Tim Robert - Bass Fishing with a Fly: The Complete Guide on How to Catch a Bass on a Fly Rod (Including the Top 10 Flies that will land you the Monster Bass)

BASS FISHING WITH A FLY

The Complete Guide on How to Catch a Bass on a Fly Rod (Including the Top 10 Flies that will land you the Monster Bass)

Tim Robert

Copyright@2018

TABLE OF CONTENT

Bass is one of the most enjoyable sport fishing to target with any type of method

For die hard bass anglers, fly fishing is one of the most fun loving new ways to get their favorite fishes, for fly angler, bass are abundantly available and challenging fish that are guaranteed to give a new challenge

Irrespective of where you live, there is a very high chance that there is a pond, lake or river nearby that holds the bass that will willingly take a fly and give you a wonderful fight

Bass are well known for their wonderful fighting abilities on any challenge when you are after them, it is important to be prepared with the correct equipment not only to catch them but to get the right flies in the place where they live

Bass are ambush predators and will mostly look for the heaviest cover where they can hide and wait for unwary preys to swim into

Bass anglers are mostly faced with challenges of casting their fly directly into a weedy region and wrestling a hooked bass out of the water so heavy than the normal will require a challenge

For a large bass or when you are fishing around snags and weeds, a 9-foot, 8-weight fly rod and matching reel with a strong drag is a good option

An 8-weight fly rod and matching reel with a powerful drag is a very good option

An 8-weight is also a very wonderful choice for casting large bass flies that would be heavy and difficult to cast on lighter rods, for smaller bass, small bass, smaller flies, and open water, a 9-foot 6-weight rod is a better alternative

Bass can be found in any part of the water column, from just below the surface to the right on the bottom

Many anglers use only a floating line and choose a target bass when they are in shallow water, but to be prepared for any situation having some different lines placed on extra reels or spare spools is a good idea

FLOATING LINE

A weight-forward floating line with a heavy front taper is the easiest of fly fishing for bass and will work very well in shallow water situations

Bass are a shallow water predator and can often be found holding or feeding in water that is less than six feet deep

Floating lines are the best choice for any water surface and work very well when joined to a longer leader and sinking fly for getting below the surface

INTERMEDIATE AND SINK TIP LINES

When you need a sustained subsurface or you think that the fish are holding and feeding in water between 6-10 feet deep

It is advisable to go for a slow sinking or sink tip fly line

Intermediate fly lines are clear in color and sink at a slow rate of about 1 to 2 inches per seconds so that they are very good for pulling a fly over the top of a shallow weed bed or fishing at a gradual drop off

A sink tip fly usually has a floating head tipped with a short portion of fast sinking line at the extreme end and is very good for reaching the bottom very easily and moving the fly through drop-offs, snags and other underwater structures in shallow to moderately depth water

FAST SINKING FLY LINES

There are some instance when the bass go down and the only way you can catch them is to fish a fly over deep structure or crawl it into the base

A fly line with a sink rate of 6-10 inches per seconds is the best line to use for these

You can make a long cast and count down to the required depth before you start to remove

LEADERS

The choice of leader to use will depend on the line you are using, the size of your fly and how much cover is available if you are fishing

It is good to use a 7.5 foot tapered leader with a breaking strength 12 to 15 pounds is sufficient

For a sinking and sink tip lines, for small flies or clear water with little snags, you can reduce it up to 6-8 pounds, In very heavy snags or for fishing very big flies, you may want for up to 20 pounds

Bass usually feed from a variety of aquatic and terrestrial creatures and choose food according to how it is available

In traditional fly fishing, bass anglers usually use flies that dives, wiggle and dart naturally to make the fish into striking

A good variety of floating bugs, and unweighted streamers and weighted jigging flies will allow you to fish for bass from the surface to the bottom

Poppers, divers, sliders and gurglers and other flies that make a disturbance on the surface are a joy to them

Poppers are created with a cupped face to make a big disturbance when deepen

Divers usually float on the surface and will dive below with a pull of line

Sliders and gurglers are usually made to ride near the surface when creating a slight disturbance which can be deadly for bass that will run away from the very aggressive action of poopers and divers

In general big, noisy poppers and divers are good for low light or when there is some wind in the water, while smaller bugs, slides and gurglers are very effective for calm and brighter skies

When fishing floating bugs, it is good to read the water and the target cover or structure where you think you might find the fish

Start by casting the fly close to the target and let it settle before you start to remove, and it is advisable to wait for a few seconds before you remove

If nothing takes the fly in the beginning, pause and start to remove

Next point the tip of the rod directly at the fly and hold it at the same level with the water so it does not slack

It is advisable to keep your fly close to strike zone for a long timer

Streamers and slow sinking flies are great for fishing in the middle of the water column

Finding the bass in water requires the ability to recognize the different types of cover and structure where they would like to rest and feed

Underwater or above water cover such as weeds, docks, debris and even shades can lure bass

Structures such as rock, drop offs, channels and points are also very important in bass mostly if any of the former mentioned types of cover are available

WEEDS

Weeds are available in different types but important thing is that if you see the weed you will find the bass

Start by looking at the edge where the weeds drop off into the deeper water meet the shoreline and fish top water

Start by casting a floating bug into pockets, holes in the weed bed and turn it around the openings

If the weeds form a mat on the surface, you should try crawling a fly with a goat weed guard over the top and on hot days bass will hold in the shade below the weeds and move straight through the canopy to attack your fly