Favorite smallmouth patterns?

[michiganborn 0]

What's your favorite smallmouth pattern?

Pictures welcome and encouraged!

[mainbutter 0]

Poppers are my favorite because topwater blasts are awesome.

 

However I've had most of my success crawling and swim/jigging crayfish flies.

[RustyB 0]

I love articulated streamers and one of my favorite for smallies is my Mr. Nasty. It's about 5 inches long and the "S" swim action makes it a blast to fish. I heard Lefty once said "if it ain't chartreuse, it ain't no use" and I believe it. My top 5 smallies have all came on chartreuse baits.

[riffleriversteelheadslayer 0]

murdich minnow

[brandon natelli 0]

Shannon Streamers!

 

They have a wonderful swimming action in the water. And are really, really simple to tie. I got the one in the picture from a fly swap I did, and it made me tie up a bunch more in other colors.

[Rocco 0]

Brandon,

 

You can also color them with marking pens and add silly legs! The mega chennile is available in sewing stores.

 

Rocco

[Guest rich mc]

i was going to mention the shannon streamer. i also waterproof the head ,shoulders and back which makes it float high rich mcelligott

[tidewaterfly 0]

I also prefer topwater for Smallmouths, but have used many patterns with good success. I'm a firm believer in big flies for bigger fish, but will choose based on where I'm fishing. For example, if fishing the Potomac or MD portion of the Susquehanna, both rather large rivers, I'll go much bigger than if in the smaller area streams. I also tend to use large baitfish patterns more in the bigger rivers, because I feel my chances are better with that type of fly & because there are other species that might also be caught on a baitfish pattern. Most of my flies do double duty anyway, as I'll use the same flies for bass & for Striped Bass.

 

Here's some of the flies I'll use:

Goldie/Kreelex variation

 

Dahlberg Divers

 

Murdich Minnow variations

 

Clousers

 

Stone Nymph

 

Ostrich Leech

 

Yank's Assassins

 

Muddlers

 

Various Flies I use as Crayfish

 

Streamers

 

Popper & Sliders

 

Foam Topwater

 

Seaducers

 

Bendbacks

 

Buggers

[tidewaterfly 0]

Rabbit Strips

 

Dry Flies, Deer Hair

 

Various Other flies

[EricF 0]

I gotta admit, they don't catch the biggest fish, but I LOVE damselfly imitations. When the bass are going for the adults it is hellacious topwater action. I've settled on a really simple imitation - dubbed body, maybe some hackle, long strip of foam for thorax and abdomen, and then some long hackle tips for wings - I don't even bother tying them splayed. Plop it down where the adults are and BOOM. What a hoot.

[JohnP 0]

That is an amazing collection, Tidewater Fly. Thanks for sharing.

[Possumpoint 0]

Tidewater Fly I agree that is an amazing collection. My jaw dropped when I saw it. Thanks many times over for sharing it.

[176319 0]

Wow I followed a couple of these suggestion and... BOOM... 5,5lbs

[Rfinn 0]

I spent close to $25 buying smallie specific flies for my first smallie exclusive trip last year. Got 0 hits on these. Ended up catching all my smallies on a purple beadhead woolly bugger. Seems to be fairly effective.

[tidewaterfly 0]

Thanks for the comments! Actually, these are just a small part of my collection of flies. I keep adding to it!

 

Point is there are many flies that will work. Myself, I like variety. A lot of patterns is not needed, but it's fun to use different things, sometimes having something different can make an otherwise unproductive day successful too. Plus, and I've said this many times, a lot of flies can be used for multiple species, particularly warmwater or saltwater flies so having variety is not a bad idea. Of course I didn't get all the flies I have overnight either. It's the culmination of many years of tying, buying & collecting!

 

Nothing wrong with a good basic selection either, particularly if you're buying them. Not everyone can afford to buy a lot of flies. Just be sure to cover the water column with a few that will fish deep, some mid depth & shallow flies, and some topwater flies, and select colors that are light & dark.

 

Frankly, in over 50 years of fishing, I've found that I use 3 colors the most no matter whether it's flies or lures, and they are white, black & chartreuse. I use many colors, but these 3 are what I've had the most success with over many years & with many species.

 

176319, which patterns did you use? A 5.5lb Smallmouth is a trophy anywhere!