An Introduction to Bass Fly Fishing

Tools and Techniques for Bass Fly Fishing

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. Because of the fighting qualities of bass, bass fly fishing has become extremely popular throughout the world. Bass on the whole put up a tougher fight than trout – the exception being the big steelhead 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. There are differences between bass and trout fly fishing, but on the whole, the techniques used are mostly 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 guide for more information on roll casting. Alternatively, you can wade far enough into the river or stream to give you enough room for an overhead cast.

When fly fishing rivers and streams its also important to know how to mend the line. The different speeds of the various currents within a river or stream may push the fly line ahead of the fly, or may push the fly ahead of the line. A bass may detect this unnatural drift of the line, and may be scared away. 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. When casting for smallmouth bass, try 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. Allow the dry fly to float on the water for a few minutes, then twitch the fly before slowly retrieving the fly. The bass will quite often hit the fly as it lands on the water.

Bass Fly Fishing Equipment

You can use the same equipment for bass fly fishing that you would use for trout fly fishing. Normally a 6 to 9 weight fly rod can be used for bass fly fishing, with a matching fly line 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 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.

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