Good smallmouth fly

[Striperbobby]

So I have been smallmouth fishing for a long time with the fly rod. My go to flies for big water like the susky and Delaware are clousers and poppers. My small stream flies for Brandywine size creeks are wooly buggers and small poppers. I have recently been fishing the “swimming Jimmy” with a split shot about 12 inches up the tippet. The smallies and trout are coming from a good distance away and hitting this fly like they are on a mission. I can’t believe I just discovered this fly. If you like seeing and feeling violent strikes then give this one a try!

 

[Dave_W]

What does this fly look like? Photo?

 

[Fish Sticks]

Try a foam fettuccine head muddler size 6. Takes 5 min to crank out and if you leave the foam longer at the back of the head it kid of behaves like a dahlberg diver. If they don’t want to come up to eat it just add a shot 8” up and swing or dead drift.

 

[JerryC]

This is what it looks like. It's going for $6.99 a pop on one of the websites.

I think I'll tie my own. Nope, I don't do deer hair.
What you're doing is fishing a floating fly subsurface. I will fish my foam sliders, Sneaky Pete style flies, Crease flies, and some frog patterns that way. Rather than use a split shot I fish them off of an intermediate or sinking line. The length of the leader varies with the depth of the water. What's happening is the fly is floating off the bottom either off the split shot or the line. When you strip the line, the fly dives toward the bottom. You might get it to kick up some debris or mud when it does. When you pause, the fly rises. I get a lot of my hits as the fly rises. Smallmouth will chase it all the way to the surface. It's a different style of fishing for smallies. I've found it pretty effective.

 

[Dave_W]

Thanks.
Yep - good technique. I use floating flies pulled down with split shot frequently in cold water.

 

[tddeangelo]

$1.02 at BigY....and I use this fly as well.

 

[Striperbobby]

This is what it looks like. It's going for $6.99 a pop on one of the websites.
View attachment 1641226334
I think I'll tie my own. Nope, I don't do deer hair.
What you're doing is fishing a floating fly subsurface. I will fish my foam sliders, Sneaky Pete style flies, Crease flies, and some frog patterns that way. Rather than use a split shot I fish them off of an intermediate or sinking line. The length of the leader varies with the depth of the water. What's happening is the fly is floating off the bottom either off the split shot or the line. When you strip the line, the fly dives toward the bottom. You might get it to kick up some debris or mud when it does. When you pause, the fly rises. I get a lot of my hits as the fly rises. Smallmouth will chase it all the way to the surface. It's a different style of fishing for smallies. I've found it pretty effective.

I use intermediate or fast sinking with the swimming Jimmy on big water but the spilt shot with floating line for small shallow creeks. They cost less than $2 on big Y fly co website. The split shot gets it wet and pulls it under where it stays suspended about 4 inches under the surface in between strips. It’s killer if you swing it in current also. Cool thing about it is the deer hair is sparse enough that it doesn’t float back to surface it’s neutral bouyant once wet due to the heavy streamer hook.

 

[Fredrick]

I haven't fished the swimming jimmy but I do know you are supposed to fish it on a sinking line like the drunk and disorderly . all black wooly bugger with rubber legs and lead eyes size 4 is my best producing smallie fly

 

[dc410]

Here is a pattern that has produced very well on Smallies for me over the years. I call it the Wooly Bomber.

 

[sandflyx]

on the delaware a 2.5 inch shad pattern or a big alewife 6 inch or a 4"+ crawfish in mottled brown, seen some 6" long.

 

[edword02]

This is what it looks like. It's going for $6.99 a pop on one of the websites.
View attachment 1641226334
I think I'll tie my own. Nope, I don't do deer hair.
What you're doing is fishing a floating fly subsurface. I will fish my foam sliders, Sneaky Pete style flies, Crease flies, and some frog patterns that way. Rather than use a split shot I fish them off of an intermediate or sinking line. The length of the leader varies with the depth of the water. What's happening is the fly is floating off the bottom either off the split shot or the line. When you strip the line, the fly dives toward the bottom. You might get it to kick up some debris or mud when it does. When you pause, the fly rises. I get a lot of my hits as the fly rises. Smallmouth will chase it all the way to the surface. It's a different style of fishing for smallies. I've found it pretty effective.

My buddy was crushing me on smallmouth the other day using this fly at the Conemaugh. I switched over to the swinging d and caught back up to him though

 

[scs]

dc410, I like that. Think I’ll give them a try

Steve