Dear Trouts....

[jjsjigs]

Dear Trouts...

It has been fun, really it has. Your beautiful mountain streams... the clear cold waters full of wonder. But.. your merely a passing diversion in my book. You have occupied my time, helped my brush off the cobwebs of my casting and helped me get back in tune to the music of flyfishing that I missed during the long cold North Central PA winter.

However, your bronzed friends who live in the slightly more tepid waters have my attention now. Yes, that's right, the smallmouth bass. Really, I'm sorry. It's not you.. it's me. I really, really love the Smallmouth Bass more than you. No, No, don't cry... we will always have the memories of April and May together.

But for now... we must end it.

Sincerely,

JJ's Jigs

 

[fishingkidPA]

i want to fish for SM with my fly rod. got any tips? i imagine its a blast!

 

[CPRASAP]

LMAO Thats hilarious!! I'll have to warn ya though. Thats exactly how my Musky addiction started. I switched things up and started chasin smallies and was having an absolute blast with them. Then, one day I was fishin for bass in waters that had Musky. The popper I was using (which had caught quite a few smallies) was RUDELY separated from my leader by a toothy critter. From there, I decided to start throwin lines with metal leaders and I don't think I'll ever be the same. The bass were fantastic though. Good luck man and enjoy! I still have to hit up the smallies once in a while but those blasted Musky have taken over my soul!!


Jay

 

[jjsjigs]

Tips? Well sure! STREAMERS my friend. As big and ugly as you can throw! Bass love 'em. Lots of 1/0 and 2/0 hooks... heck I even use some Salmon hooks for a few patterns in the fall when the really BIG SMB eat like crazy!

I use an 8 wgt for bass. A little overkill on the NB Suskie. When I go fishing in warmwater streams I take my 5 wgt. On the river though I never know if I'm gonna latch into a muskie or pike so I like to have my 8 wgt with me.

Good luck with SMB fishing. Once you get bit by the "bass bug" trout just aren't that awesome anymore.

 

[barbless]

Sight fishing for river smallies is as much fun as sight fishing for trout. Nothing like rolling a big black stonefly into the feeding lane, and watching one take. But you don't often get the chance to sight fish for them, compared to trout.

I was on the Potomac for a white fly hatch one night. But it didn't start until after dark, and I didn't have a clue as to how to handle it. And the no-see-ums didn't help.

I'll know next time- use a white popper or a dressed bucktail on a 3' 0X leader, fish close, and cast to the sound of a munching fish. Which is sometimes about 4 feet away.

From what I saw, smallies don't really rise, they munch. Like they want more than one fly at once.

But most smallmouth fishers agree that big streamers are the ticket. They prefer big meals. A 5" smallmouth will hit a fly or lure that's the same length.

 

[sniperfreak223]

barbless wrote:
Sight fishing for river smallies is as much fun as sight fishing for trout. Nothing like rolling a big black stonefly into the feeding lane, and watching one take. But you don't often get the chance to sight fish for them, compared to trout.

I was on the Potomac for a white fly hatch one night. But it didn't start until after dark, and I didn't have a clue as to how to handle it. And the no-see-ums didn't help.

I'll know next time- use a white popper or a dressed bucktail on a 3' 0X leader, fish close, and cast to the sound of a munching fish. Which is sometimes about 4 feet away.

From what I saw, smallies don't really rise, they munch. Like they want more than one fly at once.

But most smallmouth fishers agree that big streamers are the ticket. They prefer big meals. A 5" smallmouth will hit a fly or lure that's the same length.

If anyone doubts a bass' ambitions when it comes to a big meal, here's a pic from my last outing, not a smallmouth, but still...

 

[Fishidiot]

Lotsa warm water insurgents here.

"Trout are For Suckers!"

:-D

Here's hopin for a great bass year.

 

[jjsjigs]

hey barbless... you gotta try one of these during the white fly hatch. The big boys and girls hit this fly!! A white Bomber! (Plus if you go fishing for summer steelhead... this fly works cool too!)