another warm water bass fishin' question

[bigslackwater]

I just got the fly fishing fever this year and now I'm hooked! This warm weather has really been a let down since I want to get out and fish as much as possible. I have learned a lot just reading this board and I agree that when trout are stressed because of drought and heat, it's best to let them be. I actually had a bad experience a few weeks ago when I caught a brown (I intended to release) that I think was on the verge of dying. So I released a half dead fish in to catch and release only waters...Lesson learned and I dont want to repeat that.

This leads to my question: I will be at a picnic tomorrow right along the West branch Conococheugue near Mercersburg. It's hard to get that close to water and not get the urge to fly fish! I hear there is good small mouth bass fishing in the creek. How do I go about fishing for bass and avoid catching trout? Is it even possible or are there some flies/methods that will pretty much guarantee me bass. Thanks in advance!

 

[jayL]

There are no guarantees.

That said, I'd bring a few of your woolybuggers, a few small baitfish imitations (paging gfen - you still have that clouser love, right?), and some larger nymphs. A few poppers from a local fly shop (you can get real junky ones at wally world if need be) should round your selection out nicely.

You should at least find some rock bass, assuming they are there, which I think is worth it in itself.

 

[The_Sasquatch]

Those Wally World poppers will actually catch you something (the Cortland 3 pack). They break after like, 5 strikes, and they aren't the MOST useful patterns, but I've caught many a bass on them. I think w/ poppers you'll MOST LIKELY avoid the trout.

Again though, the Walmart ones should only be used if you can't get to a local fly shop

 

[jayL]

As a kid, I threw them on the bass pond that essentially amounted to my entire WW fishing world for almost a decade.

I'd take an ultralight and toss them 5-6 feet with a godawful heave. It worked.

Once I learned that they were meant for the fly rod, the fun really started.

They absolutely work. My biggest complaint is that bluegills will take them deep, and the popper head completely fills their mouth, leaving them impossible to safely remove.

 

[The_Sasquatch]

Yeah....that is an issue. I hate that.

Debarb the hooks. It obviously doesn't help too much when a 5" fish swallows a 1.5" popper, but you do what you can.

 

[bigslackwater]

thanks! "Least likely to catch trout" is what I was looking for...I will try the walmart poppers!

 

[Fishidiot]

Bigslack,
I'd agree - poppers are probably the least likely to get bit by trout. Generally speaking, bass tend to like big flies and trout this time of year often key on smaller stuff. Another thing to consider is time of day. During the hotter afternoon hours, trout are less likely to be active and, thus, less likely to feed. If there is a small, cold feeder creek you might see trout stacked up there (good place to avoid). Finally, if you do happen to catch a trout there's a good chance he'll be fine if you fight him in quick and release him properly (if he dies, you can always take him home and eat him). My guess would be that there probably aren't a lot of trout left in the section of stream you plan to fish.

And be careful when fighting/releasing bass too. Although tough and hardy, they're deserving of a lot more respect than some scrawny stocked trout in my opinion. Smallies are wild and slow growing - a 12" bass in a small creek is probably a 4-6 year old fish.

 

[gfen]

jayL wrote:
That said, I'd bring a few of your woolybuggers, a few small baitfish imitations (paging gfen - you still have that clouser love, right?), and some larger nymphs. A few poppers from a local fly shop (you can get real junky ones at wally world if need be) should round your selection out nicely.

Do I ever! The Clouser Minnow is the best damned fly you can make, and its remarkably effective in just about any size.

The original recipie calls for bucktail, but don't let that stop you.. Anything works! Craft fur, marabou, and any number of synthetic fibers.

Personally, I think they look better than buggers, keep 'em sparse, dark colour goes on the top of the fly, which is the bottom of the hook, and a bit of flash in the middle. I was taught to take an extra moment and use red thread to bind the eyes and first material down for a gill effect.

If you can tie, and you don't have eyes, try some beadchain from a light pull or keychain. Key chain beads will work for a light, but usuable, size 10 or 8.

