want to start fishing for smallmouth

[kobalt335]

I want to try to get into fishing for smallmouth in Big Pine Creek near Waterville. I have never fished Big Pine and I have zero experience fly fishing for smallmouth.

What rod weight is good? I use a 9ft 5 weight for trout, would that be fine? I also have a 9ft 6/7 weight but I don't have a reel for it, but I am able to get one.

I also have no idea about the flies to get to start with.

Any advice is greatly appreciated, thanks in advance!

 

[kenbo5733]

wooly buggers about size # 6 works well for me and poppers, 6 or 7 wt rod is pretty good.

 

[Fishidiot]

kobalt335 wrote:
I want to try to get into fishing for smallmouth in Big Pine Creek near Waterville. I use a 9ft 5 weight for trout, would that be fine? I also have a 9ft 6/7 weight but I don't have a reel for it, but I am able to get one.
I also have no idea about the flies to get to start with.

Pine is a good summer smallmouth stream and your 5WT rod will work fine (the 6/7 would be better but go fishing with what yuh got).

Have a handful of 2-3" long Clouser Minnows and a handful of poppers. Size and color isn't all that important, but you should stick with smaller sized flies with a 5WT. On poppers, the floating "popper" head should not be much larger than your fingernail.

There are plenty of bass fishing reports and info in the Stream Reports and Warmwater forums. Take some time to breeze through these.

 

[sandfly]

clouser crawfish, hellgrammites, and lasher fly's have been hot all summer. they are not looking at poppers much this year with the higher water and cooler temps, besides the trout are hitting the same flies. going to be muddy and high through this weekend. just looked at it hoping to fish, no good for at least 3 days. if you are up this weekend hit the Tioga river instead.

 

[poopdeck]

I routinely catch small mouth on my 5 wt. no problem. for small stream sm I fish a size 12 wooly bugger, small clousers, small black poppers and prince nymphs are my favorites. Casting the larger fluffy flies can be an exercise in patience though with a 5 wt. I don't have anything larger than a 5 wt so I just down size my flies.