Fly Rod Smallmouth 101

First Things:
The first rule of fly fishing for smallmouth is that they are not trout. They generally don't hold in the middle of a fast riffle like trout do, nor do they tend to hold underneath a big woodpile in a muckbottom pool like trout do either--especially browns. Observe how the guy next door is built: he's not terribly sleek and hydrodynamic, like a trout. Smallies tend to like back waters and eddies off of the main current that have that magical combination of deep and slow with a rubble bottom. These are the kinds of places where you find crawdads which make up the bulk of the smallmouth's diet--though they do eat their share of baitfish, nymphs, leeches, and frogs. In the next couple of months they seem to really zero in on frogs.

What Smallies Like:
There is a rumor among trout fisherman that smallmouth like cool water. That's a bunch of bullshit. Fishing gets good in rivers when the water temps climb into the 80s. This rumor was likely started by fisherman angling for lake-dwelling smallmouth who observed correctly that after the spawn smallmouth do often go deep in lakes--supposedly to cooler reaches. The reason for this is to avoid competition from larger species like largemouth. From my own experience, smallmouth will stay shallow in largemouth-free Arrowhead/BWCA lakes so long as their food sources are available.

Remember, a 100 degree day will mean good smallmouthing, so long as one can stand it. Cold fronts and cooling water temps mean that one should go trout fishing.

Rodsand Reels:
Now some people will call me crazy, but for the on-foot, small-river angler fly fishing for smallmouth is not the most effective way to catch them--though for me it is the most enjoyable. On new water I usually use a 7 foot light action spinning rod with 6 pound line and a 16th ounce jig with a brown power grub. In the evening I will switch to a Heddon tiny torpedo as the fish (especially the big ones) are prone to strike surface items. However, once I learn a stretch and figure out the prime lies I switch to flies. The problem I have experienced with smallmouth in central Minnesota is that they are extremely spooky and when stalking a boulder strewn river it can be very difficult in metal studded boots (the only thing that can keep one from falling face first in every hole). The shifting streamside and submerged rocks and boulders are just too noisy. So booming a light jig with a limp light line 60 feet into a likely lie makes more sense. This can be hard with a fly rod, so good casting skills are necessary--and I am a middling caster at best. However, if in a boat on the upper Miss or St. Croix, the ability to pick up and instantaneously recast a long line is most beneficial and from my experience the best way to catch big river smallmouths--hence the carnival of drift boats every day on the upper Miss. But, when on a smaller river that is only twenty to thirty feet wide, alders and trees make a long line difficult. The best way around that is to "over-line" your rod.

I fish a really fast action Sage 7 weight. With a #7 line it's fair in close but it is a monster from 50 to 90 feet--but that takes a little more work false casting. The problem is I need to get to 40 to 60 feet in a hurry--preferably with just one or two false casts. So what I do is I put a #8 line on it. The result is the rod loads immediately and puts a wind resistant popper where I want it most of the time.

As for reels, smallmouth are not epic distance runners. I don't even play the really big ones on the reel. So, unless you're going bonefishing in the winter, get one with a reasonable drag that just holds the fly line.

Flies:
This is really easy. Two flies: a popper/diver and a Clouser minnow.

Any popper or diver that is about 3 to 4 inches long and a neutral color or just plain black. I don't like deer hair flies. They are a pain in the ass. They waterlog too easily, and become a casting nuisance. Just avoid them. Anything that won't waterlog is fine, but the closed-cell foam variety made by guys like Tim Holschlag at Smallmouthangler.com are a better bet. They are light enough to be cast with a 5 weight and durable enough to last through a good many fish. Finally, they are easy to tie as all you need is a sharp razor blade and five or twenty minute epoxy--plus whatever material you want to use for a tail: I just use a saddle hackle and a sparse clump of bucktail.

The Clouser is a fly that catches anything. My biggest brown to date (27 inches) smashed a chartreuse and white Clouser on a hot early evening in a shallow riffle on the Rush river. With that same color combination I've caught big silvers and dollies in Alaska, big lake dwelling rainbows in Montana, river-mouth lake trout in Lake Superior and in the BWCA, ginormous browns from a belly boat in Lake Michigan, stripers, false albacore, and blues off of Long Island, steelhead on the Brule, and pike, walleye, muskies, and smallies on my rivers. It's an awesome fly. Carry them in black, white, chartreuse/white, brown/orange, olive/white, and whatever you can come up with. I like sizes 2, 4, and 6.

It also doesn't hurt to carry a few woolly buggers too--black works.

Catching the Bastards:
The way I fish the Clouser is with an indicator. I cast it up stream and do half-assed hop with the current. Because smallmouth inhale things rather than chomp, turn, and run like browns, you need the indicator to detect most strikes. Though sometimes when smallmouth are really on a bender they will sit in that sweet spot right in front of a big boulder or in the tail of the slick behind it. There I will I do the down and across swing. Instead of stripping it at the end of the swing, I let the fly hang right in his face. It drives them nuts. Just a couple of twitches and bang.

The poppers/divers are a different issue. If you own a cat this will make perfect sense: have you ever thrown out a toy attached to a string, you move it and it gets the cat's attention, but it won't chase? Smallies are the same way. Chugging it along works for muskies, browns, and dogs, but you have to make the smallmouth and the cat go nuts. With your cat you toss the toy out and it takes notice. It stalks and watches. You give it a twitch, and it mews and its butt starts to shake. You let it sit and the goddamn cat practically has a seizure. One more twitch and the damn furball pounces. Smallmouth are the same way; they will follow a chugging lure, but if you plop down a fly, let it sit until the rings go away, and then give it a twitch they will usually smash the hell out of it. If not, give it another twitch and wait. Nothing? Try another spot. On the way back hit it with a Clouser. If you get strike and miss, try him again. If nothing, throw the woolly bugger on him. Deadly.

Toothy Critters:
Most central Minnesota rivers hold tons of small pike. I don't like them. They smell terrible and they don't fight very hard. Some Wisconsin rivers that I fish hold surprisingly large numbers of muskies that run from 30 to 40 inches--I've had follows from some that I would swear were well in excess of 50 inches, but no bites. Muskies fight really hard and smell nice. If you are concerned with losing flies Cortland makes a material you can buy at the Fly Angler in Fridley, MN (possibly at Cableas too) that is very thin (about 3X), and can be knotted right into your leader without kinking too badly. It keeps the pike from getting away with your flies. Muskies, because they have a different jaw and dental set-up, will usually bite clean through it and they require heavier stuff. But, since the flies are easy and cheap to make I just deal with it.

Walleye, Ocassionally:
All of these rivers contain some very nice walleye and from my experience they usually end up with an olive oil and black pepper glaze, grilled, and then placed on fresh sour dough with spring greens, tomatoes, red onions, and a homemade chipotle mayo. Serve it with a good Pinot Grigio and the women will love you and forgive for anything you may have done lately.