Fly Fishing for Largemouth Bass

I know it’s trout time and that most people are focussed on moving water and those rainbows and browns rising to dry flies, but there are other options out there, likely close to your home.

I passed on Montana’s trout yesterday and took the girls to a nearby pond where I knew bass could be found. I just didn’t realize how big they could be. I swear, we passed right over bass that weighed five pounds, but I couldn’t get those large females to eat. The smaller males, however, made quick work of my streamers.

I’m not a bass guy so I don’t really know what those fish are doing right now, but if I had to guess, some are in the middle of the spawn, protecting nests that I could clearly see on the bottom. Others, however, may be post spawn and just feeding actively in the warm weather with lots of forage on the move. I even saw some bass rising to mayflies and beetles.

Yesterday I used a floating weight-forward line and an Orvis Helios rod with a 12 foot leader tapered to 4X. That leader allowed me to cast the streamer out and let it sink to whatever depth I wanted, somewhere between a few inches and 12 feet deep. The bass mostly picked up the fly on the drop and I actually watched that happen a couple times. Other times I started to strip in line and the fish was already there. I have lots to learn in the warmwater game but that is a big part of the fun.

If you have the time and the inclination, I would imagine that right now is a great time for bass wherever you live and I would encourage you to get out there and see what you can find. Good luck and let us know what you find.

Here’s a shot from yesterday, a 12 to 14-incher that Tate and Myka teamed up on.

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