Favorite bass flies?

[Michael E.]

What are your favorite large/small mouth bass fly patterns?

[Flyfish Dog]

Ep minow patterns up to 6 inches then its Yaks and Half and half on the larger patterns. Poppers on top.

[Gandolf]

Hi Michael,

I don't fish for bass very often, but when I do, a crazydad would be the fly I try first.

I also have some large streamers with marabou wings and tails that get tried, and that I have done very well on. Of these, I tie one I call the marabou mickey, which is basically a marabou version of the Mikey Finn. I have also caught bass on a standard Mickey Finn. The standard streamers, such as the Mickey Finn, are a lot more pleasant for me to fish than are the marabou streamers, because the marabou streamers get saturated with water, heavy, and a pain to cast. The marabou has great action, however, so it is a toss up.

I will fish for bass, but generally think that if there are bass around, there are probably bluegills around also, and I would much rather fish for the gills, so seldom fish for bass.

Regards,

Gandolf.

[mickmcco]

Yuk Bugs
Cat's Whiskers in gray, olive, chartreuse, tan, brown
Beck's Super Buggers in brown, olive, black

[James Smith]

I fish a lot for largemouth bass and my top two producers are as follows. In the early spring large leech patterns

Hook: size 2 streamer hook
Tail: a small bunch of black rabbit fur or arctic fox fur
Body: Black Mohair yarn - picked out to look buggy
beadhead - Red glass bead (optional)

As the weather warms a bit and the bass get off bed, I switch to polar fiber minnows.

Hook: Size two to four streamer hook
Body: Polar fiber synthetic fur. Base of white, followed by chartruese followed by a sparse bunch of medium olive on top
Eyes: 3D plastic eyes glued on with Marine Goop

If I want to play around with top water in the evenings, I usually use an all black gurgler


Jim Smith
Conyers, GA

[greenlantern]

In fact, I caught one today on a #10 olive scud. A 12'' one with a 3wt rod. A good time was had by all.

[Buddy Sanders]

Michael,

I'm a bass fisherman that will occasionally fish for something else.

I have and use several dozen, maybe hundreds of, different flies for bass fishing, letting the circumstances dictate the most effective for each situation.

But by far my most versatile and successful fly is the Semi Seal Leech. It's the first pattern I try on any new body of water, and what I always use when I can't see a specific reason to use something else. I tie them weighted, non weighted, with bead heads, on jig hooks with lead eyes, beadchain, and on sizes from #10 up to #3/0 6x long sreamer hooks, and in a few different colors. I like that it is simple and fast to tie, is a very durable fly, and mostly that it works so well.

Come to think of it, it's also my most productive fly for trout, pike, crappie and bluegills too. Probably because I fish it a lot.

Good Luck!

Buddy

[Eight Thumbs]

Hi Michael,

It's good to see another South Carolinian posting on FAOL. I'm paricularly partial to surface lures if there is any hope at all of catching bass that way. I really like a natural-colored 2" Crease Fly and Gurglers from size #10 to #2/0 in white, chartreuse and black. If you don't tie your own flies or would just like a couple of mine to try out, send me a snail mail address by PM and I will get some right off to you. I also like to hang a #6 to #10 wooly bugger as a dropper on the bigger surface flies. Works for me. 8T

[Joe Billingsley]

Hi, Michael

For top water, I like Gurglers in chartreuse or yellow.
For subsurface, I like an olive bodied Stayner Ducktail or a Murdich Minnow in an olive and dark orange color combination or blue/silver.
Of course, Wooly Buggers are always tough to beat.
All of these will work on bream, too.

Joe

[Gigmaster]

My favorites:

For Largemouth:

1. Crease fly, Baby Bass, Baby Rainbow, and Hickory Shad colors
2. Purple, or Black Bunny Leeches
3. Black, Brown or OD Green Woolly-Buggers
4. EP-style Shad, or Sunfish patterns
5. Texas Bullfrog
6. Richard Komars Hard-Hackle Worm, in purple, or black.

For Smallmouths:

1. OD Green, Black mor Brown Woolly-Buggers
2. Brown/Orange Clouser Minnow
3. Pangora Crawfish
4. Smaller Black or Purple Bunny Leech
5. Hard-Hackle Worm in purple, or black.