WNY smallmouth bass on the fly
Smallmouth taken while stripping a white streamer on a sink tip.
Copper bead head woolly bugger and smallie
Just before the release
Bass taken just below the spillway in Churchville, NY
Another smallie going back home
This week has been filled with warm weather and wind. And although the wind was not like what we had last week, it was enough to keep the dry fly fishing on our inland streams to a minimum in the morning. So with that said....I hit up some likely bass spots in the hopes that I could land a few bronze backs!
On both Monday and Wednesday morning, I spent a good hour or so at Black creek in Churchville, NY. A stream that many of you may know from my blogs from last year. And usually around this time in May, the bass fishing starts to heat up.
The spillway in the town of Churchville blocks the creek, creating a large pond above it. Once the water really starts to warm in the upper parts of the creek, and spills over into the lower section, it creats a breeding ground for sunfish, crappie, rock bass, carp and many different kinds of minnows. The bass spend a good amount of time searching the shallows or waiting on a small gravel drop off points to ambush. Working a clouser minnow, weighted woolly bugger, or other streamer pattern allong the bottom at these points can be deadly. The key is to work it slowly, pulling it along the bottom to allow the fly to bounce off rocks and sticks, in the hopes of getting the attention of a fish. More often than not, the take of the fish will feel like you have just gotten hung up on the bottom. When this happens, lift the rod quickly while stripping line with the other hand to set the hook. Now all you have to do is hang on!!
I have been using both #4 and #6 white, or chartreuse and white clouser minnows and woolly buggers along with a #6 copper bead head brown woolly bugger. I am basically trying to match the many minnows and crayfish that the bass will feed on. And bouncing them off the bottom with a little twitch while stripping gives the impression of a wounded baitfish, or a crawfish darting away from danger. And the more noise your fly makes jumping in between and off of rocks, the better. If you do not have a weighted fly, just add some split shot about 10 to 12 inches above your fly to get it down.
In the past few years the NYSDEC has allowed anglers to fish for bass year round. You must catch and release all bass until the season starts on the 3rd Saturday in June through November 30th. So if you are looking for a new challenge this spring....try some smallmouth bass on the fly!!
