For years, I was pretty much a popper guy. Recently, I've ventured into the ominous world of subsurface for bass.
On a recent trip, I caught bass on poppers, Wooly Buggers and Clousers.
What bass flies are your favorites?
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For years, I was pretty much a popper guy. Recently, I've ventured into the ominous world of subsurface for bass.
On a recent trip, I caught bass on poppers, Wooly Buggers and Clousers.
What bass flies are your favorites?
Olive wooley bugger with bead chain eyes. To a fish it can look like a minnow or a dragonfly larva or a very big nymph.
Caught a lot of bass on it.....and bream......and crappie.....and some catfish and trout and rockbass.
I started using this just last year and was surprised at how the bass were hitting it.............THEN the dragonflies came out! I looked to see what the lifecycle of the dragonfly was and was surprised to see the larval form looks a lot like this fly. I tore up bass on it for quite a while. Last year was a huge year for dragonflies here. It was very dry and they were everywhere! The bass were leaping out of the water to catch the adults in the air! It was crazy. I tried like crazy to get a bass to leap at a fly I made to look like an adult but never got it to happen.
dragonfly larva:
http://www.narbeck.org/Bugs/Bug%20Ga...nfly_larva.jpg
The fly:
http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q...h_DSC02473.jpg
Think Leech Flies!
Black rabbit strip, tied in the clouser style, about 3 to 4 inches long.
Tye them thin ( thin stips , not wide ) this way they have more movement.
Welcome to the underworld !!!
Your gonna have a blast!
chris
I've done well with Terry Wilson's "Bass Bully".
http://www.warmwaterflytyer.com/corner.asp?page=9
I've also caught LMB on saltwater flies such as Deceivers and Surf Candies.
Steve
I fish extensively for bass and the large majority of the time I fish subsurface flies. I have two go-to patterns for bass, depending on the season. In the late winter and early spring, I use black leech patterns. The receipe is very simple:
Hook: streamer hook sizes 2 through 6
Tail: Black Artic Fox or black rabbit fur depending on the size of the fly
Body: Black seal fur tied in a dubbing brush or black mohair yarn
Head: Optional. I often add a red glass bead to make an egg-sucking leech
This pattern is also a KILLER Bream fly is size 10.
Later in the summer after the bass have moved off bed and are in their summer pattern, I switch to a polar fiber minnow. By far the best color for me is olive over chartruese over white.
Hook: streamer hook sizes 2 through 6
Body: Polar fiber synthetic fiber tied in the high tie method. Top of the hook: two to three small clumps of chartruese Polar Fiber and one spase clump of olive polar fiber combed out over the top. For the bottom of the hook three to four small clumps of white polare fiber. I also like to add about 6-8 strands of thin chartuese mylar (angle hair) to each side.
Eyes: 3D eyes in either white/black, yellow/black or red/black. I glue the eyes on with Marine Goop.
If the water is very stained, say after a heavy rain, I will use an all black streamer tied in the hi-tie method with Icelandic sheep fur. I tie these much larger in the 6 to 8 inch size on a size one or two streamer hook. This is also a great pattern for channel cats.
I catch 80-90% of my bass on these two flies.
Jim Smith
I've been converted to the Orange over Brown clouser minnow. With or without flash it is an ubelievable fly for me. It became my first choice last fall and this year has been my #1 choice as well.
Without a doubt it's still a popper. There is just something about watching a bass hammer a popper.
TT.
I still fish poppers as my primary bass fly in the all but the winter months. I like to start out with really big Gurgle Pops tied on a 1/0 hook with two, half inch stripes of foam and buck tail & saddle hackles for a tail. The result is a super Gurgle Pop around five inches long. I particularly like an all white fly though I also use an green/orange combination and all black as well.
I also like Crease Flies on 1/0 and 2/0 hooks.
After testing the area with these big flies, I go to smaller size Gurgle Pops (#8-#12) with dropper nymphs attached and try for smaller bass and brim. I firmly believe that big bass like big lures. 8T :)
I love it when this question is asked!!! Learn something new everytime!!!
Greg
I agree, but doesn't make much sense to continue working the top when they're feeding subsurface!Quote:
Originally Posted by Thunderthumbs
On the surface or just under it, I like the Minnow Crease Fly sizes 4 & 6. But it is more of an all around minnow fly since I've caught Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, Shellcracker, Specks, and others. A minnow imitation can be hard to beat when that is what the fish are keying in on and sometimes even when they are not. Other than that, a leggy yellow popper or a yellow foam bug in various sizes.
