Years ago, a friend and I developed the Blockhead Popper, and it is still (in my opinion) the best popper ever created. However, the trusty Blockhead certainly isn’t the only topwater I use. When the water is clear or when summer river levels become low, I love the Sneaky Pete. I use a foam version– […]
Q – What do you get when you add a rabbit strip tail to a deerhair head? A – A darn good fly! The Holschlag Hare is excellent as a mid-depth streamer fly, but it also works well fished near the bottom. Naturally, its rabbit strip tail produces great undulation, fished either fast or slow. […]
What’s a good rod for smallmouth? I’ve been asked that question hundreds of times. This is an important question, since the rod is of critical importance in fly fishing. Fortunately, there are quite a few pretty good rods for smallmouth nowadays. However, many of these are very expensive, costing well over 500 dollars. But buying […]
Driving out full-sized smallmouth or largemouth flies 55 feet all day long (and often in wind) isn’t easy. That’s why everyone has to learn to haul. I’m not going to kid you. Fly casting for bass takes a lot of effort. It’s vastly different than most of the casting that’s required on Eastern and Midwestern […]
See Your Strikes and Increase Your Catch Good strike indicators are essential for river smallmouth bass fishing! Without them you’re dramatically limiting the techniques you can effectively perform and how many fish you’ll hook in a day. So I never leave home without my strike indicators. Strike indicators are essential for doing the deadly “Crayfish […]
Here’s an “old-time” pattern that is still an incredibly effective and enjoyable fly to fish. The Shenks Streamer has been around for over a half-century, but at fly shows and clubs I encounter many anglers who aren’t aware of this outstanding fly. This ignorance seems most prevalent in the Midwest, but I don’t think the […]
In prime smallmouth bass hotspots, it’s often best to fish on foot, to thoroughly cover the area and cast to all the active smallies. Many anglers truly enjoy wade fishing, too, includng fly folks coming from stream trout backgrounds. But on bigger smallmouth streams, floating by watercraft is often the best way to really cover […]
BRIEF– To cast easier and extend the life of your fly line, put line dressing (lubrication) on your line regularly, and clean the line 2 or 3 times a season Simply “greasing” your line before each use will have you casting easily again. All you need is one of the many line dressings on the […]
Great Fishing! This probably seems like a no-brainer. But it’s true. A lot of places beyond your home waters offer truly high quality angling, with plenty of big fish and/or high numbers of smallmouth. Some may say they don’t care about fish sizes, but it’s the rare fella who doesn’t get awfully excited when they […]
While most serious smallmouth bass anglers diligently practice catch and release, unfortunately we also know that some guys still keep lots of their smallmouth bass and oppose regulations that mandate release. And one of the tactics that kill anglers use to confuse the issue and to derail catch-and-release regs is to say that it does […]
