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 […]
Archive | Smallmouth Secrets
Short yet meaty advice, from the new book “103 Smalllmouth Secrets for Fly Fishers”
Secret #76– Late Fall & Winter is Big Bronze Time
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 […]
Secret #13– Use Heavier Line
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 […]
Secret #81– Get a Good Anchor System
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 […]
Secret #21– Lube Your Line More
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 […]