Summer Smallies

Summer Smallies
I heard a sound coming from downstream. A quick glance revealed two bands of grey belly
bombers. They were low and heading straight for us.
I gave a quick warning. “Look out, we may get hit.”
The first wave of grey bellies honked as they dropped their green bombs into the water.
Confused, the angler in the front of the raft didn’t see them and was watching rising bass. All the
bombs helplessly missed and hit the water. However, the second wave was more accurate. I
watched as a single goose aligned the speed, wind, and altitude to make a perfect shot. His green
bomb exploded on the front of the raft. The excitement of the geese was short-lived and didn’t
detract from a great day on the water.

A lack of rain had the river low. Navigating the rock maze was a challenge but was yielding
summer smallies or smallmouth bass.We were floating for smallmouth bass.
Unlike trout, smallies can tolerate warmer water. They are classified as
cool-water fish, not cold-water like trout. Freestone rivers, with all the
shoals and rocks are a perfect habitat for smallies.

Our goal today was to catch them on a flyrod. The last trip out
yielded a great day of topwater for smallies. The Isonychias were hatching
and bass were behaving like sipping trout. They were hitting poppers and Adams flies.

However, the water was a little cloudy today and the bugs were not
hatching, so we went subsurface. In low water, I use a Cortland sinking tip
Streamer Sink Tip 10 T6. It works flawlessly getting the fly down without getting the line caught on rocks in low water. I paired it
with a neutral buoyant streamer in classic colors.
The very first fish was a large 16+” smallie. The next two were nearly as large. We had a
great day on the water with several fish in the raft including three good size bass. The nice part is the fish were caught on the fly rod.

Summer smallie fishing with a fly rod is a great alternative to trout fishing when the water
is too warm. Smallies can be picky like trout and ignore your best efforts. With streamers, the trick is to get the right depth
and retrieve. Sometimes the right combination of strip and pause can be elusive. But when you get the right combination, it
can be a rewarding take, not to mention smallies fight aggressively.

Rigging can help. When using a sinking tip, keep the leader short.
A 3’ to 5’ leader will keep the fly down near the fish. If the leader
is too long, the fly floats to the surface. Your goal is to get the fly to the level of the fish and a sinking tip is a great low-water tactic for streamers.

Patrick Weaver

Fly Fishing Guide/ Educational Coordinator 

Headwaters Outfitters

Patrick@headwatersoutfitters.com