Iv'e been going out quite a bit lately in the evevings trying to slay the SMB not to much avail. Iv'e been getting more follows than anything. Anyone else have this problem and what should I do? Iv'e been getting some nips also.
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Iv'e been going out quite a bit lately in the evevings trying to slay the SMB not to much avail. Iv'e been getting more follows than anything. Anyone else have this problem and what should I do? Iv'e been getting some nips also.
Hi jkilroy,
Sorry to be stupid but what does SMB stand for? I know EHC and GRHE but I just can't put SMB together. Thanks, 8T :)
SMB= Small Mouth Bass
LMB= Large Mouth Bass
I'm thinking Small Mouth Bass. You are doing everything right as far as fishing where the fish are, and they are being attracted to your presentation. That's most of the battle man. Now to try something else. I would try a different retrieve or stripping pattern. Switching up between shorter and longer strips, and quicker and slower strips might just flip their switch and get them to bite. Another thought would be to show them something different. Smallies are known for their aggressiveness so show them a different look and that might make it happen as well.
One of the most rewarding parts of fly fishing is unlocking the key to what makes a fish bite. Remember the saying that says, "if you continue to do what you have always done, you will get what you have always gotten" or "the definition of insane is that those who do the same thing, but expect a different outcome"? Both of those relate well to fishing.
If you are fishing a smaller fly, change size, try a different color, do a google search on what are popular smallie flies. Try a different time of day.
You're going to feel great when you unlock the key. It's a great sense of satisfaction. Like I said at the beginning, location is most of the work, you're really close to making it happen.
Give us the update and what it took to make it happen on the particular day that you have success. Good luck.
Clay,
You covered that very well, good job.
jkilroy,
Give what Clay suggested a try, you will find the hidden key, for that day or that week. Then the great part about all this is you will get to start the search all over again, because the mood of the SMB will change.
Once I have found a fly that the trout or bass really like and I have caught a number of them, I will sometimes start changing flies just to see what else they will hit.
The main thing here is you are out there fishing!!!!
Larry :D ---sagefisher---
Iv'e been doing all of that. Last night I bet I tried 10 different flies, and different retrieves. When I first got to the area the fish were hitting and I missed a few, then they stopped hitting. Maybe they were spooked. It was very flat and clear water and the sun was overhead. I was fishing for smallies by the way.
Buy the best fly fishing accessory for under $10. It will increase your fishing landing ability drastically. All of your buddies will wonder what you are doing that is different than they do. It's called a, drum roll please -
Hook file. Then learn how to use it. When you do get bites, you will be able to capitalize on them. Wear drab colors and don't talk loudly around your fishing areas. Don't cast shadows over your fishing spots. There are lots of good tips to try and it probably isn't just one thing.
A great investment is to hire a locally successful guide. Many people try to buy this new rod or that new line to increase their catch. Instead of a new outfit, new knowledge is a fantastic tool. They will not only show you some new spots to fish, but the techniques that are hands on is worth the money alone. Have fun with your fishing, and guess what, all the fish don't know that they are suppose to bite when X+Y is presented. They don't all read the same fly fishing magazines.
Sometimes, it's just tough on the water. Keep trying and you will be successful.
Rick
If they're following it and not taking it, try a the same pattern just a size smaller. It was suggested to me a while back, and it worked great.
Smallies are great, but can be a pain at times :)
Good luck,
Shane
I fly fish for SMB often and I find that when I have them chase but not commit I change my presentation to a stop and then go fast style. it seems to work best when they are waiting to ambush prey from behind rocks or logs in slight current, not out cruising in open water. I will let the fly drift and strip it slowly and then once I see them chase I strip it faster and give it erratic action, then slow down again. It doesn't always work, but works fairly often. Clay brings up a good point. change up your tactics and experiment, that is the fun of our sport
These fish were cruising in open water, maybe that's the problem, bigs ones none the less. I hope they start to feed more in the fall. I actually put on a 7" bright yellow and red saddle hackle fly and I got a good drive-by. Pain at times....how about most of the time, I think right now their worse than trout. What's eveyones choice of fly and retrieve this time of the season?
jkilroy,
I'm no expert, but maybe I can help a little. I fish for SMB a lot and do O.K., we got some big ones around here, but I mostly catch the small ones :D. Anyway, it sounds like you've located them, that's half the battle. If they are following, but not biteing, perhaps they can see you and are getting spooked. If they're nipping, but not inhaling the fly, try what ottaditta said and go smaller, or use a fly with a shorter tail. It works for me. One of the best bits of bass fishing advice I can remember reading was this; think of playing with a cat, teasing him with a string. After a while the cat gets board and will stop chasing and pouncing on it. But let that sucker stay still for a couple of seconds and he'll get all crazy and grab it. Or as he gets closer to it pull it away like prey fleeing their predator and he will chase it and grab it. Same with a bass (sometimes). In fast water I do well to cast across or down stream and swing the fly over likely holes. I like an olive or black krystal flash bugger with an olive over white marabou tail.
http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/e...2/P6130010.jpg
Plus I add a bit of red marabou to the head or use red tying thread to give it a wounded look. (Not sure what your bass eat, but try to match the "hatch"). At the end of the swing I will let the fly just sit there in the current like a minnow fighting the current. This is that pause that sometimes drives them nuts and causes them to hit it. Then start to strip it back in short quick motions. If you see a bass come up for it, pull it away like it's trying to get away from him.
Good luck.
