Delaware River Sm.mouth Suggestions?

[Wayne0k]

Hi All-
I'm new to this board and hoping I can share some quality information and encouragement like those of you already here have done. But today, I'm asking for some advice too.

After spending the last several years crankin' lures on an ultra-light for smallmouth bass on the non-tidal middle Delaware R (mostly Bucks and Northampton counties), I'm ready for a transition back to fly fishing (I used to fly fish small-stream trout). The rod I'll be using for these smallmouth bass is a none-too-fancy 9-foot 6 wt.

I think I've done a fair job searching the web, including these www.paflyfish.com forums, looking for some local productive patterns and have compiled a short list (included below). I've been working on tying these warm water patterns, but I do have some reservations about investing too much time & $$ on any of these, since I haven't tested them, they were basically gathered from sources unfamiliar to me, and not necessarily local favorites.

I'd be very happy to hear from any of you about recommended *sizes* as well as *pattern* choices/variations to start with, for my stretch of water. The bulk of my tying is on hooks sized 4 through 10, with an occasional 2 or 12.

So, here's my list. Let me know what you think. By the way, I live in lower Bucks Co., and I'm planing on attending the Delaware Valley Flyfishers meeting on Feb. 27, at the Silver Lake nature center in Bristol, PA. If anyone on the list is a member, I'm looking forward to meeting you. If not, then maybe out on the river!

Thanks! and best regards-
Wayne
_________
Delaware River Smallmouth Bass Fly List

Poppers:
I never built them before so I'm beggin' for some tips!

Streamers:
Pike variant (black over red rabbit strips with eyes)
Crawfish (rust to tan- squirrel, deer and goose)
Muddler Minnow (natural or olive w/yellow flash)
Clouser Minnow (black < crystal < yellow < white w/ weighted eyes or bead head)
Zonker (natural or yellow/chartrues)
Simple Smelt

Nypmhs & Bottom Bouncers:
Hares Ear (w/wo gold ribbed, w/wo bead head)
Kaufmann Stonefly (black, brown, or golden, w/hackle no wingcase)
Hellgrammite (traditional)
Prince/Martinez nymph (white or slate wing case)
Wooly Bugger/Worm (black or olive brown body, blue dun hackle, w/ red, white, black or yellow/chartreus tail of marabou or coarse hair)

 

[Philly]

There's a couple of ways you can tie up poppers/sliders with out a whole lot of effort.

You'll need
pre formed soft foam poppers bodies
size 2 or 4 hooks-popper hooks optional
thread to match the body or hackle color
saddle or dry fly hackle
tail material of your choice
legs-optional. If you have any spinner bait skirts or an old bungee cord lying around you have legs
stick on eyes
on the soft poppers I use permanent markers or chisel tip fabric markers
optional-some sort of clear high gloss varnish, soft-tex, a flexible clear nail polish

This ones tied on a size 4 hook, as a Sneaky Pete style slider,
turn the body around and you have a popper

I'll size the body to the hook and start my thread at the back of the body. I tie in what ever tail material I plan to use, then tie the hackle in by the tip and wrap it to where I started my thread, then I'll wrap a layer of thread on the shank where the head's going to sit. Coat it with 5 minute epoxy, slide on the head and hold together till the epoxy sets. You could use Zap-A-Gap but there's little if any margin for error. The 5 minute, lets you get the body set right. Color for this one was a fluorescent yellow fabric marker.
If I had a choice of colors, I'd try white and the fluorescent yellow.

Here' another popper, it was shown to me about 10 years ago by someone from the Delco-Manning TU, at least I think he was a member. Didn't have a name for it. I call it a fun foam popper.


Materials
Hook: size 2 or 4 Aberdeen style crappie hook
Body: 1/2 inch diameter foam circle punched from 2, 3 or 4mm foam.
Tail: Marabou
Body: Saddle hackle, cheap dry fly hackle
Thread: Match color of hackle, tail or foam circle, whatever floats your boat

This one is tied using a circle punched from a foam valentine(4 mm) on a size 2 Eagle Claw crappie hook

Tying instructions
Wrap a layer of thread behind the eye.
Now this is the hardest part.
Pinch the bottom of the circle against the sides of the shank. It will form the cupped popper face
Now you need to wrap in place. Once wrapped, make sure its sitting straight. Hit the wraps with thin Z-A-G.
Tie in the marabou tail
Tie in the hackle by the tip, and wrap forward to the head. Wrap down, trim access. Finish and go fishing..
Option-you can trim the hackle flat on the bottom.
Colors: white, yellow, orange.

 

[buffalo]

Wayne,
I grew up in Philly and spent some time fishing the Deleware at Point Pleasant. Moved to Perry County and spend a lot of time on the Juniata and Susquehanna.
Think this site http://www.clouserflyfishing.com/fresflies.html will provide a bunch of good info on warm water flys. I have one of Bob's books and it was money well spent.
Philly,
Gonna tie a couple of your's, they look pretty good.
Buffalo

 

[Wayne0k]

Hey Philly & Buffalo-
thanks for your reply.

Philly- that's an awesome tutorial you put together for me on poppers... it is much appreciated! I'm pretty sure I have some foam sheets on hand so I'll give your second example a try this morning and put together a shopping list for the rest.

Buffalo- thank you for the link to Bob Clouser's site. I think I'll pick up his "Fly-fishing for smallmouth" book (I'll tell him you sent me).

Cheers!

 

[Fredrick]

Use all white streamers size 4 and up int:

 

[Wayne0k]

Hey Fredrick - point noted.
I'm seeing some similarities between patterns I used for building spinner baits and those being suggested for fly fishing. I think I'll be off to a good start... now I just need to find some time to go and chase those fish!
Thanks for the tip!

 

[beeber2]

Wayne0k,

As Fred noted, white is a very good color for Delaware Smallies. I use white clousers up to size 1/0. White double bunnies have been productive for me as well. Yellow woolly buggers and Shenks sculpin in white and yellow are good choices.

As far as topwater, a white Gartside Gurgler or floating minnow are excellent choices. Sliders work better than poppers for me, but poppers do work sometimes.

I see you are from Bucks County, I am just above Bucks in Northampton County. I get out as much as I can in the summer and fall. If you want to join me in wetting a line sometime, just let me know.

Bill

 

[Wayne0k]

Hey Bill,
thanks for the tips!
I'll definitely be in touch when the water warms up a bit. I've done a bit of fishing up your way... often between Frenchtown and Milford. It is a nice area to drop off the wife for shopping while I get my feet wet.

Since I'm new here at PaFlyFish.com, I admit that I might be overlooking the means to contact individuals (such as yourself), so if you don't hear from me, feel free to track me down through my website listed with my profile.

Cheers!

 

[sandfly]

Deceivers in white, chart./white #1/0-3/0. Clousers in the same colors plus a purple/white..Shad imitaion for when the y.o.y. run down river. poppers, helgramites #2, zebra caddis #10, herring flies 8 to 10 in. Muddler Minnow in a #2 for Tiger Trout too. Lg. stone flys,stimulaters lg.

Been there done that for 30+ years..

 

[Wayne0k]

Hey Sandfly - Thank you for keeping the advice coming... I'll take it.

I took a look at your website and it looks like you've got a fine piece of life carved out for yourself. Congratulations! I've been through Tioga County a few times, without much time to stop, but I'll keep you in mind when we come through next autumn.

All the best!