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Rock Bass!
I went trout fishing this weekend and would up getting into a "nest" of rock bass. Man, was that fun! Between the 2 of us in a matter of a about 1.5 hours we caught 35 of the little dickens.
Here's a "stock photo" of one. ( http://www.tnfish.org/Photogallery/Fish ... us_jpg.jpg ....if link doesn't work go to tnfish.org/Photogallery and look up rock bass ).
If you have never seen nor caught one they look like a cross between a "sunfish" and a smallmouth bass.
Other names: Northern rock bass, redeye, goggle eye, black perch, rock sunfish, redeye bass.
Yeah I always thought a "rockbass" was a mythical thing too ;). I used to always say everytime I got a hook hung up on anything that I "caught a rock bass" :)
We caught them on an olive wooley bugger with either a bead head or a split shot to get them down 6-8 ft. deep in a rock crevice in clear, cold water.
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Those little guys have saved a lot of days for me in the ozarks, not to mention all the times they've been the main target to begin with :)
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I always had a thing for rock bass. I know a lake in Vermont where you can catch some pretty good sized ones. They are a lot of fun.
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Re: Rock Bass!
[quote="Big Bad Wulff"]I went trout fishing this weekend and would up getting into a "nest" of rock bass. Man, was that fun!
"Feeling Strong Now . . ."
Rockie the Rock Bass has been a favorite of mine since I began my fly fishing life 25 years ago. I learned to coax them with feather and fur along Laurel Hill Creek in SW Pennsylvania and the Clarion River in NW Pennsylvania. Fortunately, even though I live and fly fish in Philadelphia now, I can still hook up with these "brown bottom bass" in the Schuylkill River and Wissahickon Creek.
I have found that a slow, scuttling retrieve along bouldered bottoms where the termination line between sun and shade resides to be an excellent producer for Rockies. Muddler Minnows, Brown Woolly Buggers, and Hare's Ear nymphs in sizes 8 through 12 are excellent producers.
Thanks again for this post; a warm reminder of summer fun on the fly during these December days, the coldest and darkest ones of the year!
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I've caught quite a few nice ones tossing poppers in slow water as well. Very aggressive fish -- not always the best fighters, but sometimes they'll surprise you with their ability in that department as well.
Is it me, or do they typically prefer the slowest parts of the river as well?
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These guys were in very slow-moving water protected in the crevice. Actually getting the bugger in there was a slight bit of a problem. Without weight it would never get to them.
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As jsalkas said not the best fighters in the world but they have saved many a day on the water for me as well. This year I found a spot that you could just walk by where there was a bunch of nesters. I caught some of the biggest specimens on the creek, and laughed manys a time as I waited for impatient casters to just wade by the spot and dissappear from view. Next year with the kayak I'm going to open up another couple of miles of water to an afternoon's fishing that will make it even better!
Bob
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They don't generally fight hard, but they REALLY hit hard! Fun fish on light gear.
Mike
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Like others here, I know a "spot" where they abound! Just as there name implies, there they will be, among some rocks, just off the faster moving current.
And when things get tough in other places, when the need for a good sized plater of fried fish is necesary, that's where I'll head. Last time there was three of us who took a skunking in the trout department; starved for some serious action, running out of time and a taste for a good fish fry, we "cashed in" on a nice mess of rock bass! I'm sure glad they are around!
Dale
