Fly Fishing for Bass??

[walkeraviator]

Here is the situation... small stream near my parents house. Gtes to maybe 3ft deep at the most, but mostly in the 6" deep range... can see lots of descent size fish that appear to be largemouth. Nothing over 2lbs, but large enough to make a decent meal.

What can i do to catch one on a fly rod? Keep inmind my rod is a 5/6 wt and i cant go too big on fly size... water is really clear with an ok current most of the time.

[Rock_Fish]

It will be difficult to cast to them in that kind of water and not spook them. You would almost want to cast where there was not a fish, And wait til one comes around that area. Then strip your trusty wolly bugger across the bottom. Or cast well above them if there is enough current to carry it down. I would start with a white Bead head WB. That way you will be able to see your fly and any fish that might be interested. Good Luck !

Brother Rich will chime in I am sure and give you the deadly formula for Bass! I have never landed a Bass on a FR. But The WB is very versatile ! It should do the trick ???

Let us know how it works out !

[RICHYD4U]

LOL! Chime in I shall Rock..... I am, by no means, a master on the subject of FFin for bass....but I have caughten quite a few on the old FR. What Rock was saying is spot on....you can't go wrong with WBs....white is excellent for visual purposes....brown and olive are good for natural presentations. I have had the most luck in creek bass (smallies and LMs) by utilizing crawdad patterns. A brown WB will give the bass the idea of a fleeing craw...that is usually my basic fly. You can get even more technical by using the multiple variations of crawdad patterns. Rock hit the nail on the head when he talked about your presentation in skinny water. You will have to be STEALTHY...approach your spot low, and find some cover to hide behind. If you flop your fly and line to close to the fish....it will be gone. Creek fish are very, very SPOOKY! Have fun and let us know how you do!

p.s. if you use a ghost tip, or even a long leader...it will prevent your heavy/visible fly line from spooking the fish off. Just another idea.

-Rich

[walkeraviator]

right now i have a 7' 4x tapered leader i bought and nail knotted on... will it work for not spookin the bass? it is 6# test... i figure that should be ok on teh small bass here as long as i let em run when they want right?

[RICHYD4U]

right now i have a 7' 4x tapered leader i bought and nail knotted on... will it work for not spookin the bass? it is 6# test... i figure that should be ok on teh small bass here as long as i let em run when they want right?

7' leader with a 3' tippet section should be plenty. It all depends upon your casting accuracy.....try and lead the fish, and account for the current flow. Keep our visible fly line as far away from the fish as possible. Good luck!

p.s. If there are decent fish in this creek of yours, I would upgrade my leader to 10lb as well as my tippet. This should help you avoid breaking off when that bass hits and heads straight into cover! lol!

-Rich

[walkeraviator]

So based on your guys recommendations i just bought a white and an olive wooly bugger in size 8... also purchased some streamers made iwth chain bead eyes so they will be lighter and can be cated on the lighter weight rod that i own...

[flyfish]

Wait until you hook into that first 5 pounder!

[walkeraviator]

doubt there are any 5 pounders in the creek ill be hittin up...

question.. how do you fish a streamer? short strips? long strips???

additionally what does it feel like when a fly gets hit under water? is it a thump like a soft plastic gets thumped? i will be using this technique in still water and slack water on the stream.. so i dont think i will need a strike indicator.. but i could be wrong...

[eddie_m]

Walker, PM sent.

[walkeraviator]

bump for my question...

[Boat Bums]

I can think of alot of flies that would work very well for Bass. Clouser's minnows are one of my fav. Here is a good place to look http://www.murraysflyshop.com/

[Deaddrift84]

That little creek wouldn't happen to be Harrod's Creek would it?