Tom.
my favorite fly is a clouser minnow or a muddler minnow. colors vary with the water clarity and light. white bottoms and grey tops on the clousers seem to work well for me. the muddlers I tie in similar colors. I have also used small poppers to get them on the surface and they are a whole lot of fun when the explode on a surface fly. color there seems to be not as important as fly action and size. Have you seen Bob Clouser's book "Fly-Fishing for Smallmouth in Rivers and Streams"? has a lot of good fly ideas in it.
I fish for them quite a bit. But, the fish here are rarely out in the open. Right now the river I fish is so low and clear but you have to look for darker moving water and bubbles floating on top of the moving water with calm pocket to the side against a bank or something. Nine times out of ten they are there in the calmer water waiting for something to fly by. Cast to the calm water and strip across the riffles .Not sure if the cruiser feel comfortable in clear water and might be skittish for you. I throw bigger popper 2-4 and muddlers and gurglers this time of year because the water here is still above 70 in the fall it seems to be active subsurface. If you can ignore the cruisers and look for darker safer water throw a topwater. Smallmouth are very reactionary and competitive alot of takes come on as soon or very soon after the fly hits the water here. I hope this helps a little bit.
Janus
This may be a silly question but when you see them following do you pause, let them run up on it and then start taking it away? That, repeated, can sometimes be annoying enough to elicit a strike.
If your able to see what the fish are doing, short strikes etc. try using a jigging movement as opposed to a strip and pause retreive. I have experienced what you are seeing many times while float fishing in my kayak and have had success using this method. Most times I can watch the bass inhale the fly right near the boat. Be sure to set the hook using a down current sweep instead of the usual rod lift. My go to fly is the Clouser foxy redd minnow. Hope this helps.
JA
Have you tried top water?
Lately on the local river SMB are hitting like mad. nothing big, mostly 10-13 in. range. I'm catching most of them right where the water slows down after the rapids, in deep pools. Seems like brown buggers and crayfish pattern about size 8 are the ticket. But in the morning as soon as the sun rises above the treeline, the action slows way down.
good luck~WWFF from PA
Hi Jkilroy,Quote:
Originally Posted by jkilroy
I don't fish for smallmouths very much because the largemouth fishing is so predominant here on Lake Hartwell in South Carolina. I have found one thing to be true when largemouth bass fishing and that is if you can see the bass, the bass can see you. I assume that largemouths and smallmouths show some similar behavior. When largemouths see the fisherman, they may not develop a total case of lockjaw but they become highly reluctant to strike. They may not swim off in fear, the way trout do, but they back off a bit and face you head on. If they are cruising the shoreline, the bass increase their cruising speed slightly and and add three or four more feet of distance from the shore when they see you. Bass that showed aggression, agitation and a clear intent to attack the fly will suddenly back off and just follow the fly for a short distance when they detect your presence. My guess would be that the problem is not your fly or your retrieve but rather your presence. Back off the shore. I often fish 15-20 feet back from the shore line if fish are in close. Use natural cover (trees, brush, etc.)to conceal your presence. You may not want to wear full camies and face paint but try to blend in. If you're fishing from a boat--keep your distance at least 40 or 50 feet. If wading go slow, and very quietly. Think stealth not flies. Hope this helps. 8T :)
BTW, as a last resort I'd try a fly with some type of stinger hook or a trailer hook in the tail
eight thumbs,
I think you may have it. I like to sight cast, or "Hunt". It's cool. I do get close to the fish, maybe too close. They always seem to stike when I first get to an area then it slows. When my line hits the water they scram. I was out today and caught a few, but man, the area I found looks great. Maybe that's also the reason I don't have very good luck with LMB. I don't have very much patience either. If I don't get anything I usually move on quick.
The one time this year I did great with LMB, it was light drizzling and I didn't see any of the fish. I caught 12 bass that were just under 17". I can't fish there anymore.
I did talk to someone else today that was spin fishing and it sounded like they were having the same problem, SMB with a case of lockjaw.
I can't wait till I get a day when the bass are on a feeding frenzy.
Eight thumbs,
I also think you might have hit the problem on on the head. Down here in NC I think I am also falling victim of me seeing the fish and the fish seeing me on one of the mountain stream I fished a few times this year and I think I have the opposite problem in my local river where the water is quite muddy 99% of the time.
Fishing is much tougher for me here than is was in MI. I could go to the Kzoo at pretty much anytime with my fly rod and slay some SMB. Down here it seems to be slim pickings. I think I just need different tactics.
Kilroy, its sounds like you had a great day with those 17 inch largemouths, actually one of those days you will remember for a life time. My guess, since you can't fish it again, is that you were on a private pond (legally or illegally?) that receives very little fishing pressure. An average angler can pretty much clean out all the large fish in an afternoon on such water. These fish have almost no fear of fisherman and consider anything that hits the water to be fair game. The problem is that the lessons from a pond of this type don't transfer well to public water, particularly catch and release public water. Public water fish know that a fisherman means bad news and just won't strike when you're visible. I've also found that if the fish don't strike reflexively when the fly first hits water, they may follow fly for some distance but are unlike to do much more that nip at the tail. Precision casting become much more important on public water.
Sight fishing is lots of fun and sometimes a productive method but try to keep your distance and stay out of sight. Remember the bass is a predator too and they are also sight fishing and keeping a wary eye out for larger predictors. Also, don't worry too much about moving along to different areas. There is no point in beating the water to death. After 15 or 20 casts, public fish know that you're there especially if you slap a couple of casts down hard or throw line over them. It's definitely time to move on. Unlike what the outdoor writers tell you, you are unlike to enrage the fish to the point of striking with repeated casts.
Wing, mud and wind ripples definitely help hide you. Unfortunately, the fish become harder to see too. Don't give on NC! 8T :)