"Traditional" Wet Flies for Smallmouth

[cornmuse 0]

Folks;

 

On a recent business trip I found the time to visit an outstanding used bookstore that had an excellent selection of books on fishing. One of the volumes I picked up was Night Fishing For Trout by Jim Bashline. A quick read and a slim volume, but very, very interesting. One of the techniques Mr. Bashline advocates is the swinging of large (size 6 and 8) wet flies for after-dark brown trout in PA. The gears kicked in...

 

I wondered what kind of wet flies would work on smallmouth bass? While I've taken plenty of bronze on soft-hackles (an excellent techique in late May), I've not really fished the traditional down-and-across with a pair of wetflies for smallmouth. Considering this is the technique used by the pioneers of the sport I can only assume it can be as effective today as it was 100 years ago.

 

Great! Now I've got a whole new reason to buy *another* fly box, tie three dozen flies, get unobtainable material to tie those flies, and look for a good tree to lose them in!

 

So here is the topic... What flies should I tie for this project? How can I refine the look of these flies to keep a traditional proportion while making them true fish harvesting machines? Any wet fly fisherman out there who'd care to chime on in?

 

Here are the first four patterns I played around with. From the top, a varation on a Professor using a palmered hackle and tied on a Gamakatsu red size 6 hook. Mid level left, a poorly tied leadwing coachman (I've got to work on my quill wings, I haven't tied those in two dogs ages), and right is an Alexandria. Bottom is a Royal Coachman tied with arctic fox wing. Which flies would you add to a final selection of, say, six to eight patterns? How would you modify them for smallmouth bass fishing?

 

Tight lines!

 

Joe C.

[Fly1 0]

I've had great luck with the Alexandria pattern for Bass tied on size 6 hooks but also most hairwing or feather wing bait fish patterns work great as well. My all round favorite to out fish most bait or spinner fishermen is one I call No Regrets

 

Ken

[Guest]

For an excellent book on fly patterns for bass see if your local library has a copy of Ray Bergmans "Freshwater Bass", he lists lot's of wet fly patterns in there,

 

I'll pull my copy tonight and list some for you.

 

Fatman

[cornmuse 0]

QUOTE

My all round favorite to out fish most bait or spinner fishermen is one I call No Regrets

 

Is that pattern in the data base? Its a cool looking fly - very perch-like. I'm sure its deadly in northern waters.

 

QUOTE

see if your local library has a copy of Ray Bergmans "Freshwater Bass", he lists lot's of wet fly patterns in there,

 

Thanks for the heads-up. I'll check for that one. Please do list some of your favs from the text.

 

Joe C.

[Fly1 0]

QUOTE

Is that pattern in the data base? Its a cool looking fly - very perch-like. I'm sure its deadly in northern waters.

 

No it's not in the pattern data base but I will put it in.

 

Ken

[Joe Hard 0]

Here is a pattern that is listed in a book I have as a terrestrial,it is called McGinty:

 

Hook:Mustad3906,6 to 12

Tail:A few fibers of red hackle,with optional fibers of mallard-flank

Body:Three bands of black chenille alternating with two bands of of yellow chenille

Hackle:Brown hen-hackle fibers tied in as a throat

Wing:Paired sections of secondary mallard feathers with white tips

Head:Black lacquer

 

The chenille is tied in black,yellow,black,yellow,black,and is a bee immitation.

[Sean Juan 0]

Are you looking for traditional wet flies (I'm assuming orginally designed for Salmon or trout) that can be adapted for smallmouth or for traditional smallmouth flies?

 

 

 

 

[cornmuse 0]

QUOTE (Sean Juan @ Dec 7 2004, 01:41 PM)

Are you looking for traditional wet flies (I'm assuming orginally designed for Salmon or trout) that can be adapted for smallmouth or for traditional smallmouth flies?

I guess my initial thought was to adapt any traditional wet fly - Professor, Grizzly King, Queen of the Waters, etc...

 

Flies that are specifically historic bass flies are even a better bet - the Yellow Sally comes to mind. I remember seeing that fly many years ago, tied on a ring-eye hook in about a size 2, being sold at the neighborhood Western Auto store to be fished behind a spinner for bass. And the Red Ibis, too! If I knew then what I know now I'd have bought a fistfull just to have them.

 

This all started because I had to go and buy the 'Andes' bass fly from http://www.favoriteflies.com/. That, and the book mentioned in my originating post, really got me to thinking about bass fishing techniques which may have been used on the Ohio R and its tribs back at the turn of the twentieth century. I'd like to catch a bronze battler or two using those antiquated methods and traditional flies. Oh God, now I might have to go and get a bamboo rod just to keep the experience "authentic"!

 

I purchased a nice little Wheately fly box just for this collection of flies. I'll fill it this winter and be plying my "down and across" swing as soon as the trilliums are in bloom!

 

Tight Lines!

 

Joe C

[cornmuse 0]

QUOTE (Fatman @ Nov 29 2004, 10:49 AM)

For an excellent book on fly patterns for bass see if your local library has a copy of Ray Bergmans "Freshwater Bass", he lists lot's of wet fly patterns in there, I'll pull my copy tonight and list some for you. Fatman

I ordered up Bergman's Bass from the local library. It sounds like this will be a great source for inspiration. I'm looking forward to that fly box stuffed with new ideas!

 

Joe C.

[cornmuse 0]

I got Bergman's book and some SOB cut the color plates out of it! There is a description of the flies that are shown in the plates and that will at least let me research the patterns.

 

The book is a hoot to read. I read "the masters" 30 years ago when I first got the bug in a big way. Now, rereading the classic texts, I see how far the sport has come.

 

It makes going back to the golden age in spirit an more poignant excersize.

 

J

[Guest]

QUOTE

Here is a pattern that is listed in a book I have as a terrestrial,it is called McGinty:

WOW!! I haven't even thought of that one in decades. As one of the "Older Than Dirt" crowd, I have used them in times long past. They were very effective on panfish, but I don't know that I ever tried them on Smallies.

Thanks Daryn