Fly Fishing Bass BLOG

Playing with My Friends

Filed under: Observations — admin @ 7:32 am

I’ve been sneaking down to the river so much lately I’m feeling like the smallmouth population down there are my friends. I go down for a hopeful evening ephoron leukons White Mayfly hatch. This time of year in northcentral Minnesota and everywhere else across our country at this latitude, you may very well find such a hatch in various stages. They were spotted around Minneapolis about a month ago - that hatch, I believe has long since ended.

Every night is different relative to the abundance of Whites flittering about. It is their propensity to light on the water as duns that generally determines fishing success. Some nights there’s a heavy hatch but very few of the leukons hit the water. The smallmouth pay little attention. I would guess you have about a 50/50 chance during the height of the hatch, lasting sometimes as long as 3 -4 weeks, where you can take advantage of surface feeding activity.

Last night, I hit pay dirt. I visited and witnessed the white light in smallmouth heaven.

The weather’s been clear, dry and warm (not hot). We finally got a humid overcast day with occasional thunder storms. Last night, between lightning bolts, there was a period from 7:30 pm for an hour, where the smallmouth in the Mississippi acted identical to the big browns and rainbows on the Big Horn during a prime PMD hatch.

The misty weather gave rise to a hatch so thick, it looked like a blizzard.  The whites were gloming on to each other and hitting water in groups of two, three, and four. The smallies liked the clusters. I had tied a cluster fly, just in case. I have a name for it, but it can’t be mentioned here.

Long story longer, in an hour’s time, I landed eight and missed four others - briefly hooked. Most of these fish are in the 15 - 16 inch range with some runts mixed in. The grand finale featured a slob, fully 19 inches (taped).

I could hear some mild lightning in the distance and, for the first time in my life, disregarded the potential danger. I figured, what the hell, if I get hit now - what a way to go!

A Pleasant Disruption

Filed under: Adventures — admin @ 6:00 pm

An evenings preparation for the White Mayfly hatch is disrupted by an agreeable smallmouth.

First Blood: The Whites

Filed under: Adventures, Observations — admin @ 9:09 am

This is occurring approximately one month later than during last year’s drought. The White mayfly: epheron leukon has just begun emerging in my area. Scant hatches were happening until last night - when we had a full blown snow storm of the beautiful bugs.

What caught my attention were the aerial acrobatics of the Cedar Waxwings. Is there a more beautiful bird in the world? I’m not sure - they are spectacular!

There was a squadron of about six of them that were dining on the delectable whites. They would sit on an exposed rock and watch the air. They’d spot a big white and take off, snapping up the target with great precision. They paid much more attention fo the flies than did the fish early in the hatch.

Once the duns were on the surface for nearly one half hour, then the fish began to take notice. There were globs of whites, perhaps three to five of them on the surface and the male leukons were attracted to these collections. I presume there was a female in the middle of the cluster somewhere.

Amazingly the fish seemed to like my White Parachute Light Cahill, just as much as the natural. Whether riding high on the film, barely visible, or just under the surface, fish would ocassionally hit my offering. What a fantastic way to catch smallmouth bass. I got a 15 and a 16 incher as well as some rock bass.

Also, last week I landed two 20 inch smallmouth (tape measured), both on poppers. One fish was errantly caught as I was reeling in my flyline, disgusted at the lack of surface action! Then Whammo!

Try skating your popper sometime, if the more subtle popping and gurgling doesn’t work. Better get out there now, the summer is on the wane, but the fishing is great.