white bass run supposed to start here soon, anybody got any advice/patterns/techniques for catching them with fly tackle?
Still a little too early here in these parts but early March things start to stir. However, what works best early is the hellgrammite, wooly bugger, hares ear.
Last year I got a couple by watching what the spin guys threw and coming close…ended up fishing white and chart wooly buggers with long tails off the bottom…the guys around were using those same colors in Twister Tails.
I’m not much for crowds so I didn’t give it much time though.
I’ve had my best success on white bass when using #4 to #8 size Clouser Deep Minnows in chartreuse over white. White bass love flash, so put a reasonable amount in your Clouser. (I was going to say,“Put a reasonable amount in your tie”, but very few guys wear ties when fishing. So then I was going to say “Put a reasonable amount in your fly”, but that just sounded all wrong.) :rolleyes:
I bet a beadhead, conehead, or barbell-eyed woolly bugger would work great, especially if tied with a white ice chenille for the body!
I assume you’ll be fishing moving water? (below a dam on the river, or maybe the mouth of a feeder creek on a lake/reservoir?)
Absolutely. Fish any minnow pattern. Some good ones are clousers, Black-Nosed daces, and Black Ghosts. Darter patterns work well.
But the best patterns are ones that resemble their favorite food…shad. Any Hi-Tie style pattern in grey and white will drive them nuts!
Here is my favorite fly for them:
Minnow and shad patterns have always worked best for me, but I also keep a few woolly bugger and crawfish imitations in my white/wiper box as well for fishing rocky areas. They’re mainly baitfish eaters, but they’ll lay in or around brush/rocks and ambush crawfish or anything else they can find as well.
I agree with fishndave that the chartrues and white clouser works great. Thats what I’ve had the most luck with down here in Arkansas. They should be schooling up here in late march.
We catch them here in Arkansas. I carry Clousers on #4 3366 hooks. Chatruese/White, Grey/White, Tan/White and Olive/White. That’s all I use and have not trouble catching them. Also use a sink tip or sinking line.
Clousers with flash, they arent that picky—its good to know what they eat naturally but in Lake Erie, if we see them busting, we just throw what we have on while fishing for walleye and crank as fast as you can. the Detroit River is incredible for about 3 weeks in may—you almost cant bring your fly in with it being hit 4 or 5 times—its a great place to teach someone.
I’ll add my vote for clouser’s in chartruse & white. I’ve also caught a few white bass on a light gray & white clouser.
Hey jalama,
Check out this previous FAOL thread for some pics and flies.
http://www.flyanglersonline.com/bb/showthread.php?t=3750
Also if you go to the fly of the week archives and look under 1st Quarter of 2007 FOTW Archive, you will find the step by step tying instructions with pictures for tying the Diamond Hair Streamer.
It’s the third from the bottom. You should be able to just click on it and it should take you to the pattern.
1st Quarter of 2007 FOTW Archive
O2 Stonefly Adult
Sam’s One Bug
Sam’s L-Eye-Bee
Olive Willy
Olive PSS (Pine Squirrel Streamer)
Realistic Mayfly
Knudson White Streamer
Peeping Caddis (Fur Case)
The Tube Stone
Para Glen
Natant Nylon Nymph
Brown Woolly Bugger
Mayfly Primer
Diamond Hair Streamer
Hole-In-One Stonefly
Orange Hare Thorax Nymph
Hope it helps.
akalooker
White bass are notorious “short strikers,” so keep the patterns small, with not much material past the bend of the hook. Four patterns that work well for me that have not been mentioned above are “Cat’s Whiskers” in tan or gray, Borski sliders in chartreuse, Cypert Mylar Minnows in chartreuse, and “Naked Ladies,” basically a Clouser tied sparsely with flash only, no bucktail.
My favorite fly is any bright color fly with either a cone or bead on the front to get it down or a tiny spinner blade on the front. These fish often react to vibration or noise more than color so take that into consideration when choosing your fly. Dark fly’s can work well at times also but bright fly’s are normally better. If your state allows it you will deffinately want a dropper rig for whites. With a dropper rig it’s not unusual at all to catch two in one cast. Down and across is my favorite presentation for these fish. Also, just around dark if a hatch occurs, dry fly’s will suddenly start working for these fish. When they key on a hatch they can be just as fussy as trout.