Fly Fishing for Smallmouth on a Gorgeous Day

Water is the key to most fly fishing success. I spend so much time each year watching gauges and trying to figure out what the weather is going to do over the next few days. On this night all factors were as near perfect as possible and I was able to slam the smallmouth. I was once again fishing a white, weighted fly that allowed me to get the baitfish imitation down into the ‘death-zone’ which paid off with several nice, hefty smallies.
My trusty Winston 3 weight would be the rod of choice for the trip and I decided to stay with floating line so that the hinge point would be at the surface and would allow me to ‘bounce’ the fly-giving it subtle movements as it trundles down an into the deeper holes. Currently (as of this video) we are anywhere from pre-spawn to a few fish that I have seen that have already made their red; the females are on the search for food and a big meal, like a streamer, is just what they are looking for.
I think you can see as you watch the video that I am allowing the fly to draw and attract the fish to it…meaning not a lot of movement, just subtle bobs and bounces that will hopefully set off the predatory response of one of these big fish and create a situation where they come to eat….with no doubt. As the water warms and the fish get closer to spawn and even hungrier they will become more aggressive and a quicker, more erratic pattern may be a better choice for presentation.
The beauty of nature was everywhere and I hope that you can also appreciate how nice my surroundings were. It is hard for me to fish on a night like this and not be reminded over and over of who is really in charge. So, grab your gear and go find your stream that will harbor a big, hungry smallie…then hold on because pound for pound they fight like no other!