For subsurface, I like a size six black Woolly Bugger, a size eight Crappie Candy, or a size eight Cypert's Mylar Minnow at times. Lately I've had luck with Terry Wilson's white Mini Minnie though. Again, minnow type action flies especially for LMB. I also like to use the size eight Dixie Bug occasionally for LMB, not just for bream as it is kind of a quasi-dragonfly nymph type attractor fly. Also a size ten black Marabou Damsel Nymph.
I had alot of luck last year with smallies using a muddler minnows 6#-10# worked topwater. I'm trying to get away from it this year though.
Haven't found a substitute yet.
Janus
I tie a very simple bunny strip on a circle hook....usually black tail with a few wraps of red bunny up to the head. I weight it VERY lightly...maybe 2 wraps of lead wire, so it sinks very slowly (almost neutral buoyancy), then just twitch my rod tip. Can be deadly & no "gut hooks" with the circle. If I want to go surface, it's either a sneaky pete or a foam gurgler.
Mike
4-5" Woolybuggers-usually white
Zonkers-tan or white
Marabou leaches-olive or black
Joe's smelt
Marabou Muddlers-white or olive
Small Eel punts- black, burgendy, brown, or olive
General practitioners-brown, olive, or white
Flatwing streamers- sky's the limit in terms of color
Bucktails-assorted colors
All are tied unweighted. Zonkers, leaches, Joe's smelt, and muddlers are usually fished on sinking lines.
Everything else on floating lines with or without splitshot depending on the rate of fall that I (I really mean fish) want on it.
I like to fish subsurface for bass on the drop and watch the tip of my flyline like a hawk for the slightest pause or twitch.
For topwater I have gone almost exclusively with Kent Edmund's "Stealth Bomber".
http://www.goodhunting.com/goodhunters/images//1710.jpg
I tie it on a 1/0 widegap Gamakatsu (sp?) saltwater hook. You can fish it like a Dahlberg Diver or a twitch of the rod tip creats a great, almost stationary "bloop". I have made a few modifications to fit my "style" of fishing. Tied oversize and with a big hook like I do - you about need at least a 6wt.
This has been a *great* big fish bait for me. I have no connection.. just appreciate him passing on a great fly. Thanks again Kent.
http://www.flyfishga.com/stealth.htm
Subsurface for LM - I just call it The Hammer. Tied on a 1 or 1/0 hook. Tie a strip of Rabbit or Squirrel Zonker on as a tail, the same length as the hook. Wrap (palmer?) the hook shank with the same material. Colors that have worked well are natural browns/tans and a white head with a chatreuse tail.
For SM - An oldie, but still a goodie, is the Mallard Flank Minnow. Excellent river fly, it looks very shad-like.
I've had plenty of fish hit the popper when there were no signs of top-water feeding going on. Maybe a nymph or minnow might do better, but poppers are always fun and, at least for me, seem able to draw hits topwater when tossed into likely spots. Caught my first fish on a new lake that way just today.Quote:
Originally Posted by SteveGibson
Caught all of my fish a few weeks ago mid-day in hundred degree heat using a popper. The ranger there said the bite stops mid-day but 1:15pm is when I landed my first fish of the day and it got better from there...all on a frog colored popper.
I won't argue that you can get more numbers by fishing subsurface (my personal best bass came on an olive woolly bugger last year) but I love seeing the swirl when a fish hits topwater! :D
No question. The Polaris N. E. W. Minnow.
http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n...ppieMinnow.jpg
I've been planning my first nightime largemouth bass fishing adventure. I've read that I need to use big, dark, noisy flies. And slowdown my presentation. Any other pattern or technique advice??
Also, I'm not sure if I should pick a time to go during a full moon when I could see better or pick a darker night for better bass fooling.
I get giddy just thinking about it...
DANG! Now that is a sweet fly. That one just soared to the top of my list for this summer's "must ties." I love the "Full Pimp" Version too.Quote:
Originally Posted by HideHunter
One question for you though, HH. What do you think this thing imitates?
My warm water fishing is primarily for Smallies and generally my favorite is a size 6 Clouser Crayfish in Olive. Currently we are having a hatch of brood XIV 17 year cicadas. Right know anything big and black that goes SPLAT! and floats is a good choice around here.
lol.. I think maybe it imitates a Dahlberg Diver or a Turk's Tarantula. ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by Wild One
Actually, it depends on how much time I have on my hands and how deep in the Absolut bottle I've climbed. ;)
http://www.goodhunting.com/goodhunters/images/4061.jpg
I was just using a "mega" "Full Pimp" version the other day. Fishing was tough but my buddy tried a bunny leech and a deer hair popper. 4-0 Stealth Bomber. They liked the "bloop".
