Fly Fishing for Bass – Tactics For Landing More Bass

Never the less, I can remember the first time I saw a large mouth come out of the bank and destroy my fly. I instantly knew that this was something I was going to be obsessed with.

Fly fishing for bass, is a challenge and there are def a couple secrets that will help, any angler to getting more hook ups and landing more fish.

These tips will help to keep you from getting frustrated as your buddy with his spinning gear brings them in left and right. Bass fishing is the most popular sport fish in the world and should be enjoyed buy fly fishing anglers as well. Once you start to dial in your skills still water fishing for all sorts of species will open up.

When To Hit The Water

Ideal water temps for bass are around 75-85 degrees so trying to nail the temps is always the best bet to being successful. Early spring and late fall are generally the best time for fly fisherman but if you wanna give it a go in the mid summer heat your best bet is early in the morning or late in the evening.

Most conventional fisherman will be able to slam bass all day in the summer, but that doesn’t apply the same for flyfishing, they can cast farther and more accurately. The Best time for the fly is early in the morning or late in the day, this is because the bass will be in the shallow water and be more in the zone for us as fly fisherman.

Gear guys can cover more water and can fish from farther away we don’t have the same distance on are cast and we should be aware of this. If you do wanna try mid day I suggest bring a sink tip line so that you can get your flies down quickly into low cover where the bass are probably waiting in the summer.

Night fishing can also be productive if your willing to stay up late and be on the water. This is defiantly a good time to slam some bigger bass as like most fish the bigger fish will be on the hunt during the night.

When night fishing don’t be afraid to step up the size of your flies, this can produce some massive fish and is always exciting.

Remember bass will feed almost anytime of the day but putting your self on the water at the best times will help to be more successful.

Using The Right Stick For The Job

I generally run a seven weight rod and reel set up when i’m fishing for bass. A medium action rod is perfect for the job as you will have accuracy and power. Eight weight setup are also a good option you will get a longer cast and that can also be very helpful.

I went out with my buddy once and he brought his five weight trout rod and struggled all day to get the heavy flies in the zone and to bring in the fish he actually managed to hook. Trust me getting the right rod is clutch and will help to keep your arm from wearing out.

Having both a float line and a sink tip is also helpful, you will probably use the float line most of the time but it never hurts to have that sinker as well. Lots of times ill bring my eight weight setup with the sink tip on it and ill have my seven with the float line that way i’m ready to fire if I wanna get the fly low quick

Flies And Casting

The bonus about bass fishing is that you don’t have to worry so much, about your fly selection or your cast. This is why bass fishing is great for novice fly fisherman. All you need is to head down to the pond and giver her some casts.

Now for the more experienced anglers a good double haul is clutch for those long distance cast and being accurate is gonna help to hit the spot and not lose your flies.

Having a good selection of clouser minnows, wolly buggers, perch patterns, crawdad patterns, and leeches, should be good start. As you get more dialed on your lake you’ll figure out what works best at what time of year so dint be afraid to switch things up.

Poppers are another great options and are probably my favorite way to fish for bass. Poppers are best used right before sunset and early in the morning. In my experience smaller poppers work the best and big fish will inhale them and setting the hook become way easier.

Keep Your Tip Down, And Line Tight

This is not trout fishing keep your tip down the whole time you are stripping and setting the hook. If you lift your hand and set like a trout you will miss most the fish that strike. I like to put my rod tip in the water while stripping this way even if you try to lift your hand the water will help keep it down.

Another major thing is keeping the line tight, sometimes the bite will be very subtle and if your line is not tight you won’t feel the bite. So try to keep direct tension on the line at all times and your hookup rate will increase.

Lastly experiment with your strips, strip fast, strip slow, pause while stripping change up frequently. Try to figure out what they want and you’ll be in the money. In my experience the bigger fish sometimes hit softly so if you see and type of line shift give a good hard strip set and hold on it could just be a fish of a lifetime.

Get Out And Explore

Fly fishing for bass is a great time and should be on every fly anglers list of things to do, from experienced anglers to beginners. There really is nothing like watching a predator slam your fly and bass have some of the most aggressive takes in the world.

Getting out and checking every inch of your local ponds is how you will truly dial in where the bass like to hold. If its from about or from shore changing location and covering water is gonna tell you a lot about your local water.

There is a reason it is the most popular sport fish in the world, they are aggressive and love to eat. If you hit it on the right day it can be some of the most action filled day you can ave on the water.

As always if you have any questions just leave me a line and ill get back to you as soon as possible.