I fly fish from West Point Lake in Ga all the way down to Lake Eufaula in Alabama. I don`t use my bait casters anymore, I retired them over 20 years ago. Took my grandson today. You will always catch fish.
Awesome video! I’m new to fly fishing but live in Texas.. so way more bass water here!! I have kayak fished a lot and found that you can use your anchor, and then a drift anchor on the down stream side to keep you stable and save your trolling battery!
Was on a float trip on the Potomac last week for small mouth. Black popper was the premier fly. Ended up with 13 with the largest at 18 inches. Will be up in northern Wisconsin in late July fishing several local lakes off my kayak. Typically those large mouth love mouse and frog patterns. While I do fish for trout, bass are my favorite species. Great video and you confirmed many of the techniques I use for bass.
Great feedback, love this. I am going to do some mouse and frog fishing in the next few weeks and work on getting out some tips for the topwater game. Good luck in Wisconsin!
Being a fly fisherman that lives in the southern part of New Jersey over 90% of my fly fishing is warm water either panfish or bass. I had a smile on my face when you describe the rig because my bass rig is a echo b a g 7 weight with a Redington behemoth reel and SA mastery fly line and a 12 lb leader. Another trick you can use for combating the winds on a small vessel is using an anchor trolley system like kayakers use. I also strongly agree with the floating line thing I don't think I've ever caught a large mouth out of anything deeper than 6 ft and also having that floating line where you can mend it to direct your fly around weeds and snags is priceless.
This was a great video Joe! I like the strategy of fishing 5-10 minutes, then moving approx. 100 ft. and using the anchor if necessary. Also appreciated your strategy too of fishing those small differences in structure as well. Maybe a bit on the light side, but my favorite largemouth/peacock bass rod (I live in FL) has been a 5 weight Redington Predator with a fighting butt. To me it feels more like a 6 weight, and I usually catch those 1/2 lb to 1-2 lb bass; great fun. Bigger fish than I’m yelling “Momma”! Thanks again for a very good/helpful video!!
you would go nuts here in NC fly fishing, we have trees close to the water, like you said, a good cast brings rewards, they are waking up here now, Good Fishing,
I’ve never tried bass fishing on a fly rod but as spring fades into summer here in southeastern PA and water temps rise the trout fishing drops off. I usually put the fly rod in the garage until fall rolls around and pull out the spinning tackle. This year I will give the 5wt a try on some of my favorite bass ponds and lakes. That looks like to much fun not to try!
On our last bass trip in south Europe we actually caught more bass on the fly than on our high end conventional tackle. Just saying ;) BTW trolling motor with iPilot next for your son :D
Is that a Sage Max reel ? I love fishing Largemouth with a 6wt, actually will make you a great caster. I also like Rio Predator line. I over line 1 size up. Great Vid Joe.
Great video Joe. Love the variety of content. Definitely some of the best. Off-topic a little but is that a tennis elbow strap? I'm having some forearm and elbow issues from over-use and sink line use. Does it help?
About every 2 years I tear up my forearm, I think I did it turning some wrenches on my Jeep bumper than enflamed it fishing hard for a week of aggressive casting. It definitely helps it heal up for sure. Makes a big difference.
I live in southern Delaware so I can’t really trout fish or catch small mouth by me. I fish for bluegill and largemouth as practice for when I go to New Hampshire to fly fish.
Im moving to florida for work and I just got into micro skagit fishing. Do you think a trout spey setup would work for bass in florida canals? Id like to be able to practice my skagit casting while actually hooking into some fish. Thanks love the channel!
It sure could, my experience would suggest you'll have more success on a snappy rod, much shorter that is extremely accurate. Bass so often react (not necessarily instantly) to seeing the fly splash, or sink. Sometimes it's a delayed bite but accurately delivering a good shot is paramount IMO. I'm unable to do this with Skagit gear as the distance control is challenging. I'm certainly not saying "don't" or "can't", just personally wouldn't invest with this in mind.
Hey man I'm a subscriber of your's I love Bass Fly Fishing and I was wondering if you could send me a care package of bassflys to review and try out with a video, any chance you could do that?
Oh yes you bet. This type of fishing can be hard on a light rod like that, you might find that you break a rod tip as there will be a fair bit of snagging in the weeds, etc. plus the fly size is larger and more challenging to cast. ALSO, you'll find that a 5 weight is pretty light on the hook set. Don't let any of this stop you, just know there are a few advantages to having a slightly heavier rod.
#6 is good, no problem. If I were buying a line specifically for this, it would be this line right here, I pre-selected the size and style for you. Just click. redsflyfishing.com/products/rio-elite-predator-streamer-line?variant=39619669885127
Bass fishing on the fly is my favorite species. Completely different game to trout fishing, and most bass havent seen many flies and are likely to hit.
I wouldn’t say that using a floating line is used 90% of the time for bass. That greatly depends on what type of water you’re fishing and where the fish are holding. On deep lakes where fish can get 15 to 20 ft deep in the summer a sinking line is a must and most streamers are best fished on a intermediate line.
Great vid.. I live and die with a fast 6 for smallies here in Texas.. and a 4 on the creeks for guads. I grew up fishing in upstate New York so it’s been a big transition! One perk of bass fishing is the solitude you can get compared to competing for trout
One recommendation I can give , especially for newer bass flyfishermen is using a higher line weight for largemouth. I use a 9 wt line and this helps to lift and cast heavy and bulky bass flies. The distances are short and the heavier line helps to load the rod with a short line out. I have great success with a Raineys Joom Diver head in yellow especially. Look at commercial tie and dress with feathers, legs and fur straps and emulate that. But all that foam and fuzz is so much easier to cast with a 9 wt line and a rod that handles it. (I have a fast 8 wt that I over line)
few questions any good bass fly line under 70 dollars whats a good bass fly fishing setup under 200 dollars and can i use instead 14 lb mono for leader then tippet ring down to a 14 lb mono?
If you are just getting started, go here (link below) for $100. You'll want good flies and there is plenty of other stuff to buy. A 6 weight is useful for many things, and eventually you can afford to upgrade the line. A reel is not very important for bass, as long as its reliable. The strength of the drag is pretty much irrelevant. And YES, on the leader. You can use a short non tapered leader as long as it's 6' or less and I think you'll find it unfurls well. Being on a budget doesn't have to limit you, just get out there on the water and make it happen. redsflyfishing.com/products/redington-crosswater-fly-rod-outfit-complete-setup?variant=14986713956401
