Delaware River Smallmouth

[cprov3]

I am going to the Poconos for a couple of days. I know that the smallmouth bass are the prevailing warm water fish. Does anyone have any suggestions on what flies to use or where a good spot may be? I will be in the Shawnee/ Del Water Gap area.

[LigonierA1]

Can't speak to your specific local as I have no experience over there but I'd like to help anyone chasing smallies that I can and feel sort of poor that no one was answering.....on the western edge of Pa is a great smallie river called the Youghiogeny River. The "Yawk" is my smallie water and in the summer, I find the tails of pools with shade an excellent place to fish a popper during the mid day sun. Fish the shade lines. This fishing can be excellent but VERY sporadic.

Much more consistant is to fish a black wooley bugger or Clouser Crayfish in the riffles, dead drift nymph style.

If you want to fish an active retrieve, a Kreel Klaw or Holshlag Hackle Fly will catch smallies nearly anywhere.

Oh, and move ALOT. When you find smallies, fish there. When you don't, keep moving.

[alra195]

I second the nomination for the Clouser Crayfish. My favorite, go to smallie fly! I like the size 6 in olive best. Dead drifted where there's current and a slow, crawling retrieve along the bottom in the still or slow moving pools can bring some dramatic strikes!

Others worth a shot are black hellgrammite patterns (large black wooly buggers and large Kaufmann's black stonefly nymph patterns work too), fish these in the riffles or at the heads of pools (they are typically found in well oxygenated water), Clouser minnows in Chartrues (sp?) and white, and shad patterns in gray and white have worked well also.

I'm sure you'll have fun and please report on how you do and what they were taking when you return.