River smallmouth fly suggestions…

[Redfin]

I fish the Juniata River a lot for smallmouth. Smallmouth are aggressive feeders so you don’t have to get too complicated with your fly selection. Many streamer or crayfish patterns will lead to good action. Top water poppers and/or diving type flies are great too.

My personal favorite pattern is the Clouser minnow tied in olive over brown. I also have good luck on wooly buggers and crayfish patterns.

Here is a link to two articles I wrote for Dark Skies Fly Fishing. One on fishing for smallmouth and the other on fishing the Juniata River.

Smallmouth: https://online.flippingbook.com/view/846489450/29/

Juniata River: https://online.flippingbook.com/view/260099487/33/

What size eyes are you using on your Clousers in the Juniata? I have been tying with both small and med size.
I’m wondering if the med are to large/heavy?
I tied some of my clousers at first with a little too much bucktail. Then I figured out and watched some YouTube videos of Bob. And started tying them with less material. And they look MUCH better. Sometimes I’m not exactly sure how long to make them. But so far they have been around 3”. And I tied some foxxe darter or minnow. I forget what he calls them. But they have been around 2 1/4 to 2 1/2” range. I like that fox tail too! I need to get some craft hair now.

 

[sixfootfenwick]

Speaking of Sculpins/Stonecats … a super simple one here with a fish skull “helmet” head, black chenille and black poly yarn for appendages - tied with Firehole articulated shank/hook combo

Thank you for this. That is much simpler than what I tie. I'm going to give that a go

 

[jifigz]

I’m just getting into the smallmouth game but from my experience spin fishing the Susky my plan is to fish any fly that resembles a fluke style bait and I’m confident that’s about all I will fish. (Summertime). View attachment 1641241866

You're really missing out on smallmouth fly fishing if you don't toss some sort of small foam bug. My only topwater bug is the gurgler. And no, they don't only catch small bass. I have caught several fish in the 20" range on them.

Just my suggestion, but smallmouth readily take surface flies.

 

[Tiogadog]

Copper over gold Kreelex (essentially a flashy Clouser)

Mr. Wiggly

Crittermite ( hellgrammite pattern)

 

[NittanyBearcat]

What size eyes are you using on your Clousers in the Juniata? I have been tying with both small and med size.
I’m wondering if the med are to large/heavy?
I tied some of my clousers at first with a little too much bucktail. Then I figured out and watched some YouTube videos of Bob. And started tying them with less material. And they look MUCH better. Sometimes I’m not exactly sure how long to make them. But so far they have been around 3”. And I tied some foxxe darter or minnow. I forget what he calls them. But they have been around 2 1/4 to 2 1/2” range. I like that fox tail too! I need to get some craft hair now.

Lots of different sizes will work but most often I tie my clousers on a size 4 mustad 3366 hook with size small dumbbell eyes. Usually they end up in the 3-4 inch range in terms of length. I do sometimes use size medium eyes as well and no they won’t be too big or heavy.

Clousers that are a little larger or smaller will work as well though! All the sizes you mentioned should be good.

 

[Bamboozle]

Two of favorite flies are an unweighted black Woolly Bugger or reasonable facsimile for drifting through the shallow spots and a small (maybe size 12 or 10) bluegill popper, similar to a Gaines Mini Pop (cylindrical with rubber legs hackle and a tail) in ORANGE.

I've had great luck with small orange poppers!!

 

[henrydavid]

I'm surprised no one mentioned the Susquehanna hatches. Starting in June we have the sulphurs, might be earlier but it takes some time for the bass to get tuned into them. Caddis on and off most of the summer. Hex flies, if you see them you will understand. And the legendary but fickle white fly hatch. You can use dries to imitate the insects or size comparable poppers. It's not easy to find size #12 poppers but they work very well. Sulphurs are my favorite because it's the most reliable in my experience.

Nothing much matches a smallie on a dry fly.

 

[barrybarry]

I use two that cover most bases.
A small White popper. Small enough to catch panfish and any smallmouth that happens to see it. Even the big ones will smash a small white popper
Black or brown or dark olive woolly bugger tied Clouser style to avoid snags

 

[RLeep2]

Although I also fish a lot of poppers (particularly size #4 Wapsi foam pencil poppers in white, chartreuse and yellow), probably 75% of the good smallmouth I catch are taken subsurface. I'm a big believer in slow walked/dead drifted flies in natural colors for bass. They're sunfish, after all and act like it a good deal of the time. It takes a while to develop the 6th sense to perceive the often subtle takes that come with this sort of fishing, but it can be well worth it.

Here is one of my favorites that I originally found in **** Stewart and Farrow Allen's book of bass and panfish flies, the Tom Green leech. The guy in this you tube does a decent job on it but (IMO) does not bend the hook shank enough to optimize the value of the fly. I tie these on 4X or 5x long ring eyed hooks in #2 and #4, mostly in black, black and black and a few in dark brown and olive. An easy tie and pretty potent once you get a feel for the takes..

 

[Redfin]

Thank you guys so much for the help and suggestions! I appreciate you guys sharing your experience with me.

 

[Ladove]

I am finally getting set up for the river this year! Super excited and looking forward to it, as i only ever fished trout with fly rod and fish everything else with regular tackle. Big river rat growing up.
I mostly fish the Juniata. That’s the big Juniata.
And some other local rivers.
I really could use some advice of flys. I tie, so I can tie about anything.
I am fine with buying some top water stuff too. I don’t tie deer hair flys.. I would buy poppers n such and tie my own foam or standard flys for top water. Or if there something crazy I don’t feel like tying for top water. That you guys have suggestions on.
I plan on fishing both top water and subsurface stuff.
I got myself a 7wt setup.( still need line though)

I just need to know some of your favorite and most productive river bugs and colors?

With a 7wt don’t limit yourself to using smaller wooly buggers and clousers either. Smallies are predators, they live to kill things and they will absolutely crush a 4-5” streamer regardless of the size of fish. Once summer kicks off and bugs start to be on the menu a foam Mr. Wiggly is killer also. Crawfish patterns like meat whistles, and zonker craws work awesome dead drifted once the weather gets hot. If you want more suggestions for flies or for lines shot me a message. Smallies and browns are my go to year around

 

[beadhead2]

When I use to fish ,I had real good luck on the Delaware river fishing hellgramite patterns