I started out fly fishing for trout a long time ago. But since living in Alabama most of my FF has been for bass. Spotted bass in the river act a lot like trout. I use poppers and had one lure that must have caught over a hundred fish. This FF for spots kind of just happened when I was fishing for bream and caught more and more spots. Every now and then I'll pick up a smallmouth bass using a popper and once caught a 6# catfish using a popper and fly rod. That was really interesting as my leaders was also 6#s. river fishing is my favorite but lake fishing is also productive. Anyone catching bass with a fly rod care to share some experiences or techniques?? I guess my greatest pleasure in fishing with poppers is that I get to watch them bite on the surface. One larger spotted bass actually pulled me and my kayak back upstream 30-40'.
Fly Fishing for Bass
- Thread starter MoonSailer
- Start date
Wooly Buggers Work
I have caught smallmouth bass in the upper Delaware River using wet flies. Best luck with wooly buggers.
I have tried (unsuccessfully) using poppers up at Lake George in the Adirondacks. Up there I use an ultralight spinning setup with 4# mono. A couple years back I landed a 6 pound largemouth using a Gary Yamamoto rubber worm Texas rigged on a #1 or #2 barbless hook.
I have caught smallmouth bass in the upper Delaware River using wet flies. Best luck with wooly buggers.
I have tried (unsuccessfully) using poppers up at Lake George in the Adirondacks. Up there I use an ultralight spinning setup with 4# mono. A couple years back I landed a 6 pound largemouth using a Gary Yamamoto rubber worm Texas rigged on a #1 or #2 barbless hook.
Wow.....I haven't fished for Bass since I was a kid! But for trout Iremember using a super small willow leaf setup with my fly rod sometimes when I worked a slow moving stream. I'd usually cast up stream into a ripple that would meander through the rocks into a pool or under a low hanging branch. I tried the same rig for Bass working close to the shore from a canoe and had some success.
It is incredible but true: I was fishing a tiny stream you know the size you can step across one morning and was sneaking up on a hole. In these small streams the game is over once the fish sees you. There was a nice little rainbow swimming back and forth across a little water fall catching whatever came across. I did a roll cast with a small fly and the fish actually jumped out of the water and caught the fly mid air. I caught the little fellow and then released him. On this stream I would usually catch several fish/trip and keep a couple for breakfast. Fresh trout make a great breakfast.
Here in Alabama I have really enjoyed catching spotted bass out of the local warm water streams. I mean in July the water is in the eighties and the fish bite like crazy. I usually have much better luck fishing the rapids just like I would fish a trout stream. There is a Coosa Bass (redeye bass) native to just a few streams that I want to catch. I love smallmouth on a fly rod. I have not fished for smallmouth but pick one up every now and then. As far as I know there are no small mouth in the warrior river system. But since the Tennessee river and the Warrior have joined via the Tenn-Tom waterway they might be some. There are smallmouth in the Tennessee river system. http://www.outdooralabama.com/fishing/freshwater/fish/bassblack/smallmouth/ http://blackwarriorriver.org/river-facts.html http://www.georgiariverfishing.com/GAarticles/OtherBass/OtherBass.htm
Here in Alabama I have really enjoyed catching spotted bass out of the local warm water streams. I mean in July the water is in the eighties and the fish bite like crazy. I usually have much better luck fishing the rapids just like I would fish a trout stream. There is a Coosa Bass (redeye bass) native to just a few streams that I want to catch. I love smallmouth on a fly rod. I have not fished for smallmouth but pick one up every now and then. As far as I know there are no small mouth in the warrior river system. But since the Tennessee river and the Warrior have joined via the Tenn-Tom waterway they might be some. There are smallmouth in the Tennessee river system. http://www.outdooralabama.com/fishing/freshwater/fish/bassblack/smallmouth/ http://blackwarriorriver.org/river-facts.html http://www.georgiariverfishing.com/GAarticles/OtherBass/OtherBass.htm