Bass Fly Fishing Techniques and Tools
The sport of fly fishing has in the past been all about catching trout. Using fly fishing techniques, today it is now possible to catch just about any freshwater or salt-water fish. Bass fly fishing has now become extremely popular all over the world. This is due to the fighting qualities of bass. Pound for pound, bass fight harder and longer than any trout (except for the very large steelhead trout). The body shape of a bass is also quite flat, and this makes them a tough fight with a fly rod as there is increased drag when trying to pull them through the water. Bass fly fishing is slightly different from tout fishing, but the basic skills used are the same.
Smallmouth Bass Fly Fishing Technique
Smallmouth bass are found in rivers and streams. With fishing rivers and streams, quite often there are trees and bush lining the river or stream, and therefore not enough room behind you to make a full overhead cast. Therefore learning to roll cast is recommended. Take a look at the following fly fishing casting techniques article for more information on roll casting. Another option is wading deep into the stream or river which would provide you with sufficient room for overhead casting.
When fly fishing rivers and streams its also important to know how to mend the line. With the different currents within the river there may be areas flowing quicker than others, which may cause the fly to overtake the line, or the line to overtake the fly. This will disturb the natural drift of the fly line, and may spook the bass. The technique whereby a section of the fly line is lifted and moved to re-align it with the drift of the fly is called mending. Smallmouth bass mostly sit and wait for prey in the small pools in the river which are formed by submerged rocks, trees, or other objects. With smallmouth bass fly fishing, It's a good idea to target these pools. Streamers that look like small baitfish or look like crayfish are quite effective for smallmouth bass fly fishing.
Largemouth Bass Fly Fishing Technique
Largemouth bass are found mostly in ponds and lakes. Quite large flies are commonly used for largemouth bass fly fishing. The most popular flies used for bass fly fishing are deer hair flies and poppers. Terrestrial flies (flies which resemble land based insects that land on the water by accident) are also quite effective. When casting dry flies for largemouth bass, its a good idea to land your fly near to weeds, rocks, lilies or other underwater objects where largemouth bass love to hide when stalking prey. Let the dry fly float on top of the water for a few minutes after casting. Make the fly twitch on the water, then slowly retrieve the line. Often the bass will strike the fly as it hits the water.
Bass Fly Fishing Equipment
You can use the same equipment for bass fly fishing that you would use for trout fly fishing. With bass fly fishing a 6 to 9 weight fly fishing rod is normally used, along with a fly line with a matching weight. It’s not necessary to have an expensive rod and reel for bass fly fishing, and a good fly rod for someone starting out in the sport of bass fly fishing is the fairly priced St Croix Triumph Fly Fishing Rod. You can use the same double-tapered line used for trout fly fishing, but its recommended that you use a weight-forward line for bass fly fishing. Although you can catch bass with normal trout flies, you will have more success with bass specific flies.
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