To Buddy's point, my most effective technique for summertime bass is to tie on a chartruese over white polar fiber minnow pattern and strip it VERY fast in 20 to 30 inch strips by moving the rod tip and stripping the line at the same time. When I stop the rod and "retreive" the line the fly slowly drops in the water column and that is when the bass take it. My best day yet was 86 bass and four very large bream on one fly using this techique. It works best when stiping it along the bank or by cover such as a brush or heavy vegetation. The fish are hanging just inside the cover and the the streamer zipping by looks like a fish being chased by another bass. It's like dragging a string in front of a cat and the bass can't help themselves, they've got to go after it. I also end up seeing most of the takes since it's usually in shallow water. If the water is darker colored, sometimes all I see is the streamer dissappear like a lightbulb being turned off. A quick hook set and the fight is on.

Buddy, thanks for sharing your knowledge and techniques on bass. It's refreshing to have someone talk about something other than trout.

Jim Smith