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 Photo by Brian Milne All About the Largemouth BassIt might not be the most popular freshwater fish pursued by fly anglers, but it’s certainly one of the most sought after fish by the general angler.
Largemouth bass fishing has taken off since the emergence of organizations like B.A.S.S., the Bassmaster Classic and other bass fishing tournaments. While bass are sought after mainly by spinning reel anglers, they can be a challenging fight for fly anglers as well. Where to Find Them: The largemouth bass can be found in warmwater lakes and ponds, and even many rivers, throughout the country. Habitat and Description: Largemouth bass typically prefer areas of protected cover and also spawn in such areas, around logs, vegetation and even man-made cover such as walls, docks and bridges.
Small largemouth bass can be found in schools, while the larger fish can become isolated when food is scarce. Description: The largemouth bass can be identified by the dark almost diamond-shaped blotches that run along he horizontal line. The belly is usually light colored and the rest of the fish is an olive shade of green/brown. But the defining characteristic of the largemouth, which sometimes is confused with other bass species like the
spotted bass, is the "large mouth" and upper jaw line that runs well past where the fish's eye is. Tackle and Flies: Light to medium reels, rods and lines should work fine for largemouth bass, which are usually in the 1-3-pound range. Bigger setups would obviously be needed if fish are pushing 5-10 pounds. The general philosophy for fly anglers hunting bass on large waters is to "grip it and strip it." Make large casts on open waters, stripping furiously to attract attention to the streamer. If fishing is slow, fine tune your approach and try pitching nymphs or other sub-surface flies around shaded cover and along rocky shorelines and coves. Good flies for bass include leeches, nymphs, crayfish and baitfish patterns, or terrestrials or poppers in the evenings when fish become active on the surface. In rivers, bass will go for white or yellow streamers, woolly buggers and Muddler Minnows. U.S. and World Record: The world record for a legally caught largemouth bass is 22 pounds, 4 ounces, and was caught by George Perry on a lure back in 1932 in Georgia.
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