# Fly fishing for bass



## SKUNK__BUSTER (Dec 2, 2009)

Caught my first few bass of the year the other day on the fly. I was using a brown BH bugger. Those LMB fight like nobody's business. These were just hungry little guys. More to be had in the future. Anybody else getting any yet.


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## neverdrawn (Jan 3, 2009)

If you don't mind my asking which lake were you fishing? I've had decent success with smallies on a fly rod but really want to give largemouth a try.


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## SKUNK__BUSTER (Dec 2, 2009)

neverdrawn said:


> If you don't mind my asking which lake were you fishing? I've had decent success with smallies on a fly rod but really want to give largemouth a try.


Sorry I cant give out specifics. It is not a popular lake, it was caught casting into a feeder creek into a smaller pond I know if. They were not biting on the "pond" yet. Good luck getting into some though. I would suggest trying Pelican if you want to catch some Largemouths on the fly. It will be a month and a half or so though. Also hear of some good bass fishing on Sand Hollow ,Powell and Quail Creek. Any of those have largies and if you can catch them on hardware then you can catch them on a fly. Just dont give up.


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## cheech (Sep 25, 2007)

SKUNK__BUSTER said:


> Any of those have largies and if you can catch them on hardware then you can catch them on a fly. Just dont give up.


I wouldn't necessarily say that. When they are on the ultra finesse bite, they can be almost impossible to catch with a fly. Believe me, I have tried a LOT. I fish with both gear and flies, and now I only fish flies for bass when they are pounding topwater. This year I have been fishing since the ice came off (late feb) and they have been responsive to a custom jig dragged through the grass. No fly is that weedless.


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## Alias (Jan 31, 2010)

Haven't been able to get any bass on the fly yet. _*Can't wait*_ until Pelican opens up! May try some other little places here and there before then too. Definitely love the fight on both LMBs and those little "sun perch" (bluegill).
[attachment=0:17q8kulj]bassfly.jpg[/attachment:17q8kulj]


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## lunkerhunter2 (Nov 3, 2007)

Skunk: This summer you need to bring that "rod" up this way and fish a sleeper with me. I have sole access to it and it holds several LMB in the 4# to 6# range. We kill them on topwater and salt sticks. I have never tried flies. You can be the first. The only requirement is that you take 4 cormorants home with you. Dead or not, but if you leave with 1 that is alive i will kick your arse! :lol:


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## Nor-tah (Dec 16, 2007)

Nice work!! I cant wait to get into some Largies!


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## Catherder (Aug 2, 2008)

Since we are on the subject, I have a question to throw out. While I have caught a few LMB on the fly in Colorado and Nevada, I have never tried for good smallies on the fly at a place like Jordanelle, and have wanted to give it a shot the past couple of years. I fish Jordanelle with gear about once a week during the summer, with respectable success, so I know my way around where the bass are, but I feel the fly rod I use for a 12 inch brown out of the Provo would be smashed to kindling by a quality Jordanelle bronzeback. What size of rod and line set-up would you recommend for such an undertaking? I think I have a fair idea what flies would work, at least up there.
Thanks


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## Jitterbug (Sep 10, 2007)

Catherder said:


> I fish Jordanelle with gear about once a week during the summer, with respectable success, so I know my way around where the bass are, but I feel the fly rod I use for a 12 inch brown out of the Provo would be smashed to kindling by a quality Jordanelle bronzeback. What size of rod and line set-up would you recommend for such an undertaking?


I would suggest at least a 6wt but personally I'm going with my 8wt saltwater setup this year at the Nelle. It's probably a little overkill but it does wonders with the wind! A 7wt would probably be perfect for bronzies but you gotta work with what you got, right? 

As for line... I have no idea. I have an intermediate clear sinking line right now but I wonder if thats going to help or harm my catch-rate... we shall see!


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## Frito (Feb 29, 2008)

FWIW,
Cheech speaks the truth. Don't expect to fish all conditions with a fly rod that you would with gear. Ain't gonna happen. I usually have a couple or three gear rods when on the water. I'll still stick to the flies when I at least have a chance of sticking a fish, but you can't drop-shot at 20 feet on a fly rod and good luck chucking a heavy fly into heavy cover without endangering your shipmates or your nice fly line like you would with a bait caster and a heavy weedless jig. 

Ditch the six weight if you're only going to fish one rod. I have a couple of bass-specific fly rods and a 9 weight salt water rod, all with the heavy bellied bass lines. It's not a matter of the fish you're catching so much as the flies you're casting. Big poppers, big heavy weedless flies, big clousers or other baitfish patterns -- even if you're fishing for dinks -- require a bigger rod and a line that can turn them over. Believe me, I've tried with other rods and they don't cut it.

