"Big Smallie Streamers"
flies featured in story by Harry Murray

Black only

Size 4, 6, 8, 10, 12

$2.35

Murray's Olive Road

Kill Nymph©
more info

olive green

Size 6

$3.15

Dark Brown Turkey

Size 8, 10

$3.15

Brown or Gray

Size 8

$4.80

Size 4, 6

$3.80

Yes, large bass eat little bass and they hit this bucktail pattern quickly. Cast this in tight against the banks where the water is two to three feet deep over a stream bottom composed of marble-sized stones and strip it out very slowly.

Many smallmouth bass rivers have great populations of fall fish and they are an important food source for the bass. At dusk and dawn fish these below the riffles and in the tails of the pools. During the rest of the day fish them along the shaded banks and in the deep runs.

The late Joe Brooks introduced me to the orginial Blond series many years ago and they have given me many nice bass.  By adding more flash and perch colors we have a new bucktail that is outstanding. Fish these around the islands and along the bank with a slow six inch stripping action.

This streamer looks and acts like a real tadpole. Fish this with a slow stripping action along the drop offs where the mud-bottom flats meet the main currents in the river and where slow back waters flow into the river.

Black, Olive or Cream

Size 4, 6, 8, 10
$2.35

This is the most consistent fly I know for taking large smallmouth bass. Swim this slowly along the stream bottom in the riffles, runs and deep pools with a very slow line hand stripping action at a down and across stream angle. We tie this with lead eyes to take it down quickly and to enhance its natural diving action during the retrieve. I have several friends who seldom use any other fly than this when they are big fish hunting.

Bass feed heavily upon small sunfish and we've had outstanding success with this pattern.  Fish them in tight to the banks and around grass beds with a very slow stripping action.

This pattern is my favorite shiner streamer to use if the water is too fast or too deep to easily get the Silver Outcast down deeply.  I like to fish these tight against the deep grass beds and drop offs at the edges of the gravel bars.

We fish these chub minnows in the cuts between ledges, in open pools and below riffles with great results.  The slower and deeper you can fish them the bigger fish you'll catch.  Equally effective for both trout and bass.

Streamers are very effective flies to use when you want to cover a lot of water in a hurry. The Zonkers and Mylar Minnows below work quite well for this because they pass for a broad variety of minnows. A different approach is to select specific streamers which match the minnows found in the specific water you are fishing. The Sculpins Streamers and Spuddlers are excellent patterns to use below the riffles where the real sculpin minnows live.

Shenk's Sculpin

Size 4, 6, 8
$2.95

Master angler Ed Shenk developed this outstanding pattern after many years of fishing and experimenting with various patterns on many of the world's best streams.  Equally effective for both trout and bass.

Shenk's White Streamer

Size 4, 6, 8
$2.75

Ed has an outstanding chub minnow pattern here and I use it for both trout and bass.

Whitlock's Sculpin

Size 4, 6
$4.15

As you would expect from Dave, these are the most realistic sculpins we have. Since all fish show unexplained preferences in just which sculpin they will take on specific days this is one the three patterns I carry all the time - the other two being Shenk's Sculpin and the Spuddler.

Whitlock's Near Nuff Sculpin
Size 4, 6
$2.60

If the currents are strong or the water is deep this is your ticket for showing your fly to those fish holding along the stream bottom. It's lead eyes and soft materials aid us greatly in presenting these fish a realistic pattern within their grasp.-Don't go lighter than a 2X leader with this streamer, or you may snap off a big fish on the strike.