| When you mention fly fishing to people, many | | | | buggers, poppers, leech patterns, and crayfish |
| times they think you are fishing exclusively for | | | | patterns. Size 8 or 10 would be a little on the |
| trout. However, there are some amazing spots | | | | small side while size 2 or 1/0 would be a little too |
| you can fly fish for trophy sized bass as well. | | | | large, so opt for something in between. |
| Both largemouth and smallmouth bass abound in | | | | Largemouth bass live in shallow water habitats |
| rivers and lakes, so why not try your hand fly | | | | among reeds, water lilies, and other vegetation |
| fishing for bass? | | | | naturally found in the water. They are adapted to |
| Many experienced fly fishermen report that bass | | | | warm waters in the 80 degree range and are |
| fly fishing can be extremely challenging as well as | | | | seldom found deeper than twenty feet down. |
| extremely satisfying. Bass have larger mouths | | | | They prefer clear waters with little or no current. |
| than trout, so your choice of lures is much more | | | | They stay fairly active year-round, but tend to |
| diverse. They strike hard and fight strong, so | | | | stay near the bottom in the winter months. |
| when you are fly fishing for bass, expect to be | | | | Great bass fly fishing can be found in various |
| exhilarated by the fight in these guys! | | | | locations throughout the United States. In the |
| Experts suggest that you use a 6-7 weight rod, | | | | northeastern United States, try the rivers and |
| but if you are especially experienced, you can use | | | | streams in the Adirondack Mountains such as the |
| a 4-5 weight rod. If you choose the smaller rod, | | | | Mohawk or Black Rivers. There are also some |
| you may have trouble casting the larger flies, so | | | | prized bass in the Great Lakes region. Southern |
| be aware of that. You can use a floating or a | | | | Ontario in Canada can also provide some great |
| sinking line with a weight forward taper. You | | | | opportunities to catch trophy sized bass. |
| should have a 7 ½ to 9 foot leader tapered | | | | Bass fly fishing can be a great experience for |
| down to a 10 pound test. | | | | both the beginning fly fisherman as well as those |
| Most bass are opportunistic feeders and will bite | | | | with a little more experience. Fly fishing for bass |
| at anything. In general, however, flies for bass | | | | requires a little bit of finesse and some tenacity |
| fishing are usually larger and influence a bigger bite. | | | | when they bite. Stay with the fish and pull a |
| Try big muddler minnows, clousy minnows, wooly | | | | whopper out of the water you can be proud of! |