The #1 bass fly?

[Atratus 0]

I went fishing today and caught many sunfish (redbreast and bluegill) and also lots of bass around. They were hanging close to the bottom and just poking around. I tried woolybuggers of diffrent colors and at diffrent depths, I tried poppers, and I tried a bunch of nymphs; only the popper drew some intrest to a select few. Any suggestions for a fly that would get these fish to strike?

[appalachian angler (tn.) 0]

There are alot of factors that will affect what the bass will take ie. water temp, avaialble forage in the water body you are fishing, etc. If you are fishing in clear moving water for smallies, I think presentation, and the action you impart to the fly is far more important than the size, color and/or pattern. Most importantly, these same smallies in streams and rivers will SPOOK quicker than a brook trout! Stealth is of the highest order. I have alot of luck with woolly buggers no matter where I fish them for bass and redeye in sizes 10-4. I like to use lots of maribu and the softest rooster hackle I can find because of the added movement. My favorite woolly pattern uses orangish(is this a word?)brown maribu and hackle with a peacock herl body and a bead head. I tie in a little crystal flash in with the tail. Variations with black and olives seem to be good colors as well. In swifter pocket water try dead drifting weighted big gold-ribbed-hare's-ear nymphs (#10-8) or big stonefly nymph patterns like sz. 8-4 rubber legged tellico nymphs. Hope this helps.

 

tight lines,

 

A.A.

[Guest]

Maybe you could try a deep clouser? With big eyes, tied in olive and orange, like a bluegill? -redneck

[vices 0]

Atratus, in my experience its all about the red tag... sets any bass off, i use usually add a red throat, beard or you can tag the tail.. give that a try and good luck

[bassgitter74 0]

sinking tip line and the Calcasieu Pigboat

 

[BusterWolfe 0]

QUOTE (bassgitter74 @ Jul 23 2004, 02:14 PM)

sinking tip line and the Calcasieu Pigboat

Ditto.

[WoolyBugger 0]

Sink tip with a olive wooly bugger. Size 6 4x with lead eyes. Still the greatest, after all these years! Probably better than live bait!

 

WoolyBugger

 

 

[FlyFisher09 0]

I think the best fly would be a rabbit strip diver. A rabbit strip tail and a palmered rabbit strip body.

[Guest]

Of course it depends on how deep the water is you're trying to get to the bottom of, however, my absolute go-to pattern for bass is a polar fiber minnow tied in chartruese over white. Tied unweighted, it slowly drops just like a stunned minnow and I get many takes from large fish on the drop. Great pattern that is not too difficlut to tie, very durable and boy does it catch fish.

 

Jim Smith

[B.C.TroutHunter 0]

QUOTE (vices @ Jul 23 2004, 10:17 AM)

Atratus, in my experience its all about the red tag... sets any bass off, i use usually add a red throat, beard or you can tag the tail.. give that a try and good luck

This also works for trout. Try adding 'Just Add H20' products version of the red krystal flash at the tail and at the head of a rabbit strip leech and you will get a realy good reaction from the trout (must be because it looks like it is bleeding )

[kschu 0]

When fishing the local rivers, I find Clousers to be the go-to fly. When fishing still water, it's woolly buggers and woolly worms (little red tail). When the fish are not biting these basics, I down side to a prince nymph (with or without bead head) or Hare's Ear nymphs.

 

Most of my clousers are chartruse and white. But I really like the idea of Olive and Orange (to imitate a bluegill). I may have to try that.

 

More later,

Ken S.

 

[Atratus 0]

Thanks for all the advice. I think part of the reason I was having problems getting strikes was because it was a small, crystal clear, slow moving stream. I did forget about the red tag. I remember fishing for bass in New York and having some bass jump clear out of the water for a black wooly worm with a red tail.

[sparkleminnow 0]

QUOTE

in my experience its all about the red tag... sets any bass off

I have fished all over for smallies, and I have found that the red tag is not a given. On an Indiana creek, a red faced white popper worked very well. On my home stream, the same red face on a streamer is totally unimportant. AND, pertaining to hybrid striped bass on my favorite tailrace, red will actually turn the fish off! I know that red is a great favorite of many, but I think that best colors absolutly change with region, water color, temp, available forage, and time of year. In my home waters, I can have my best success with pearl in the spring & fall, but olive is the best from late May-June. Black & blue in the summer, and brown w/chart tail, in the fall. Now that's for my water. For someone else in another region, they may have altogether different ideas of what works, in the way of colors. That might be why maunufacturers of soft plastic worms, grubs, tubes, etc., have 50+ colors to choose from.

[nathan 0]

Sink tip,or full sinking line,and a whitlock frog,or similiar fly...that diving,and slowly rising fly can drive them crazy..Nathan

[Guest]

sparkleminnow,

 

I didn't know you fished Indiana waters. I fish a gem of a stream in SE Indiana.