig with spinning tackle. Tried that last year when nothing else was working and caught a few keepers.

All the above is useless if you can't cast. Fly casting and bait casting are just about completely opposite. Baitcasting is all in the wrist. Fly casting is all in the shoulder. Here's a tip. Practice trying to keep about 25' of line in the air. just back and forth, back and forth. Watch your rod tip. If it's describing an arc, you're using too much wrist. The rod should move back and forth from about 10:00 to about 2:00 and should travel in an almost straight line. You should never hear a whip crack. Watch the line at all times and don't change direction until the line is straight out behind, or in front, of you. With practice, you will be able to feel when that happens and you can stop watching the line and watch where you want to cast. When you can keep the line in the air without problems, you're ready to start casting. Again, keep the rod between 10:00 and 2:00. Stop it at 10:00 when you let go. Don't let the rod tip drop. Resist the urge to point the rod at your target, like you do with baitcast or spinnning gear. Keep it up at 10:00. If you don't, you'll end up with the line in a pile out in front of you. And don't try to cast a hundred feet. For bass fishing, 30 to 40 foot casts are plenty. You'll get more hooksets at a shorter distance. Accuracy is much more important than distance in this game. And sometimes, a nice soft landing makes all the difference.

One more tip. Check out flyshack.com. They have a nice selection of flies for a lot less than most other places. The bass flies are all $1.50. You can buy the same ones at BPS or Cabela's for 4 -6 bucks apiece. Their selection is always changing. Sometimes they only have 10 or 12 bass patterns and other times they will have 40 or 50. One thing I like about them is, if they don't have it in stock, it's not on the page. If you buy 25 bucks worth, shipping is free.

Try out hte noodle rod. You might just like it.

Good luck,

GK

[ifsteve]

I don't get a chance to do much bass fishing here in Idaho, but I have chased them with my flyrod on several occasions. I am going to take a winter trip to Mazatlan next year and plan on a day or two at El Salto and I will take my flyrod to see what I can do. 8-)

[Guest avid]

I used to use a flyrod alot on Long Island.  A big black popper was my favorite, along with a hares ear.  But down here is SE Florida it is usually too windy.  I tried it a couple of times but bascially gave up on it.

[DePoy79]

my dad runs the fly sho at lunkers in MI. we both love to fly fish my favorite fly is a Black Chernoble ant ona no.2 hook.its alot bigger than most chernobles, but bass tear it up

[Zoomer52]

I love to fish for Bluegills on a 3 wt. flyrod but I also end up getting a few bass also, makes for quite a contest if they are of any size.

[tennsopher]

I use a9ft Scott rod in 8wt and a single action Ross reel with wf8f line.The Dahlberg diver that was mentioned is a great bait,along with the deerhair mice and hard bodied poppers.Also look into any of Dave Whitlocks creations if you can find them.Any bass over 5lbs on a fly is a heart pounding,pee your pants experience!Good luck,I hope you catch a bunch with it.

                                                                               Tennsopher

[flyphisher #]

I only flyfished before i got into competitive bass fishing.

I like to fish an 8'6" 3 wt or 6' 2wt when i can get away with it. Will use little poppers that I tie up and other little streamers and such.Fish ponds and streams and rivers, since i am so far from trout water :'(. Use a 9ft 5wt or 8wt the rest of the time.....Sneaky petes mostly.....There is a reason flyrods are not allowed in most bass tournaments :-X....

Here's a really cool link:

http://www.byrdultrafly.com/index.htm