That's basically a foam Dalhberg Diver. Just for kicks, tie it normal, then flip it around so the hook faces up. Then hit with a drop of Zap. Now you've got a naturally weedless diver. Been tying these for years and they've very good for bass. And that upside down hook feature makes them completely weedless. Hope to use a yellow on the Mississippi Saturday for Smallies. JGW
Hi All;
Great thread!
I have a few questions:
Gigmaster: did you tie the Polaris N.E.W. minow and if so what color material did you use and did you heat it after tying as shown by the developer?
Hidehunter: How do you get the "wing" portion of the stealth bomber to stand up off the body of the fly?
White43: If you tie the stealth bomber hook point up, what do you do to keep it from inverting due to the weight of the hook?
Thanks in advance;
Wayneb
Wayne - the wing tends to stand up naturally when you tie off the 'nose'. This is all you will need fishing it as a 'diver'. As I mentioned I sometimes modify these flies a little and one of the things I do addresses this exact thing. When I know I want to fish the fly to remain fairly stationary and give me that "bloop" I tie it a little differently.
Might be easier to show than explain.
http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/d...lthBomber2.jpg
I'll be interested in White43's method for the inverted hook also. I ran right to the basement and tied one yesterday after his description. I tied it with a 1/0 " wide gap "stinger" hook and it looks like it might be a winner. I wrapped the hook shank with lead wire and it hits the water perfectly every time. I did get just a bit too "heavy" and the fly sits deeper in the water than I want but that's fixable.
So - thanks to you also, John. ;)
Hi Hidehunter;
I tried tying one without weight and it floated upside down. I plan on trying some type of eye ala clouser style force hook to invert with a minimum weight. was thinking of red glass beads on melted mono but just haven't got around to it.
FYI if you like stinger hooks there's a guy on ebay that sells mustad 37187 them for about $10.00 per thousand in sizes 2,4,& 6. he calls them worm hooks but they are identical to stinger hooks but with a nickel plating.
http://cgi.ebay.com/1000-mustad-6-wo...QQcmdZViewItem
It's supposed to be real hot in my neck of the woods the next couple days so I plan on doing some tying during the hottest part of the day. I'll let you know how my eye thing works.
Wayneb
I tie all the flies I use (except what I get in swaps here on FAOL). Using a store-bought fly (in my opinion) is in the same category as buying a frozen pizza (yeeaaachhh!!!). I am a chef and perfectly capable of preparing a superior, fresh one at home, the way I want it, right down to the fresh-ground wheat for the crust.
I use several color combinations to sort of 'match-the-hatch' of baitfish species. Around here, the two major baitfish species are shad and fathead minnows. For shads, I use the Holographic Silver, or Bronze on top, and Pearl or Chartreuse on the bottom. I build the body a little thicker for a shad to imitate the deeper body profile. To make a bluegill, I build the body even thicker, and use the Olive green on top, and Fl. Yellow Chartreuse on the bottom, and a small tag of orange (or color it in with Prismacolor Markers).
If you want (and I do it frequently myself), you can just tie them all with the Pearl Color, then color and detail them with Prismacolor Markers to get an exact match.
For a Fathead Minnow, I use Olive Green, Dark Bronze, or Peacock Green on top and Pearl on the bottom. I build the bodies with less material to give a more streamlined ' minnow' profile.
For all of them, I 'cook' them with the blower for a few seconds (don't over-do it). Then I go back with Prismacolor markers and draw in details like gills, bars, lateral lines, etc....and glue on the Holo eyes.
Here are a few examples I tied up. Your only limitation with this material is your imagination.
http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n...ppieMinnow.jpg
http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n...l/Bluegill.jpg
http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n45/suejoel/Shad.jpg
I think they have a sale on the N.E.W. material right now....50% off.
I hope this helps.
Quote:
Originally Posted by wayneb
I am using a Deciever style fly I call Green Meanie. I tie it in 2-6 size hook and make it between 2-3" long beaded or un-beaded.
http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/m...aBumbleBee.jpg
http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/m...aBumbleBee.jpg
I hope this gives you some ideas.
They have been killing it this year.
;);)
HHHHMMMM, John this sounds like a great FOTW......Quote:
Originally Posted by white43
Add in Cap Spiders and Muddlers.
I posted this on another thread. I tie the flies normally because I dislike being jabbed by the hook, and I don't like tieing in weed guards. I tie flies like zoo cougars and foam divers normally, then spin the body 180 and use zap a gap to keep them in place. We did an upside down fly swap on FAOL a few years back so I'm not the only tier doing this. If I remember, there was only one Clouser entered in the swap! The tail, especially on the cougars, must be balanced. Your foam should keep the fly right on the water. This technique also works well with Wiggle Bugs ,by the way. JGW