How To Catch Largemouth Bass On Fly Using Fly Fishing Techniques
Catching Largemouth Bass On Fly In South Africa
The
Largemouth Bass (Read more) is a very well respected South African
freshwater fish. This predator attacks almost anything that moves, if it
looks real or natural enough... Hopefully on this page I will give you
some insight and tips on how to hook and land the Largemouth Bass using
Fly Fishing
methods in South Africa... Catching Largemouth Bass on fly can be
tricky and very frustrating, but once you hook that first Bass on fly
the adrenaline will keep you going until you land the fish... Below are
some tips and advice for Fly fishing for Bass - Largemouth Bass, in
South Africa... The same sought of technique can be applied when
targeting the Smallmouth Bass I presume but I cant say it does as at the
time of writing this article I have not targeted Smallmouth Bass on fly.
Fly Fishing Tackle Needed For Targeting Largemouth Bass
Generally
the idea for targeting Largemouth Bass on a fly rod and fly reel is to
fish slightly heavier than you would for Rainbow Trout. Normally in
South Africa to catch Rainbow Trout you would use between a 4 weight and
6 weight fly rod paired with the appropriate fly fishing reel. In my
opinion fishing for Largemouth Bass is no different, it all comes down
to personal preference, what size leader you are going to use and how
heavy your fly of choice is. Many well respected Bass anglers say that
you should use a Fly rod between 7 and 9 weight for Bass... This is
understandable because you have to tackle up when targeting Largemouth
Bass, but as I mentioned it is all about what you feel comfortable with.
I target Largemouth Bass with a 5 weight with floating line and a 7
weight with sinking line. So its up to you but I would say go with a 7
weight.
In
terms of leader this again goes back to how heavy the fly you are using
is and how heavy the structure is where you are fishing. Largemouth Bass
are not as finicky when it comes to being spooked, such as Rainbow Trout
are so you can afford to with a heavier leader line... Somewhere between
2 kilograms and 5 kilograms is perfect. On a floating line I would use
2-3 kilogram line with about an 8 foot leader and on a sinking line I
would use 3-4 kilogram leader, with a length of 3-4 foot. I find that
shorter leaders work a lot better with fast sinking line.
The Best Flies To Use For A Largemouth Bass
The
best Flies to use for Largemouth Bass are without a doubt Zonker's,
medium to large sized Mrs. Simpson's and the San Juan or Blood Worm
imitations. These all imitate a Largemouth Basses natural food items.
The Zonker's are bait fish, the Mrs. Simpson's are tadpoles and the
other two
mentioned above are worms. There are a lot of Bass flies on
the market that work well too, but I tend to use the flies that have
been catching fish for centuries. So listed below are the best flies for
Bass, in my opinion on different lines:
Floating line Flies for targeting Largemouth Bass:
- San Juan Worm (Fished static with the occasional twitch)
- Blood Worm (Fished static with the occasional twitch)
- DDD (Fished static, using dry fly methods)
- GRHE (Fished on the drop then a slow figure of eight retrieve)
- Flashback Nymph (Fished static with the occasional twitch)
- PTN (Fished on the drop then a slow figure of eight retrieve)
- Hoppers (Fished static, using dry fly methods)
- Floating Ant (Fished static, using dry fly methods)
- Adams (Fished static, using dry fly methods)
- Poppers (Fished with a short retrieve and then stop etc.)
Sinking Line Flies For Targeting Largemouth Bass
- Mrs. Simpson
- Zonkers (Any colours and sizes)
- Cat's Whiskers
- Red Eye Damsel (Olive & Black)
- Streamers
- Clousers
- Zulu
- GRHE
- Walkers Killer
- Black Woolly Bugger
- Olive Woolly Bugger
- White Death
How To Fight And Land A Largemouth Bass On Fly Gear
When
you hook a Largemouth Bass on fly you will be fighting the fish with
"lighter tackle" than a spinning or bait caster set up so it is
important not to give the Bass any slack and just let the Bass fight
you... The bigger ones will run and take quite a bit of line but do not
panic. Play them and tire them out and when you get the chance get the
line back... When the Bass jump out of the water keep your rod tip low
and your line tension fairly tight.
Landing a Largemouth Bass should be done with a net as you are using smaller hooks and lighter leader and you do not want that personal best Largemouth Bass to snap off and swim away. Wet your hands before touching the fish, take a photo and then release it. When releasing Largemouth Bass or any freshwater fish for the matter it is important to not just throw the fish back, but to revive it. Place the Bass in the water and either face it toward the flow of the water or gently rub your fingers along the side of the fish, thus getting its gills to move and start breathing. It is important not to bring the fish back and forward through the water as this could drown the Bass.
Other Largemouth Bass Tips For Fly Fishing
Always
fish around structure, drop offs, inlets or banks... The
Largemouth Bass love to inhabit these areas. Winter fly fishing for
Largemouth Bass can be quite slow especially if the water is very cold,
as Bass are regarded as "warm water fish". You will still catch them in
Winter and the chances are that if you do you will catch larger fish. It
is just very tough Fly Fishing but persevere and you will get your
reward. The best times in Winter to target Largemouth Bass on fly would
be when the temperature is at its warmest... Otherwise Spring and Summer
are my favourite seasons for catching Largemouth Bass on fly.
See more pictures of Largemouth Bass here and learn about the dropshot technique called the Wacky Rig which drives the Bass crazy!