Also, us fly guys need to open the minds when it comes to hook sizes and flies for bass. Forget the stupid size 10's or 8's or 4's. Think something with a "/0" on the end and go from there. Stop thinking trout. It's a whole different ball game both on the rods/lines and the flies. Learn from the gear guys -- they know what they're doing. You don't see them chucking a wooley-bugger sized bait.

Anyway, just some info in case you wanted it. I don't fish much for trout any more, so I'm a little bass-obsessed for the time being. Good luck!


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## kochanut (Jan 10, 2010)

Frito said:


> FWIW,
> but you can't drop-shot at 20 feet on a fly rod


oh yes you can!


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## Frito (Feb 29, 2008)

kochanut said:


> Frito said:
> 
> 
> > FWIW,
> ...


Fair enough. You "can". Just like you "can" cast a 1/2 oz jig on your fly rod. s'all good....


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## kochanut (Jan 10, 2010)

Frito said:


> kochanut said:
> 
> 
> > Frito said:
> ...


heh at least ya got it, but there still sorta is a way to drop shot with a fly rod, its how we fish the high altitude (above tree line) lakes in CO and we use the wind shadows


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## Catherder (Aug 2, 2008)

Frito, good post.



Frito said:


> Ditch the six weight if you're only going to fish one rod. I have a couple of bass-specific fly rods and a 9 weight salt water rod, all with the heavy bellied bass lines.


What is a "bass specific" fly rod? 7 or 8 wt? What features?



Frito said:


> but you can't drop-shot at 20 feet on a fly rod and good luck chucking a heavy fly into heavy cover without endangering your shipmates or your nice fly line like you would with a bait caster and a heavy weedless jig.


I would have to agree as well. And as pretty much a gear guy for bass, I don't see how a fly rod would be efficient in many circumstances, especially when I have a nice custom drop shot or finesse rod ready to use. However, if you fish for bass enough, you also can recognize quickly those times when a fly rod would work and probably be a lot of fun.



Frito said:


> I don't fish much for trout any more, so I'm a little bass-obsessed for the time being


That happens easily doesn't it. Pretty much describes my summer fishing.


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## Frito (Feb 29, 2008)

Catherder said:


> What is a "bass specific" fly rod? 7 or 8 wt? What features?


I have the Sage Smallmouth (8 wt) and the Bluegill (6 wt) bass rods. I use the Largemouth line on my 9 wt. The bass rods are shorter, which is nice when fishing from a boat and they have a really nice matching action when using their specialty lines. It helps when needing to turn over big bugs or cast heavier flies. And it's also nice for doing a little "flipping" style cast into underhangs or doing lob casts like when I decide to chuck a Senko if the flies aren't working .

In fact, you can almost lift the entire line off the water and cast it without a false cast. They say you can use them in a BASS tourney, but I just like the shorter length for the functional aspect. (That's what she said..  )

But whatever, they fit my style and I love to cast with them. I try to have three or four fly rods rigged on the boat. Usually a bigger weedless jig-style fly like the ol' "Zonko" or the biggest frogs and poppers on the 9 wt, baitfish imitations (EP minnows, clousers etc) and regular topwater on the 8 wt and then small topwater and smaller baitfish or chironomids on the 6 wt.

Here's some bass crud I've tied up...





































Smallmouth killer at Jordanelle:









and others in case you're interested: http://www.flickr.com/photos/fritograph ... 360363239/


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

I'll take a dozen of the first one; purple 1/0 please. :mrgreen:


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## Jitterbug (Sep 10, 2007)

Those are some RAD flies! Any chance of posting up a tutorial on the crayfish pattern somewhere?


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## SKUNK__BUSTER (Dec 2, 2009)

cheech said:


> SKUNK__BUSTER said:
> 
> 
> > Any of those have largies and if you can catch them on hardware then you can catch them on a fly. Just dont give up.
> ...


 I never said that it would be easy or that there are not specifics that will help success rates I just plainly said that if you can catch them on hardware you can catch them on flies. Simply put. I will stand by that comment. But I do like all the information that this thread dug up. Those bass flies are sweet too. I will be trying more this year to hook into more warm water species on the fly. Mainly smallies and eyes from starvation. 

Hey Lunker, any time you let me know. 8)


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## Tony (Dec 28, 2007)

I would tell you to go to Daybreak for largies and gills, but didn't they shut it down last year? My sister got roundworm just from walking in the sand. god those pills are huge! anywhoo, there are SOME largemouth biting at the moment. I would suggest just about any of the community ponds. I've caught crappie, blues, and largies out of some lately. just do some exploring, and take some simi seal leeches with ya


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