For the sunfish, I would switch to a size 12 soft hackle with very little weight added to it. If you tie them with a bead head, keep it small and I would use colored glass beads. Cast it out, let it sink for a couple of seconds and strip it in with rapid 1-2 inch strips with a 1-2 second pause between strips.
For the bass, I would use either a size 4 black mohair leech with a rabbit fur tail or an unweighted polar fiber minnow tied on a size 4 or 6 hook so that the pattern is 2-3 inches long. My favorite minnow pattern colors are chartreuse over olive over white. I like to add 3D eyes to mine but it's not absolutely necessary. With the leech pattern, strip it in with steady even 12-14 inch strips with about 1-2 second pauses between strips. For the minnow pattern, cast it out 12-15 feet off the shoreline and strip it fast in 18-24 inch strips. If possible keep it parallel to the shoreline which is where the bass are hanging out You will probably have to move the rod tip to get the speed you want for these long strips. Pause for 2-3 seconds between strips and watch the fly. Many times, all you'll see is the fly disappear like someone turned out a light bulb. That means a bass has inhaled the fly so you want to strip strike very quickly as they can spit them out as fast as they suck them in. I find that 95+% of the strikes happen when the minnow stops in the water and slowly starts to sink towards the bottom. Quite often, you never see the bass, the fly just seems to disappear. Good luck!!!
Jim Smith
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