Fish-Hawk.Net

Bass season is open, and i am hoping to pick up many more bass this season. I fish around the Ottawa River (Champlain) and a small lake near Perth, ON. I have been searching for some new patterns, as Wooly Buggers, Clouser Minnows, Zonkers, Deceivers and Half and Halfs work well, but have become pointless to continue tying. Searching for some new flies on-line all i recieved was these same flies, add for an incredible amount of Bass Poppers, Divers and Gurglers. Does anyone have any interesting bass flies that may present a challenge, and a the possibility of some nice bass (:D)??????

RL,

On a small lake outside of Perth last fall I was catching smallish largemouth, perch and rockbass on a Turcks Turantula. I know you know the fly. I was fishing it wet just under the surface in my float tube slowly draggin it along.

Streamer hook. size 6 or 8 I think it was, but the pattern is good for sizes 4-12 I believe.

Try some big Marabou Muddlers, Booby's, stonefly nymphs or even baitfish streamers like blacknose dace, shiner and one I just did recently but clouser style, northern redbelly dace. (yellow belly, to red, hook shank blackened, and dark olive)

Happy tying

Don't mean to steal Bunks' thunder, but ...........MUDDLERS, MUDDLERS, MUDDLERS. One of the best all round flies going. Bit of a challange to tie.

Good for bass, pike, trout, panners. Black, brown, tinsel, turkey feather, bucktail, ............Ya won't be sorry

I was out west (Sask) and what worked for us was a Bow Bugger (for the Bow River, Alberta), a heavy, sinking fly and using sinking line to get us walleye and northern.

Set yourself a challenge. For bass in the river why don't you try some dry flies?

Frankly for someone who started flyfishing when it was considered a code of honor and the ultimate in skill to fish only on the surface or at least with floating lines and unweighted flies and leaders. I shake my head sometimes because I see alot of guys who think fly fishing is all about sinking lines and wooly buggers.

Anyway.....the dries. Fish'em the way you would trout. Do it correctly, meaning make sure your fly floats high and dry and learn about drag, use the proper leader so the fly lays out properly and make sure its greased. You'll be get some great practice and catch alot of bass. You'll find it's alot more fun casting and fishing an airy dry fly than a weighted streamer or bass fly.

For patterns anything big and bushy (not huge.... sz 8,10......maybe 6,12 too) like western stoneflies (they should have the same huge stoneflies in the Ottawa), Wulffs, caddis and Atlantic salmon dries like they use on the Miramachi. Skate them across the surface like too like they do for salmon (works for trout too). It's a real hoot watching a fish attack a skated dry fly.

I do not mean this last comment with any nastiness or such.....but I would experiment more on my own regarding flies and techniques and go with your gut. Use the stuff in books as a guide to answer questions like what is drag, a greased leader and a skated dry fly.

Who knows you might catch one of those browns.

RL,

Try a Mr. Rapidan Bass Skater.

Todd

My personal favorite for smallies in south western ontario has been the geek leech. I got them from a shop when I lived in calgary. Westwinds Fly shop was the name i think. they have a websight.

To tie it (its been a WHILE) take a streamer hook, lead eyes, some maribou for the tail and then this mohair stuff that looks like twine gone all
frayed. the more frayed the better. wind the mohair to make the body and then pick it to make the frayed look really stand out. I used to have great success on these flies. I have not seen any out here but you could email that shop out west. they mail things out all the time. they also have some other neat patterns that would work. it might be worth having them sending a few suggestions as well.

But try get your hands on a geek leech.

I'll check the name of that material tomorrow to make sure I'm not leading you astray.

if you were fishing still water i would think you could do without the lead eyes or a small size of them.
Good luck.

Keith