Swinging Twofer

I don't usually swing wet flies but I was doing some nymphing last night while waiting for the hatch and I was getting strikes on the swing. So, knowing that the trout wanted moving flies, I tied on a pair of soft hackles and worked the run. The flies got multiple strikes and I managed a few smallies and trout to hand. While bringing in one trout a six-inch smallie decided not to waste the dropper and did me the good service of hopping on. That made for an interesting fight.

Seven Tips for Catching Smallmouth on the Housatonic at Corner Hole at 8 a.m. on a Saturday

While my Smallmouth angling reputation is not as legendary as that of others¹ and my trout angling experience is more voluminus², I know that you're likely struggling to make the switch from trout to bass and I thought I'd pass along expert-level tips to make you a better angler.

1. Fish alone. You want all the good water. It's summer and there won't be much water in the river. You want it all. If you can't fish alone, then fish with people who will readily take direction. Point them to the thin, crappy water³. Choose the water with some structure. Smallmouth like bouldery structure from which to ambush. Except when they don't.
2. Only fish when the water temperature is around seventy degrees. You could get this information by taking the water temperature directly or by calling the fly shop. I like to wait until all the trout discussion boards are hysterically wailing about the need to not stress the fish and to stay away from cold water refuges and other such conservation nonsense. That's when you know the smallmouth bite will be ON!⁴
3. Fish large, colorful streamers. My experience has been that the best color is Chartreuse. I like chartreuse mostly because it takes me several tries to spell it correctly when I'm typing it. I also like it cause the smallies hammer it. They also hammer white and yellow. Black and Olive work too. I haven't tried red. Red may work. Brown, probably not. But what do I know?
4. Make long, fast strips. Nothing works better than a three foot long, fast strip action. Strip-pause-strip-pause. The strike comes at the pause. Of course, when the long strip doesn't work, then use short strips. And longer pauses. And you can alternate the pause with two strips or two pauses and a strip. You get the idea. Stick with one method but mix it up until you find something that works.
5. Don't trout set. Smallies are the bonefish of trout water.⁵ Strip set. Hold on. A six inch smallie fights like a trout three times its size. Foul hook that bad boy in the tail and you're in for an afternoon of fun!
6. If you're not sight fishing, forget top water flies. Sure, watching a bass eye a popper for fourteen minutes before she hammers it is exciting. Sorta like watching grass grow but where the earthworms are aggressive carnivores hammering field mice in slow motion. But if you can't see the fish you'll never know whether a fish was eying your fly ready to pounce or you were fishing over dead water. And that lack of knowledge will make you second guess yourself every time you cast. And that'll erode your self-confidence. And that'll lead to doubts about your self-worth and eventually you'll find yourself sitting in your parent's basement, in your underwear, watching reruns of The Andy Griffith Show. Don't fish top water flies if you can't see the fish. Please.
7. Don't Tenkara. Sure you can do that foolishness in the privacy of a small stream. But on a larger river you're going to look like a complete idiot casting a large streamer to a large fish and then dancing around to make that streamer swim.. And then all those "I told you so!" comments that come your way when a modest smallie busts you off and busts your rod will be a chorus of unbearable shame. For the sake of your pride and sanity, Tenkara in private.

Well that's about all I'm willing to tell you for now.

I hope I won't see you on the water, but if I do, I hope you're fishing where the fish are not.

What are your favorite Smallmouth tips?

Dave caught this beauty by following six of the seven tips above. That was his first fish on a fly rod.

Notes
1 - Though I'm a more legendary bass fisherman than noodler.
2 - I've intentionally fished for Smallmouth twice. Some would say that's real expertise. Others would mumble and we don't listen to mumblers.
3 - Unless you see a monster swirl there, then take that water. Last Saturday I saw a "head and tail" swirl in six inches of water that made my heart stop. Of course once it restarted I didn't mention it to nobody. Especially not to the guy standing about twenty feet upstream of the swirl fishing the deep run.
4 - Hell, you might even catch a trout. Especially if you target those cold water refuges. They're stacked up like hell in there! Okay, that's not sporting. Don't do that. Intentionally. With weighted treble hooks. That'd just be wrong. Stick to the smallies.
5 - That BS about carp being freshwater bones is just that, BS. Nobody fishes for carp anyway. That's all just more flyfishing carp marketing BS. Don't fall for it.


Bonus Tip: Train a dog to spot the fish for you. This is the only reliable way to fish topwater flies when you can't see the fish. Of course, blow a hook set and that dog is gonna give you crap for a long time.

Gierach said there's no such thing as a fishing dog.
Who knows.....

Simple Flies - Bass Edition

As a fly tyer I appreciate patterns that are simple to tie. As a angler I prefer effective ones. It's nice when both characteristics can be found in one fly.

A few years ago a speaker at a Trout Unlimited meeting talked about fishing for Smallmouth Bass and shared a pattern that he found effective. While I've not often fished for bass, especially in still water, I found it particularly effective this past weekend on a pond in New Hampshire.

A willing partner

The fly has three materials: 1) Two Tungsten Cone Heads*, 2) Zonker Strip (white, yellow and chartreuse seem to work), 3) Thread to match the Zonker Strip.

Both yellow and chartreuse worked well.

I tie the fly on a 2x or 3x long streamer hook. The head of the fly starts with two tungsten cone heads mounted back-to-back. This gives the pattern that weight-forward jig action. You then wrap the entire hook shank with a good layer of thread and position the thread at the rear of the cone heads. You then take a zonker strip two times the length of the hook shank and mount it to the hook. Start by piercing the zonker strip with the hook point at the midpoint of the strip. Then lash the strip to the underside of the hook shank. You only need to catch in the end of the zonker strip near the cone heads. Don't wrap back down the body. That'll just screw up the action that the zonker strip makes in the water.

Mellow Yellow

Done.

You could make this fly even easier by buying some jig hooks but then that just doesn't seem like fly tying to me so I don't do it.**

Fishing the fly is a simple affair. Cast to likely structure. Strip. Pause. Strip. Pause. Set Hook.***

While I took a break for a drink and a snack I let the fly dangle in the water three inches down in three feet of water. A school of bass came to take a look. They pondered the mesmerizing action of the rabbit fur for a bit. Then the largest of them bolted in and grabbed it. He's pictured above. This fly fishes well even when you're not fishing.

This little guy grabbed a hopper while I was stripping it back to the boat. The locals say this lake has
Largemouth. He has the stripe and color of a Largemouth, but the mouth structure says Smallie to me. Variety I suppose.

Notes:
* Technically that makes four materials, but I'm not counting it that way. I'm also not counting the hook. I suppose that makes five materials if you're a stickler for such details. I'm still sticking with three. If you're inclined to disagree with me I can't protect you from your own ignorance.
** You may not share my high moral standards with regards to fly tying and thus feel that using a jig hook is acceptable. If you want to cheat, that fine by me. I won't be the one going to hell.
*** Most strikes come on the pause. Those that don't, come on the strip. Other times the strike comes when you're not really paying attention and don't have a clue as to whether you were paused or stripping. Magically, a fish is there. I still count those ones.