The Gartside Gurgler is also stupid easy to tie, made wth cheap materials you probably have, and very effective. Tune it on the water for the effect you want.

jayL wrote:
As a kid, I threw them on the bass pond that essentially amounted to my entire WW fishing world for almost a decade.

I'd take an ultralight and toss them 5-6 feet with a godawful heave. It worked.

I'd sit there and wave my 5'6" ugly stick in the air like some sort of deranged idiot trying to emulate guys with a fly rod for about 6' of distance, but it was still fun.

 

[jdaddy]

bigslackwater wrote:
This leads to my question: I will be at a picnic tomorrow right along the West branch Conococheugue near Mercersburg. It's hard to get that close to water and not get the urge to fly fish! I hear there is good small mouth bass fishing in the creek. How do I go about fishing for bass and avoid catching trout? Is it even possible or are there some flies/methods that will pretty much guarantee me bass. Thanks in advance!

I would not worry about trout in Conococheague unless you are fishing a confluence with a cold trib. That baby is cooking. There are smallmouth and rock bass there.

 

[bigslackwater]

"(if he dies, you can always take him home and eat him)."
Fishidiot, that was my dilemma I had with that brown I caught. Had it been anywhere else I would've said this guy isn't going to make it, I'm taking him home! However, It was catch and release only. Do I take a fish home to eat because I know he's not going to make it and risk breaking the law, or do I put a half dead fish back? I chose to put him back. As I watched him roll over and float down stream, I really questioned my decision! Like I said, lesson learned.

 

[Fishidiot]

bigslackwater wrote:
Do I take a fish home to eat because I know he's not going to make it and risk breaking the law, or do I put a half dead fish back? I chose to put him back. As I watched him roll over and float down stream, I really questioned my decision! Like I said, lesson learned.

You definitely made the right decision. Mother Nature has plenty of use for a dead fish (and he may have survived). This is a dilemma on C&R waters. As far as I know, the stream you're planning to fish does not have a C&R requirement so you won't have this dilemma.

Keep in mind that most stocked trout in most waters across this part of PA don't survive the summer anyway.

 

[bigslackwater]

Very True, I was at Renfrew Park (Antietam Creek) in waynesboro...seemed to be a lot of thriving trout in there but I haven't been back in a few weeks. I hope there are still some when the weather gets better. Anyway, I got my poppers at walmart today and will be heading up to mercersburg soon.

And for tomorrow, My wife and I plan to go up to Falling Springs around mid afternoon. I'm real excited for our first Falling Springs adventure!

 

[The_Sasquatch]

SO how did it go?

 

[bigslackwater]

Well, it was a nice practice on the Conococheugue. It was dumping buckets of rain when I got there around 6pm. I waited until it was a drizzle and then wet waded out with a popper. Water was warm and fairly murky. Had a couple blue gills or sunnies not much larger than the popper follow it around. Twice I saw trout jumping around me. I got tired of the popper after a about a half hour. Since I've never seen bass but only heard they are in there, I gave up. There is a nice feeder spring at this location with much much cooler water. I'm guessing a 20 deg difference... So I got the idea that maybe there would be some trout up there but by this time light was starting to fade. I tied on a small hopper and ventured up the spring. Got hung up in some low hanging trees. Tied another one on, got hung up again because I was having trouble seeing. I spend more valuable time trying to retrieve one of my flies that was broken off at the tippet, just barely out of reach on a branch...with some acrobatics I got it! So no luck, but I did get some practice casting and did get to see some more promising waters next time...btw, this is the third time I've fished there and caught nothing.

Sunday we did not get up to Falling Springs. Thunderstorm hit and we were to take the girls to the grandparents and decided to wait for a better day. FS is about 20 minutes from our house so I think we will get a chance here soon. I told my wife, Alaina, that we need to go up there together for our first go at it. She's the one who got the bright idea for us to get in to fly fishing. It seems like I got the fever and she is mildly curious about it! The thing is she's really good at it without trying. She landed her first trout on a fly within minutes, the first time she picked up a fly rod!