Favorite type of Smallmouth Pattern?

[flyfishermanj]

This is an extension of last week's poll. Smallmouth Bass was our most popular warmwater species to fish for, so what type of pattern do you like to fish the most?
JH

 

[jgmcclain]

Crayfish, Clouser gray, brown, reddish and black. As mush as I love fishing top water for smallmouth, that Crayfish produces more fish then anything else in my fly box.

 

[Woolybugger]

Woolybuggers for this guy. The best producer for me by far. Second would be a unweighted marabou streamer. I use Clousers, but I put marabou or synthetic marabou on rather than bucktail......... I've never had much success with bucktail.

With a spin rod, the best producer is a Strike King Bitsy Tube which is a 2 3/4" tube........ green pumpkin is the best. I tie a olive woolybugger with lead eyes and it actually catches more smallmouth than a tube! It looks better in the water, I've compared the two side by side.

The only advantage? the spin guys had was they could get the tube in the strike zone better. LOL Well, I use a Mastery streamer sink line with a ghost tip and small lead or tungsten eyes and the buggers get and stay in the strike zone better than a stinkin' tube! LOL

So many times I've outfished the spin guys with a fly rod.

That's why "woolybugger" is my handle.

 

[RRR]

This is the first season I've fly fished for smallmouth. Have tried a variety of flies including nymphs, buggers, crayfish, etc. but I keep going back to a popper day after day. A medium size popper in white or chartreuse fished with three or four fast pops then a short pause. Been fishing the Schuylkill from Royersford to Birdsboro and catching 15 to 20 a day on the popper. They'll hit it all day long too, which kind of surprised me. Nothing big but the way they explode on that thing is exciting regardless of the size of fish.

 

[Padraic]

Given that soft plastic tubes are so effective for smallmouths, has anyone ever tried making something similar in a fly? I'm thinking, tie in maribou so it extends off the front of a streamer hook... sweep it back and tie it down above the point of the hook. The front would be bulletshaped, the back would have a flared tail. I suppose some lead underneath would help.

 

[sandfly]

I voted for clouser crawfish, just because Im on the susky watershed (pine).If I was back down state on the big "D" iIwould have to use skiltons swimming hellgramite pattern since that water shed is not nown for crayfish...it has more hellgies. they must compete with each other cause this area doesnt have a lot of them. :-D

 

[jayL]

Padraic,

How about shenk's minnow?

That seems to fit the bill shape-wise.

 

[StudentofTheStream]

A slightly modified clouser crayfish. Throw some eyes on it near the bend of the hook (not needed but I like the look) Add on some zonker strips for the pinchers and finally add a dumbbell weight near the eye for the correct action. This fly is a killer where crayfish abound!

 

[JeffK]

I'm a D watershed guy.

Usual pattern is bottom bouncing the riffles/runs during the day with black or brown Skilton's or Hurray Murray's helgramites, strymphs, or buggers. Like root beer crystal buggers.

In the night evening when the smallies it the shallows chasing minnows pencil poppers or white buggers/crystal buggers go on. These are more often searching patterns to.

BTW, I am having to do a lot of searching in the Delaware lately since the floods, droughts, and murky water the last few years seem to move the smallies around quite a bit and every year is different. Still finding concentrations of fish, but have to work hard to find them - they don't seem to be spread out in normal patterns. The shad/fallfish hatch seems to be great his year.

 

[sandfly]

hey Jeff,
where on the "D" do you fish...I spent 35 years on it maybe i can give some pointers where to go...

 

[Chaz]

There is no other catagory, none of the patterns listed are patterns that I consider my favorite. My favorite is another non native fish, a baby brown trout.

 

[mrchunk]

I voted for Sliders(Clouser floating minnows,crippled minnows). My go-to fly is an unweighted Zonker. Size 4 or 6. White is #1 choice followed by Natural and Black. Depends on the light. Still looking for a good chartreuse pattern (I'm not a tyer...).

I fish them in short strips with a pause like a clouser. 2nd favorite would be clouser followed closely by a deer hair popper.

 

[Coughlin]

I fish the big D for smallies and have until recently always depended on the Murray's hellgramite and it's kissing cousin the black Woolybugger. This is the first year I've used Clouser deep minnows and have done very well with them when fished through the seams of fast and slower water or in deep troughs below riffles. Never gave poppers much attention, but from what I'm reading, I think I'll have to give them a go.
Coughlin

 

[flyfishermanj]

Coughlin,

What size clousers are you using on the "D"?

I never leave home without a popper or two, caught my first smallie on a popper, you don't need to go too big either. I usually only fish a size 8, sometimes a 6.

JH

 

[buckbarrett]

I put together a variation of a Muddler with a striped mallard feather, a gold tinsel body, a silver ribbing, shaped deer hair head, and a bead head, on a size ten. I couldnt believe how many different types of fish I caught. Many 4 and 5 lb smallies , and a northern that cracked my rod.

 

[RLeeP]

I couldn't vote because the best category of smallmouth flies is not listed in the poll.

Rabbit fur leeches in all black or dark brown.

 

[Coughlin]

Flyfishermanj
I tie on a #8 short shank. Any web pic of a Clouser pattern will show you the type. Different colors seem to work, though I prefer either brown or brown with a shorter touch of red for the back (remembering that the back of the fly will be tied underneath because the fly rolls over.
Coughlin