An Introduction to Bass Fly Fishing
The sport of fly fishing has in the past been all about catching trout. Today though, just about any fish can be caught using fly fishing techniques, whether it be freshwater or salt-water fish. Fly fishing for bass has become hugely popular worldwide, mainly because of the fighting qualities of bass. Except for the large steelhead trout, pound for pound, bass fight harder and longer than most trout species. Because of the shape of bass (they have a flat body shape), there is increased resistance when you try to pull bass through the water with your fly rod. 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 introduction 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. As rivers have faster and slower currents, the fly line may overtake the fly, or the fly may overtake the line, thus disturbing the natural drift of the fly, and possibly spooking 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. With smallmouth bass fly fishing, using streamers that look like crayfish or small baitfish often produce good results.
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. Deer hair flies are commonly used, and poppers are also quite popular. 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. After the dry fly hits the water, just let it float for a few minutes – then make the dry fly twitch, before retrieving the fly slowly. 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. Bass fly fishing normally requires a fly fishing rod between a 6 to 9 weight. Select your fly line weight to match your fly rod. 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 value-for-money 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.
For more information about the sport of fly fishing, including techniques, tips, and product reviews, check out the Fly Fishing Elite news feed at Feedage.com.
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