The best way to catch a following fish is for your angling partner to quickly cast a moderately weighted bait a little to the side of the hooked fish. Spotting these fish and getting a fly or lure in front of them quickly is the key, because a shadowing smallie often shies away when they […]
BRIEF– The cold water seasons of late fall and winter produce high percentages of big fish if you shift your fishing locations and use the right techniques. Naturally, there are biological reasons why the big boys bite better than the small fry in extra cold water (below 48 degrees). But what a smallie fan really […]
BRIEF– To best cast bass flies, use a line one or two weights over the rod’s “official” rating. If you’re an average or intermediate caster, use a line two weights over the rod rating. Only go down to a line one weight over the rod rating if you’re a bona fide expert caster and can […]
You need a good anchor system, one that you can operate quickly and easily with one hand. A traditional anchor that must be thrown overboard and then hand-hauled back in is noisy, dirty, slow and very tiring. This will not do the job. You need an anchor that remains outside the hull and an anchor […]
In fishing there’s no such thing as “Fall.” There are actually 3 different falls. “FALL FISHING FRENZY! SUPER FALL ACTION!” Over the decades, I’ve seen a multitude of magazine articles with titles like these, raving about fall smallmouth bass fishing. And it’s true. At times, fall can offer some of the most spectacular fishing of […]
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 […]
Using some simple techniques and looking for certain things you can still enjoy productive smallmouth bass fishing. One of the most challenging situations for the smallmouth bass fisherman is when streams and rivers get low and extremely clear. The hot, dry days of summer can take their toll, causing stream flows to drop off significantly. […]
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 […]
Rocks and smallmouth bass . . . they go together like lily pads and bluegills, right? Not necessarily. While rivers generally need lots of rock to have high numbers of smallies, river sections with only a little rock can have more big smallmouth bass than many realize. There are a couple key reasons why some […]
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 […]
