HELP! Where did all the smallies go!?

[brookiesRfun]

Hey all,
I have been fishing French Creek up in NW PA. This stream has a great Small mouth bass population with some of the bass being really nice fish. But, try as I may I cannot catch them with Wolly buggers, and streamers. Any suggestion? I did manage to catch a small one yesterday on a #10 nymph type pattern. I did tie up some hellgramites on some size 4 hooks yesterday to give them a try.
I have watched the smallies chase my streamers only to have them get close and either stop chasing them or do a lightning quick taste of them and spit them back out before I could set the hook.

Any one out there that is good at catching these fish? Any information/suggestions would be appriciated.
Greg

 

[Fishidiot]

Hhmmmm. Beats me. Have you tried fishing in the mornings and evenings? Often, river smallies in PA often shut down at mid day and really turn on once the sun sets. I've seen days where I couldn't buy a strike for hours and then had steller fishing once the sun sets behind the tree line. You might also try poppers. They hook well (probably better than streamers on average). Finally, I'd suggest trying a tandem nymph rig using the helgrammitte fly and the #10 nymph pattern as a dropper. Use a strike indicator just like you would trout fishing.

 

[brookiesRfun]

Thats exacty what I am planning on doing tonight. I really am beginning to think that the fish in this creek really don't feed much from 9 to 7 so I am going to do some evening fishing today. I don't get out really early as usually I have to work evenings or I have class which makes for a 13 hr day. I tied up a few muddlers and a few hellgramites as well so I will start with those and see what happends.
Thanks
Greg

 

[brookiesRfun]

fishidiot,
What size should I tie the hellgramites? I tied some on some #4 nymph hooks. Hope that is not too big. If I may ask what pattern do you tie that works?

 

[springer1]

I'm hoping that here in SE Pa the Commission makes all smallies C&R, like they did in the Susquehanna - I don't understand whey they have not done so already.

I don't know a single waterway where they are doing well, and even the few SE Pa places where you can still catch a few 8" & over, thery are a shadow of what they once were.

 

[Fishidiot]

Brookies,
Helgy flies should be tied large. Keep in mind, you'll be fishing them with smaller nymphs so a big meal can be appealing. Most adult hegys are about 3" long and dark brown with a black head - any fly with olive marabou and some rubber legs should do the trick. I like my helgys realistic. There's a pic and discussion of this fly on my recent Juniata River thread in Stream Reports. To be honest, though, I dont think helgy flies need to be super accurate to catch bass. Good luck tonight.

 

[streamerguy]

This is the first year I have fished French(got a camp in the area), so I don't know much about it, but I fished it a couple times, including this morning and have caught some bass. Average was 11in. but did get 2 14inchers this year. Mornings and evenings definitely were the best, with mornings being better. I caught some on brown and black wooly buggers, but had better luch spinfishing.

 

[RLeep2]

French Creek is where I cut my FF teeth for smallmouth many years ago. It doesn't always quite fish like anywhere else.

Try this:

1) Put the streamers away until evening or early in the morning.

2) Here is something that works all day so long as you concentrate on water where you can't see the bottom or areas that are in shade. If your buggers have long, pretty robust tails, they'll do as is. Otherwise, tie some up with a strip of dyed rabbit fur (the same color as the marabou tail would be) for a tail that is about 150% of hook shank length. Alternately, you can use a batch of ostrich herl feathers, but I like the rabbit better. Weight them so they sink at a modest rate, but not like a bowling ball. You can always add more lead for dead drifting deep pockets adjacent to heavy water, another place where good bass often hold, especially in hotter weather.

3) Fish them like this... Find a pool with some rock ledges (pretty common in the Venango to Meadville stetch) or high clay banks (very common over almost the entire stream) that drop off to at least a foot or so of water right at the edge and have some current flow right along the bank. You'll know if there isn't enough current if you start catching rock bass one after the other. Cast the bugger into the deeper water off the edge of the rock ledge and let it sink a little, but not all the way. Then slowly lift your rod tip, pausing now and then and if there is no take, continue drawing the fly slowly towards you. Do the same thing with the clay bank habitat. Drop the fly as close to the bank as possible and let the current carry it a little as you slowly raise the rod tip to "walk" the fly slowly towards you. Be on your toes for the take. A lot of them are pretty subtle. My experience on the stream (and actually, virtually everywhere else as well except for big rivers where you should ask someone else, I'm not a big river guy) is that you'll catch 3 or 4 fish on a drifted or slowly "walked" bugger or rabbit fur leech-type fly for every one you catch using an active retrieve.

 

[evw659]

well, i fished the allegheny for smallies about 20 miles below where french creek comes in and caught 1 bass in about 6 hours of fishing. still had a great time though, water temps were in the mid 80's.

 

[thebassman]

I have not been able to buy a smallie on a streamer yet this year, but today did alright with a popper.....pulled in two that went for 10inches a piece. Not the biggest in the stream I fish (have pulled 15-18in fish with spinning tackle) but put on an awesome aerial show!!

 

[brookiesRfun]

Hey guys thanks so much for the advice! I did a little change up yesterday evening and used a unweighted muddler cast acrss the creek and moderate strip retrive and that did produce results. I landed two about 14 inches and missed 3 other smaller fish and had strikes on two lunkers! So all and all it was a great couple of hrs of fishing. I will take this advice and see what happends. Smallies are almost as fun as wild trout!
Thanks RLeep2 for the help
Greg

 

[Fishidiot]

brookiesRfun wrote:
Smallies are almost as fun as wild trout!
Greg

Almost? Well I suppose you're starting to see the light.

 

[brookiesRfun]

LOL! Gotta love it when a 2lb SMB hits your muddler just below the surface.

 

[j_man]

Try the murdich minnow on a #4 wakes them up all day long.

 

[brookiesRfun]

j_man wrote:
Try the murdich minnow on a #4 wakes them up all day long.

Gotta pict and recipie for me?

 

[streamerguy]

Murdich Minnow

http://www.flyfishohio.com/Murdich_Minnow.htm

 

[sholgate]

This summer I have been doing really well with a white, red, white Clouser minnow. Also, try to get to spots where "people can't fish." Last summer I hunted for days and couldn't find a fish over 16". This summer I already landed a few 15-18".

 

[j_man]

Tight lines flyfishing has a video on utube on how to tie it. Estaz, bucktail and fish fur for the kickers.

 

[brookiesRfun]

I floated french today from Saegertown to Meadville with no sucess on catching a smalie. I had a number of followers but no takers. I did not get out early enough. It was alot of fun though. I saw some nice fish....And a HUGE musky, it was as long or longer than my leg! It is hard to canoe down the creek and fly fish at the same time. Not to mentio it is a little low.

 

[bikerfish]

are you fishing deep enough? I fish french creek often, you need to get that fly way down in those holes. the bait guys that do good always let their bait hit the bottom.
in the evening you can do good on poppers on the surface, but I've found most of the time those fish hug the bottom. even with a clouser type fly, I put splitshot on.