jerkbaits used by conventional bass anglers. Its soft, shiny body is a great imitation of the threadfin shad that are common forage in many lakes.
FLY LURES Fly anglers are now imitating other bass lures, and the results can be terrific. They’re heavy enough to sink but not so much that they rocket to the bottom. Because bass often hit while the fly is sinking, a slow drop can be a good thing. There are equivalents for soft-plastic worms, too, based on a long, flexible strip of wiggly rabbit fur. That soft fur has more bass-tempting wiggle in the
water than even the softest of plastics. The fly also has a lightly weighted head to give jiglike action when retrieved. Rabbit-fur flies do raise one critical point: Fur soaks up lots of water, and the weight becomes very difficult to cast with lighter gear. Although smaller, lighter bugs can easily be cast with trout tackle, bigger flies require a heavier line and rod. Eight- to 0-weight rods are not too big for larger bugs, and they’re best coupled with a bass-taper fly line. This is not dainty stuff. When a 6-pound (2.75 kg) bass smashes your bug, those same heavier rods have enough power to keep the fish from diving back into cover. So not only will you have the fun of awesome surface strikes—you might even land the fish, too.
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EXPERIENCE FATAL
ATTRACTION
Absent an obvious hatch, you want a fly paern that’s buggy enough to earn interest, gaudy enough to cause a reaction strike, or just plain meaty-looking enough that the trout cannot let it float by. You want an aractor. Here are four of the best. Don’t fish without them.
TYING TWEAK
For dirty water, increase the flash with a sparkle-
dubbing body.
Remove the conehead weight for soer presentations
to lake fish.
Mix and match head-dubbing colors to find the
real money mix.
Dab a spot of glow-in-the-dark paint on the head so you can
see it at night.
HOW TOWORK IT
Dead-drift the fly tight to banks. The seductive legs will
do the rest.
Bang the banks, then retrieve the fly with fast, erratic
strips.
Make it the lead fly on a double rig and dead-drift it
through deep runs.
Make short, erratic strips toward the shore, above runs,
and around cover.
WHEN TOFISH IT
Spring through fall, especially
midsummer.
It’s not a fall-only pattern. Fish it
year-round.
Year-round, but it’s most deadly in
spring and summer.
Summer nights when big trout are
on the prowl.
Replicates a range of natural insects, from stoneflies to
caddis to hoppers.
WHY IT WORKS
A brown body gives it crayfish appeal, and the rubber legs
drive trout wild.
It’s a Prince Nymph on steroids with sohackle wing accents
to oscillate in water.
No natural food packs more protein power than mice; a
big meal for big fish.
THEPATTERN
Rubber-Legged Stimulator
Autumn Splendor
Mercer’s Lemming
Twenty Incher
3
5
Get
Scoop on Fly Reels
A spinning reel that costs $30 is going to function mechanically the same as one that costs $,000. Fly reels, however, are different. If you’re in the market for a new one, understanding the advantages and disadvantages of the two most
common styles of internal gears can help you determine how much to spend and which reel is best for you. It ultimately boils down to what species of fish you intend to hook, and how hard that fish is going to fight.
CLICK-PAWL DRAG In the early days of flyfishing, all reels featured a click-pawl drag. In a simple configuration, a gear fixed to the back side of the spool locks into triangle-shape clickers held in place with tension on the inside of the reel frame. When the spool turns, the clickers keep up tension to stop the line from overrunning, as well as to stop the spool from moving in reverse. Some click-pawl reels feature adjustment knobs that allow the angler to change the amount of pressure on the clickers, thus making it easier to reduce tension when stripping line off to cast, and adding it when a fish is pulling against the reel. Click-pawl drags are still popular today, but they are mostly found on inexpensive reels. Click-pawls also are typically reserved for chasing smaller fish, such as stream trout and pond bass. It doesn’t make much sense to spend a ton of money on a click-pawl for small-water applications, as the reel is lile more than a line holder.
DISC DRAG Disc-drag fly reels are certainly more than line holders. These reels use a series of stacked washers sandwiched between plates covered in materials like cork or carbon fiber that be can compressed or decompressed via a drag adjustment knob toincrease or decrease tension.Disc-drag systems factor in the amount of heat generated when a fish is spinning the drag quickly, as well as the torque applied during a hard run. Disc-drag reels can cost a prey penny depending on the material used in construction. But if you’re chasing salmon, steelhead, striped bass, or tuna that are going to take a lot of line off the reel, you’ll want the reliability of a solid disc drag. Many disc drags are also sealed within the reel frame by a metal housing. This is particularly important to look for if the reel will be used in saltwater, as the housing keeps water out of the drag, thwarting corrosion and making sure moisture between the discs doesn’t compromise the drag’s performance.
the
