10-14-2020, 09:53 PM
(10-14-2020, 02:14 AM)lucabrasi Wrote: Heading south for a couple days with kayaks and paddleboards and curious if anyone fishes for the bass on them with a fly rod this time of year. Wondering if I would be wasting my time. I go there in the spring as well during normal years so hints for that time of year would be great as well.
We all know what kind of year this has been so it's been a year since I was there....
Always thought it would be a hoot to catch one of them big bass down there on a fly rod but any general pointers for spinning gear this time of year or late March/early April would be great as well.
I love catching bass on the fly. Bass in lakes like Sand Hollow see lots of lures and tons of presentations day in and day out, but what they don't see a lot of are smaller (by bass lure standards) flies presented delicately and accurately. My biggest bass to date (6lb) came on an olive complex twist bugger this spring. I have also caught many bass on blue and chartreuse clousers, sparkle minnows (!), and the old white crystal bugger. Not to mention mice and poppers in the right place/time. Use big tippet, #15 lb test or stronger. You can ditch the leader and just tie 7 feet or so of straight 15+ lb line to your fly line. I have heard, and in my own experience, debarbing your hooks will land you more bass. Their mouths are so hard and you can't set as hard with a fly rod so having no barb to impede hook penetration does help get that hook in a bit deeper in my opinion. Look for structure and you'll find the bass. Good luck! Warming water and cooling water offer the best fishing of the year for these guys. If the bass fishing sucks, go look for the bluegills and sunfish to stay entertained haha!