Some smallmouth anglers love fallfish while others curse them. However, if you are catching many large fallfish in a smallmouth river you are playing the game properly because fallfish feed on the same natural foods as the bass and in the same locations. Just keep using the same tactics and same flies and you’ll catch the bass also.
Harry with a late evening Smallmouth Bass caught on the fly!
Harrys Fly Fishing Podcasts
By August the natural grasshoppers are large enough to attract smallmouth bass. Fish a hopper pattern tight to the banks where you see hay fields and pasture fields because this is where the natural hoppers are. Upon delivery allow your Hopper to lie still for 10 seconds then fish it slowly out in a kicking action by stripping it two inches every five seconds until it is 10 feet from the bank. Repeat this sequence on successive casts every 5 feet down the bank and you’ll have exciting action. Yes, large smallmouths will take Hoppers. Last year my son took one well over 3 pounds on the Murray’s Bass Hopper.
Smallmouth Bass Fishing Report
Frequently large trout in heavily fished streams refuse one’s dry fly because it is not drifting naturally on the surface. Mixed currents pull on the leader causing the fly to drag. Frequently this “drag” is so subtle the angler cannot see it but the trout can. My favorite slack line cast to assure a natural presentation is one the late Vince Marinaro showed me. Vice called it a “puddle cast”. To achieve it the presentation cast is made with about five feet more line than is needed to reach the target and the rod tip is stopped at about 30 degrees above the stream. The line and leader fall in a puddle, the fly drifts naturally and you’ve got your trout. With a little practice you’ll be amazed with the natural presentations you can achieve with this cast.
Some fine smallmouth rivers have large populations of rock bass, sunfish and smallmouth bass. It is definitely possible to catch one of each on three successive casts. However, they each have a slightly different preference in their normal habitat. The smallmouth bass like the fastest water, the rock bass prefer slightly slower currents while the sunfish like the slowest water. Personally I enjoy catching all three species, but if you are hunting for big smallmouth bass and you are catching only sunfish try concentrating on the faster currents.
You’re fishing a heavy trico or pseudocleon hatch and you’ve done pretty well with size 24 flies by matching the hatch. However, some of the largest trout refused your best efforts even when you went to 8X and used a slack line cast. A trick which has been very successful for me when the hatch tapers off for the day is to switch to an entirely different pattern but one which these trout are accustomed to seeing—I like the Murray’s Flying Beetle size 16. When you spot a rise cast your Beetle two feet upstream of the trout so it drifts to him naturally. Many of the late-hatch feeders just can’t resist taking one more fly and the larger Beetle must appear especially appetizing.
Harrys Fly Fishing Podcasts
One of the worst problems that can confront a fly fisherman on a two week long fishing trip to a distant location is to have ones casting arm or shoulder give out. The arm may become so sore that casting is painful or, as I saw happen to a friend on the Yellowstone River, a local physician strongly recommended no casting for a week. My friend sat on the guides deck each evening waiting to hear how we did. To prevent this I like to build up my arm before the trip even though I fish some almost every day at home. You can easily build your arm and shoulder up by swinging a hammer 300 times twice a day for a month before your trip.
